Since I posted my goals for this New Year, I feel a new excitement with my art. Being very happy with my watercolor's, I have never wanted to experiment much with other mediums, but, over the last 6 months I've gained a new interest in oil painting. I've been reading a few books on oils and with my New Year's goal of 50 1-hour paintings I thought oils would be fun to learn and if I did some of my one hour paintings in oils, I just might learn faster.
Anyway, that's my hope. These are four 1-hour paintings I've painted so far. Each of these are small, only 5" x 7 ". So far, I have not felt limited by the timer being set for the one hour like I thought I would. Given more time, I know I would do more to finish these small paintings, but I think I've done ok with the given amount of time.
Although I really want to paint more landscapes this year, I had these limes that I thought would
make a nice still life. I just knew with my experience with watercolor's oils would be easy. After all, you can go back in and correct your mistakes easily right?
make a nice still life. I just knew with my experience with watercolor's oils would be easy. After all, you can go back in and correct your mistakes easily right?
I am finding that with each oil I paint, I attempt to overcome what I felt was a mistake of the previous oil. In the first I should have cropped the image, and corrected or focused more on the shadow side of the limes. In the second lime painting (oil still) I remembered to crop the image when I drew my sketch but didn't do well with my values.
I enjoyed painting two different paintings of the same subject, so I decided to do two 1-hour paintings of a clove of garlic. I found this subject very hard to capture the correct values and the shadow side. There was a shadow side, but being so light, I had a hard time putting down the correct values. And with this first garlic, what's with centering it so well?
When I started the second garlic painting I thought first of all I would correct the way I centered it on the first painting and maybe set it at a different angle. When I was done I couldn't believe what I saw. 
The values are still
off and it didn't change much in placement. Go figure.
The values are stilloff and it didn't change much in placement. Go figure.
These have been so enjoyable to paint. I love the idea of the timer. I find it freeing and I think it is because I know I have an excuse if it doesn't turn out "perfect". What a concept! Also, I am really enjoying painting from life. And, I only have 46 more painting's to go for my goal of 50 1-hour painting's....... *wink.
These are WONDERFUL Nancy! And I am so envious of you being able to do these in an hour!!!!! I barely get something sketched in an hour!!! You're doing so well with your oils!! Brava for your courage to dive into something new -- and to go at it so well!!
ReplyDeleteGreat idea to put a timer. That way we may take our art more seriously than treating it as a leasure activity. More over we can know our limits and strech our limits. I am going to try this. Loved your paintings. Best wishes.
ReplyDeleteI like the idea of 50 one-hour paintings in the year -- and you're off to a great start! The bottom garlic clove, in particular -- really really good!
ReplyDeleteThe second garlic clove is painted really well. Repeating the same paintings like the old Masters did, is a good way to 'get' the subject.
ReplyDeleteTry using a colored cloth beneath the white garlic for the contrast you're looking for.