Monday, January 09, 2006
Hydrangea
Earlier in 2005, I took a stab at a classic genre.
This was my second attempt at painting a traditional still life setup of flowers. My first attempt withered away about half way through as my frustration level grew trying to realistically render the individual petals and leaves of the Hydrangeas. They were fake flowers by the way. It was the painting that did the withering not the flowers. You would think painting a bouquet of fake flowers would be easier since half the work of reducing the plant to its most basic forms and colors is already done for you. Flowers are hard to paint even the fake ones. After contemplating the blobs and smears of my first failed attempt I realized I had to try a whole new approach. I decided to use an outlining technique. Working with what is essentially just drawing with paint I forced myself to think in terms of simple flower shapes and structures instead of individual petals and leaves. Once I had finished drawing the hard dark outlines I worked inside these lines filling in the details sort of like a child would work as they draw in a coloring book. My favorite part of the painting is the leaves. I like how they are simple, flowing, suggest movement and still hold the basic structure of a leaf. I really hate the golden rod thingies in the top of the painting I never really could resolve them.
Also the composition is a little too big for the canvas. The plan was for the whole arrangement to be contained within the canvas but I drew the pitcher too big. I think little kids do this allot when they draw don't they? Still I don't think the painting suffers too much for it.
I’m making lots of headway on my current painting and should be finished with it this weekend. I also contacted a local gallery. They said they were not accepting any more work right now but maybe I should try back in February. Sure sounds like I really impressed them doesn’t it?
This was my second attempt at painting a traditional still life setup of flowers. My first attempt withered away about half way through as my frustration level grew trying to realistically render the individual petals and leaves of the Hydrangeas. They were fake flowers by the way. It was the painting that did the withering not the flowers. You would think painting a bouquet of fake flowers would be easier since half the work of reducing the plant to its most basic forms and colors is already done for you. Flowers are hard to paint even the fake ones. After contemplating the blobs and smears of my first failed attempt I realized I had to try a whole new approach. I decided to use an outlining technique. Working with what is essentially just drawing with paint I forced myself to think in terms of simple flower shapes and structures instead of individual petals and leaves. Once I had finished drawing the hard dark outlines I worked inside these lines filling in the details sort of like a child would work as they draw in a coloring book. My favorite part of the painting is the leaves. I like how they are simple, flowing, suggest movement and still hold the basic structure of a leaf. I really hate the golden rod thingies in the top of the painting I never really could resolve them.
Also the composition is a little too big for the canvas. The plan was for the whole arrangement to be contained within the canvas but I drew the pitcher too big. I think little kids do this allot when they draw don't they? Still I don't think the painting suffers too much for it.
I’m making lots of headway on my current painting and should be finished with it this weekend. I also contacted a local gallery. They said they were not accepting any more work right now but maybe I should try back in February. Sure sounds like I really impressed them doesn’t it?
