Thoughts on Painting
Posted on 8/26/2012 7:20:39 AM
By Christine Marx - christinemarxoriginals.com
2 Comments
Salsa!
So I spent this morning going through my bookmarked blog sites, deleting blogs that haven't been updated in the past 6 months or so. And then the thought struck me that I hadn't updated my blog in what seemed like a few weeks and it has been TWO months. Yikes! Sometimes life gets in the way of posting and it can't be helped. So, rather than boring you with a recap of the past mostly terrible month, I will focus on the positive......the fact that I was able to complete one painting in August.
So this new painting is "Salsa!" A favorite subject of mine. Here is a photograph of the original photo. I always take a picture before I start any of the painting because things move in the painting over the week, especially flowers (tulips!) and soft leafy things like cilantro. You should have seen the cilantro at the end of the week. It was very sad and droopy! So I played with the composition for a few hours before I found something that I loved. I am always amazed at how long it takes me to set up a composition that sings. I was worried about the greens being too similar in the tomatillos, cilantro, peppers, and lime but in the end I was happy with the subtle distinctions in the painting.
Here is the rough sketch on toned canvas. I had a real struggle at first with placement on the canvas, and having to move the painting after I got way too far into it because I rushed through the sketching phase. It is much harder to move things later than taking the time to place them correctly in the first place!
Here is the end of day 1. It is important to get things that will wilt or rot painted first (especially in the summer months!) I envisioned a rustic background for this painting but was unhappy with the dreary way this was translating. So that was something I noted to change. I wanted to get in the big focal heirloom tomato in the center of the painting and was able to do that.
The next day I wanted to get the peppers, knife, and lime in. It was hot and despite the AC in my studio the peppers were still starting to look less fresh than the first day. I was worried the top pepper would drop and I'd never get it back into place. So I got those in, and was unhappy with the knife. I noticed when I took the painting inside that the knife was floating off of the table. Sometimes you just don't see the most obvious things until you take them inside and look at them outside of the studio. And yes, I step back several times while painting. Just sometimes your eyes are so focused on something else in the painting (the peppers) that they don't pick up every little thing.
The next day was tomatillo time. I LOVE tomatillos. I love the papery skin that surrounds them that is so interesting to paint, and quite challenging. At this point I am really excited to finish the painting because it's really coming together. I have to force myself to take my time at the end, and not rush just so I can be done and get it framed and hung.
And here is the finished piece. Notice the garlic is turned toward the viewer. I did not like the way it looked when I painted it the way it was originally set up. It threw your eye off the right side of the painting. So turning it this way keeps your eyes roaming around the painting. I put the knife on the table, and lightened the background a bit.
That concludes today's demo. Hope you enjoyed it!
