Drapery

“Everyone repeats themselves.” – Rachel Whiteread

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March 26, 2018

Wine & Pears Five, Feb 19, 2018, Oil on Panel, 20" X 16"
Wine & Pears Five, Feb 19, 2018, Oil on Panel, 20″ X 16″
Wine & Pears Six, Mar 3, 2018, Oil on Panel, 20" X 16"
Wine & Pears Six, Mar 3, 2018, Oil on Panel, 20″ X 16″

I finally finished the last two paintings in this six piece series I started last year. They’re all based on the same still life and my intention when I started was to work with the techniques introduced in the Craftsy class I had completed – I liked the subject matter and the idea of creating variations.

Below are all of the paintings together. I intend to hang them all on my living room wall to emphasize the differences and similarities between them. I will probably try another series similar to this, but I will use it to explore a variety of colour palettes. AFTER I finish at least some of the many paintings I have begun and am currently stuck on.

Wine & Pears One, Oct 7, 2017, Oil on Panel, 20″ X 16″
Wine & Pears Two, Oct 21, 2017, Oil on Panel, 20″ X 16″
Wine & Pears Three, Jan 14, 2018, Oil on Panel, 20″ X 16″
Wine & Pears Four, Jan 28, 2018, Oil on Panel, 20″ X 16″
Wine & Pears Five, Feb 19, 2018, Oil on Panel, 20″ X 16″
Wine & Pears Six, Mar 3, 2018, Oil on Panel, 20″ X 16″

“A blank piece of paper is God’s way of telling us how hard it is to be God,” – Sidney Sheldon

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January 29, 2018

Today’s quote is courtesy of the latest letter on The Painter’s Keys. 

I haven’t been painting that much lately with all of the time I’m spending on my daily drawing project, but I am slowly working through a series of what I hope will be six paintings of the same still life in different styles. I posted the first two paintings in October. The latest two are here.

Wine & Pears Three, Jan 14, 2018, Oil on Panel, 20" X 16"
Wine & Pears Three, Jan 14, 2018, Oil on Panel, 20″ X 16″
Wine & Pears Four, Jan 28, 2018, Oil on Panel, 20" X 16"
Wine & Pears Four, Jan 28, 2018, Oil on Panel, 20″ X 16″

Back in September I took on a composition of spoons on the spur of the moment, but I wasn’t really impressed with how it went. It sat against the wall, rather unloved until a couple weeks ago when I decided to see if I could improve upon it. I haven’t decide which one I like better – not that it matters as I simply painted over the first version to reach the second one. I find the subject matter interesting and I may have to try it again down the road.

Spoons Round One, Sep 2, 2017, Oil on Canvas, 12" X 12"
Spoons Round One, Sep 2, 2017, Oil on Canvas, 12″ X 12″
Spoons Round Two, Jan 20, 2018, Oil on Canvas, 12" X 12"
Spoons Round Two, Jan 20, 2018, Oil on Canvas, 12″ X 12″

 

“You can’t cross the sea merely by standing and staring at the water.” – Rabindranath Tagore

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October 23, 2017

Wine & Pears One, Oct 7, 2017, Oil on Panel, 20" X 16"
Wine & Pears One, Oct 7, 2017, Oil on Panel, 20″ X 16″
Wine & Pears Two, Oct 21, 2017, Oil on Panel, 20" X 16"
Wine & Pears Two, Oct 21, 2017, Oil on Panel, 20″ X 16″

 

I’ve decided to play around a little with a series of paintings of the same still life approached with different styles. I have two completed and I’m not sure how many I will paint in total – it will depend mainly on my attention span. The first painting was done using the basic technique introduced in the Craftsy course that I completed: Paint & Palette Essentials. I didn’t incorporate all of the ideas from the course, but I did work quite a few in. Overall I’m pleased with the results in both paintings.

 

 

Day Six

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I tried something a little different here and enjoyed it. I think I will have to play with this some more.

Day Four

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I had a tough time applying myself today. And this did not turn out how I’d imagined it in my head. I’m a quarter of the way through though. 

“To embrace luck, you have to enhance your tolerance for ambiguity.” – Twyla Tharp

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December 19, 2016

Circle Composition Six, Dec 17, 2016, Oil on Canvas, 6” X 6”
Circle Composition Six, Dec 17, 2016, Oil on Canvas, 6” X 6”

I managed to work on three different pieces this weekend. This one was looking so much like a bullseye that I decided to add the eye.

More Reclaimed Pears, Dec 17, 2016, Mixed Media on Panel, 11” X 14”
More Reclaimed Pears, Dec 17, 2016, Mixed Media on Panel, 11” X 14”

Possibly too colourful, but I thought I’d try a different approach and this is where I ended up.

Seven Apples, Dec 17, 2016, Oil on Canvas, 48” X 36”
Seven Apples, Dec 17, 2016, Oil on Canvas, 48” X 36”

And I have decided that this is now finished. Unless of course I decide to come back to it at some point. For now though, it’s done.

“There’s a blaze of light In every word. It doesn’t matter which you heard. The holy or the broken Hallelujah” Leonard Cohen, Hallelujah

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October 24, 2016

Another painting on a reclaimed panel – not as successful as last week though – I seem to struggle with the illusion of volume when I’m dealing with darker coloured objects. Or maybe it was the variation of the colour of the apples that threw me. Either way, I need to go back and try another one of these next week, eliminating one of these two factors so that I can work through this. Hopefully I’ll do better next time. It’s all about learning…

Moderately Reclaimed Apples, Oct 22, 2016, Oil on Canvas Board, 14" X 11"
Moderately Reclaimed Apples, Oct 22, 2016, Oil on Canvas Board, 14″ X 11″

 

Moderately Reclaimed Apples Underway 2
Moderately Reclaimed Apples Underway 2

My new work commute has me listening to podcasts and I have a new favourite – Revisionist History with Malcolm Gladwell. And this episode, which in Malcolm’s words is about “the role that time and iteration play in the production of genius, and how some of the most memorable works of art had modest and undistinguished births.” Very interesting.

 

“To me, beauty appears when one feels deeply, and art is a by-product of an act of total attention.” – Dorothea Lange

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Oil painting in progress of a two lemons in a vase
Two Lemons WIP, Aug 21, 2016, Oil on Canvas, 30″ X 40″

 

Oil painting in progress of abstracted books lying open
Open Books WIP, Aug 21, 2016, Oil & Wax on Birch Panel, 12″ X 16″

 

August 19
August 19

Three images this week. The glass of my lemon vase slowly develops, open books gain some definition and I manage one of my three drawings for the week. And ‘manage’ is a term I use loosely… It’s been an odd week though – hopefully this one is better.