Monday, August 31, 2009

"Tangerine and Mug" 5"x7"


Oil on 5"x7" gessobord

I've been wondering why I haven't had much luck with my paintings lately. There have only been a couple here and there that I've been happy with, the 4 or 5 disappointing ones just got set aside, and ignored.. (poor things!) I wondered why that was happening. Why wasn't I happy with them? And, I wasn't happy while I painted them either. It seemed like every stroke I put down, I needed to correct. Then everything would start to look over worked and boring... and I'd loose interest in finding and correcting the problems in it.
I wondered why I never felt that way while I drew. I'm always happy with my drawings. I'm never worried how they will come out, I don't usually labor over them and correct any strokes...
So, I decided to try and figure out how to paint more like I draw. I set up this tangerine, and coffee mug, and drew it a few times. Then I practiced some oil sketches on a piece of gessoed paper (the first time I ever painted on gessoed paper, it's nice!) Then, once I was all warmed up, I went ahead and did this painting. I like it alot, it's a colorful little thing! and I'm happy with it.

10 comments:

  1. Debbie, I think this is one of your best ever paintings!
    It's just so spot on, I love it.

    Thanks for sharing your preliminary process, it sounds inspiring. Sometimes it helps me get excited working on new surfaces too.

    May I ask you, how do you sign your work? Is it sort of scratched in with a tool or pencil? It's always so tastefully handled.

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  2. This one is a winner, beautifully painted, love it.

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  3. Mona and Diana, Thank you for those wonderful comments!
    Mona, Thank you for noticing, I always try to find a good place to add my signature so that it won't be distracting. I usually sign a painting with a small brush if it's on canvas, sometimes on the hard board I'll scratch it in with a sharp pencil, thanks for asking :)

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  4. This painting is outstanding. I've painted both lemons and ceramic, but could not capture the beautiful textures you did. I wish I watched your technique. Bravo!

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  5. This is absolutely beautiful, Debbie - I love the brushwork on the tangerine and the colors wonderful.

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  6. This has such a fresh feel, your approach worked...beautiful!

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  7. My goodness! I thought I left a message a few days ago but I must have fail to click "save". I love this blue background, clean colors and the great depth you achieved in the mug and lemon. Beautifully painted with your delicate touch!

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  8. Beautiful reflected lemon in that cup. A great painting.

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  9. Terrific! I always enjoy seeing your set up, because it shows that your draftsmanship and color mixing/seeing are superb. That's a solid foundation on which to perform magic like this piece.

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  10. This is stunning! So glad I came across your blog and your beautiful work.

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