Category Archives: From Life

More collages.

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I took a second zoom workshop with Rotem Amizur which focused on still life collages. This one was less intense than the first and I produced less work, but this time I was working ‘from life’ based on a simple still life arrangement: plastic watering can; two lemons; and a small orchid (that I pumped up in the collages using artistic license.

Rhw set-up
Drawing to analyze light/dark paper pairings
The final collage – take one.

I then made a second collage of the same set-up, using a different selection of paired colored papers to represent lights and darks. Do you have a preference?

Second take, using same arrangement.

Next, for an added challenge, I did a collage of one of my special ceramic pieces, filled with twigs from the beautiful Chinese maple tree in my front yard.

Progress shot — the pins almost function as flowers — was tempted to keep it this way!
The final, glued piece.

Fruit Portraits

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I’ve done a number of simple still life paintings of fruit from life – primarily in watercolor. Key goals: paint an accurate – and hopefully interesting – ‘portrait’ of the items and integrate them into their space so they’re not just isolated lumps. The excellent Ed Praybe has been our lead in these endeavors!

  • The star. Oil on Arches Huile Paper. 12 x 16.
  • Unlikely duo – heirloom tomato and peach, snuggling. Watercolor on paper. 6×8.
  • Green apple getting close with another heirloom tomato. Watercolor on paper. 5 x 7,
  • Bright palette – orange and lemon. Watercolor on paper. 4×6.
  • Watermelon and Lime. Watercolor on what turned out to be some kind of board!

Still Lifes in Oil ~~ Dried Plants and Household Treasures

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Here are two of my favorite still life compositions, ‘homework’ painted in oil under the guidance of Ed Praybe. He’s a fabulous painter and equally great teacher. Check out his site.

Dried onion stalks and ceramics. Oil on Arches huile paper. 8 x 16.
MomMom’s Pitcher, Ceci’s Scissors. Oil on Arches huile Paper. 12 x 16.

Another watercolor ~~ Peonies

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Our peonies were blooming last week so I clipped a few. They were very droopy from the rain so I propped them up with some branchlets from our Japanese maple. Painting flowers with lots of little petals is always daunting! I always like the containers better than the flowers!

Peonies (with Maple Leaf Props). Watercolor on Paper. 9″ x 12″.
The setup which I painted painted from life. The sun was in a different position during the painting session.

Informal Watercolor Sketch of Granddaughter

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My 3-year old granddaughter and I were painting together during a recent sleepover. She was very engrossed in her art, studiously dragging her wet brush through EVERY block of color before applying the resulting ‘mud’ to her paper. Rather than fret about the growing mess on the palette I decided to paint a quick sketch of her as I looked down on her efforts. Did another quickie the following day from a different angle; different clothes made her look older. . . .

  • Goin’ for It! Watercolor on paper. 8″ x 10″
  • My sweet studious little model . . .
Day 2, Concentration. Watercolor on Paper. 8″ x 10″.

Quick Watercolor of African Violets

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I did a study of some of my African violets yesterday, using a ‘split primary’ color palette (warm and cool red, yellow and blue tube colors + white). I found it virtually impossible to capture the near neon magenta of the flowers, but did my best with what I had, rather than digging for another tube color.

Fun with Compositions

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Our most recent Ed Praybe session called for considering types of compositions ~~ various ways to position the components of the painting so as to produce an intended effect on the viewer. We each selected two objects and then experimented moving them around to see how many different ‘stable’ or ‘dynamic’ compositions we could produce. We then painted one of them, using our primary triad of yellow, red and blue.

For homework, we had to paint three objects into a stable composition and then reposition them and paint a dynamic composition. Still using the primary triad color scheme.

  • Two object composition – avocado and cobalt olive oil bottle. Is it stable or dynamic? 7″ x 5″.
  • Stable composition of tea bag, tea cup and tea kettle. 6″ x 6″.
  • Dynamic composition of tea bag, tea cup and tea kettle. 8″ x 6″.

Watercolor experiments with the primary colors

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Recently our class with Ed Praybe focused on painting a wide range of hues using only 3 colors – a ‘primary triad’ of red, yellow and blue. As you may remember, I’ve used such severely limited palettes many times, but only in oil paints so far. It was fun to try it with watercolors.

We did a test painting, blending the three colors before applying them to the paper. Our homework was to paint three versions of a still life setup: one monochrome to analyze the value (light and dark) structure of the scene; a second in which we mixed the colors before applying them to the paper; and a third in which we applied single color washes; let them dry completely, and then painted additional single color washes on top. This last technique creates new colors as the several layers combine optically.

  • Test case, pre-mixng yellow, red & blue before painting. 7″ x 5″.
  • The set-up for the series of paintings. Note how the water in the glass distorts the shape of the apple behind. Neat.
  • 1st version, a value study using only ultramarine blue. 5″ x7″.
  • 2d version, pre-mixing the primary colors before applying. 5″ x 7″.
  • 3rd version, applying successive washes of single colors to produce different colors. 5″ x 7″.

Some Scary Selfies

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Took an online workshop recently from Zoey Frank ~~ ‘self-portraits from observation’. It was weeks long – with almost 300 students (critiqued by five or six assistants). I didn’t get around to finishing the one self-portrait I started – just made a couple of smaller studies . . . before giving up in boredom at my composition.

  • 1st composition – too cutsie by half (or two-thirds). Oil on Arches Huile paper. 6″ x 8″.
  • 2d composition. oil on Arches Huile paper. 6″ x 8″.
  • Enlargement of 2d composition, 1st pass. Oil on linen panel. 16″ x 20″..
  • Documenting what I was ‘observing’ in 2d composition.
  • Second pass on the enlarged painting. Not sure if/when I’ll do more.composition, first pass. oil on linen panel. 16″x20″.

I’m now taking a watercolor class with Ed Praybe. He tasked us with doing THREE monochromatic self-portraits during one week – facing front & diagonally to each side. Under the short and specific deadline, I produced these three. Warning – it’s impossible to smile AND paint simultaneously, but . . . here they are anyway.

  • Looking/inclined left. Watercolor. 5″x7″.
  • Head on. Watercolor. 5″x7″.
  • Looking right. Watercolor. 5″x7″