WIP - Giant Cherries almost completed

I am still working on my giant cherries: the painting is on watercolor paper adhered to an 18" X 24" wood panel and will be varnished for display without glass.
I still have work to do on the shadows and on the tablecloth and lace...I am getting a bit tired of this one; I have struggled with it since I have realized that this surface is better for small cells than large washes!
Nevertheless, at this size, I like the impact the cherries make.
Next time, on this surface, I am simply going to try acrylics!
In the photo below, the colors are not entirely true: for example, the shadows under the plate are more grey than blue and they are actually much darker. I will try getting a better picture tomorrow in better daylight.

What do you think?

I hope that you are having a great week.

What's on the easel and more Red Bubble fun

My sister spent most of last week with us. I enjoyed her visit tremendously...but did not paint nor post on blogger.

I have started a painting on a 18"X24" wood panel that I had prepared some time ago for a varnished watercolor. However, as soon as I had sketched my painting on it, I remembered my findings the last time I worked on such a surface: this is great for small cells, but horrible for large washes - the surface dries too quickly and unevenly. As you will see below, my painting is of huge cherries on a black plate and there is a hint of lace: the lace was great fun, but the cherries were a nightmare to paint!

The stems are still covered with masking and I have not yet started the plate. The highlights on the cherries were done in three ways: masking, lifting and ( the purists will cringe) with Chinese white watercolor.

The next couple of weeks should be quite busy. I have two shows in March, one at the Foyer Gallery called "Inside Outside" and I thought that, by stretching it a bit,  I could use the cherries for that theme ( inside a container, out of a container:-); the other show is a 3-day sale with a local art association where I will have a booth. I also have two large commissions...and commissions make me nervous and I tend to procrastinate.

On another note, Red Bubble continues to be a fun site that provides me with good feedback. My "Lake Fantasia" has just won 3rd place in a Challenge in the Canadian Artists group and my Garden Ballerinas, a painting I did last year, was featured today in the Decorative and Traditional Art Group.

And winter is back with us in Ottawa: we have had more snow in the last three days than all winter, I think...and more on the way:-(

Something fresh in this heat wave

Cherries and Lace II

This is the hottest summer in Ottawa in the last decade at least. The heat and the humidity make me feel really lazy...even though we have air conditioning.  I wanted to paint something quick, fresh, easy.  So, here is a small 8" X10" watercolor of cherries and lace on Arches CP.
I still have a bit of tweaking to do: one of the three cherries on the lace has too much white; there is some white space between two of the cherries on the plate; on the left hand side, on the plate, the highlights are too lined up.
I like the overall painting, but would change a few things if I redid it: I would probably try to improve on the highlights on the plate ( I followed my photograph and used some grey and it looks too flat. I would probably add more color. The top right portion of the lace is too blue - I painted that tonight...l never like what I paint at night.
I hope that you like this little painting and that you are not suffering from the heat wherever you are.

Dahlia WIP part 2 and more Red Bubble news

I worked a bit more on my Dahlia. Here is part 2 of this WIP:

The heart of the flower will have some reds and rusty-gold. The other petals should be mostly white, but how can one resist adding color:-)

I was hoping to make a lot more progress on this painting yesterday and today, but somehow time just flies and there is always something to do: today, it was grocery shopping, getting new passport pictures, cooking, cleaning. How did I manage before I retired in December??? How do you balance your painting and your other responsibilities?

 You may be getting tired of hearing about Red Bubble, but I really want to post this little bit of news: my  Cherries and Lace below won the Still Life Challenge in the Fine Arts group - it had to be a still life with some red.  Please have a look at the other entries - some are simply fabulous, so I was quite surprised to read that my painting had placed first. No big prize, just "fame and glory" they said:-)

Cherries and Lace

Have a nice evening!

Follow the Leader...Finished for now

I am spending a restful week in Maine, right on the ocean. Unfortunately, it has rained all day today and we are expecting more of the same tomorrow. Nevertheless, I am enjoying my vacation away from work.
I spent a few minutes this afternoon finishing my Cherry/Crab Apples painting.  It probably needs a few more finishin touches, but I will call it finished for now at least.
The picture was taken inside with my small camera - the colors may be quite off on your monitor.

If we have a sunny day before we go back home, I will try to get pictures of waves ans seagulls to share.

Cherries and Lace I

Here is my first small painting of cherries and lace from the numerous photographs I took last week. I painted it yesterday and I kept  it very simple: no background, a small portion of lace only with a bit of my hardwood flooring peaking through.  It is about 8" X11" and matted at 12" X 15"; it could also be cropped for a square look of 8 X8", cutting out the white on either side of the lace.

 

For purchase information, please click here.

I enjoyed painting this and will definitely paint some more complex one with the same elements. 

What do you think?