Thinking on Her

For the second painting to be completed in our new home, I decided to bring out a familiar piece to paint. It has in fact been 7 months since my last still life, so it is necessary to do some more basic and simple pieces to get back into the swing of things.

Enjoy the progression of this 3 hour painting.

I decided not to dilly dally one bit and after a quick placement sketch, I dove into the deep cobalt shapes to establish the tiny pitcher, blocking in obvious tones as I went.

After a break I continued with more exact edges and values, adding more detail to cause the pitcher to appear more sold and established. The flowers continued to get some attention. I was focused on creating more contrast between the shadows and bright light side of the petals. More paint was added to the previously washed in background and foreground.

Thinking on Her
8x10 oil on linen

After recording even more detail, working on the doily and establishing some more darks, I was pleased and so signed my name.

A New Start

Welcome to my new studio!
Last weekend my husband and I began working on setting up the room. There is much to do, and it will be a slow process to get the room looking how I am imagining, but rest assured I will include you in the process.

Here is the room before I unpacked all of my supplies and books.

I have two wonderful windows. One facing west and the other facing north.

I painted my first still life in over 7 months yesterday,
and was pleasantly surprised that it wasn't a total disaster.

In my next post, you will see a familiar subject for a still life as I continue to practice after my long hiatus away from painting. I'm looking forward to being back into the swing of things.