Cézanne

“Art has always been the raft on to which we climb to save our sanity.” – Dorothea Tanning

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March 20, 2017
Another Cezanne Lemon, Mar 18, 2017, Oil on Canvas, 10" X 10"
Another Cezanne Lemon, Mar 18, 2017, Oil on Canvas, 10″ X 10″
Only a couple of things to post this week. The first is a new copy of a master lemon painting. This one is from “Fruit and a Jug on a Table” as featured on the Museum of Fine Arts Boston site.
Colour Wheel 1, Mar 18, 2017, Oil on Canvas Paper, 12" X 12"
Colour Wheel 1, Mar 18, 2017, Oil on Canvas Paper, 12″ X 12″
I completed the next lesson in my Craftsy class – creating a colour wheel with Burnt Sienna, Yellow Ochre, Titanium White and Mars Black with a 50/50 mix of black and white standing in for blue. It was an interesting idea and I thought it turned out fairly well – especially as I avoided using multiple brushes by working with a palette knife instead.
Colour Wheel 2, Mar 18, 2017, Oil on Canvas Paper, 12" X 12"
Colour Wheel 2, Mar 18, 2017, Oil on Canvas Paper, 12″ X 12″

I liked this format for a colour wheel so much that I decided to go on and do another one using primaries and secondaries directly from the tube based on Betty Edwards recommendations in her book Color: A Course in Mastering the Art of Mixing Colors. Colours used are Cadmium Red Medium, Cadmium Yellow Pale, Ultramarine Blue, Cadmium Orange, Cobalt Violet and Permanent Green. I added Titanium White and Mars Black for the tints and shades. I could have done some smoother gradations on this one, but it serves its purpose all the same. And no brushes to clean!

“She never looked nice. She looked like art, and art wasn’t supposed to look nice; it was supposed to make you feel something.” – Rainbow Rowell

| ssemchuk

October 11, 2015

“She never looked nice. She looked like art, and art wasn’t supposed to look nice; it was supposed to make you feel something.” – Rainbow Rowell, Eleanor & Park

I came across this quote a while ago, not realizing it was from Eleanor & Park. I may have to read the book now so I can understand what it means to look like art. And to complement the quote is a piece of art that makes me feel nothing. But I’m going to call it done. Perhaps I’ll like it more when it’s covering a book.

2015 10 10 Peppermint Bottle

“Art is a crushing chore and a wonderful privilege.” – Elizabeth Gilbert

| ssemchuk

October 4, 2015

From Elizabeth Gilbert’s book Big Magic:

“Creativity is sacred, and it is not sacred.
What we make matters enormously, and it doesn’t matter at all.
We toil alone, and we are accompanied by spirits.
We are terrified, and we are brave.
Art is a crushing chore and a wonderful privilege.
Only when we are at our most playful can divinity finally get serious with us.”
2015 10 03 Peppermint Bottle WIP
I’m still working on this – and it needs a lot of help yet. I’m painting on primed canvas taped to masonite at the moment. I’ll use it to cover a hand-bound book when it’s finished. Based on this image from Cezanne. 

“We live in a rainbow of chaos.” -Paul Cézanne

| ssemchuk

August 30, 2015

After my recent frustration with lemons I’ve decided to spend some time checking out how others have painted lemons. Here’s my version of one of Cézanne’s.

Cézanne Lemon
Cézanne Lemon, Aug 29, 2015, Oil on Canvas, 10″ X 10″

 

And here’s my inspiration:

Nature morte
Nature morte

 

I love the way his fruit is practically outlined – I may have to play with that more. In my various Cézanne searches, I came across this quote:

“Style is not created through servile imitation of the masters; it proceeds from the artist’s own particular way of feeling and expressing himself.” – Paul Cézanne

Perhaps M. Cézanne would consider my painting based on his work pointless and I kind of like the irony. Makes me want to continue my ‘Lemons after Masters’ project.