WIP Finished 15 x 30 inch acrylic

I am calling this painting done. It was a real challenge but i think I say that about every painting I start! The red of the tomatoes was especially hard to get right with the colors that I have but i think in the end they turned out ok. I really love this format and size for still lifes. It makes the painting have a real presence in a room.

WIP 15 x 30 inch acrylic

This is another new painting started yesterday from one of my own photos. It is turning out to be another challenging piece but at the same time I am enjoying the whole process and learning as I go. I am finding it really hard to get a decent orange for the tomatoes. It is leaning more towards red and not the brownish red that I want. Off to do some more mixing!

Green Apple Finished

I am so glad to call this one done. It was more challenging than it started out to be. The value changes in the white stripes where especially hard to do.

WIP stage 3

I put another layer of color on this painting and it is starting to take shape. This is starting to be a fun piece and I love the greens.

WIP continues

This is the first color layer in this painting. It seems to be going quickly but I know I will need lots of layers to get the effect I want.

18 x 18 inch acrylic WIP

I thought I would post this painting to show my progress starting with the value study. I usually don't begin a painting in this way unless it has a lot of value changes as this one does. This will make my job easier when I get into the color. This actually went quite fast just over 1 1/2 hours so I think putting the color on will go just as fast. This is definitely the "messy" stage.

14 x 18 inch acrylic "Mason Jars" SOLD

Here is another painting in the "canning" series. This one gave me a lot of grief and I am not really happy with the results. I don't think I really liked the photo from the beginning and it shows in my results. I will probably do some more work on it at a later date.

Red & Silver reworked

After some good suggestions from my friends at WetCanvas, I changed the table color in this painting. I think it looks a lot better now and I am happier with it.

WIP 16 x 20 inch acrylic

I couldn't wait to start this painting mainly because I love the colors. After the muted colors of my previous painting, this one is a joy to paint. I still have a lot to do on the bowl and apple, but I think the cloth is just about done. I may also lighten up the background color, staying with the blue but just a bit lighter. The blue is a nice complement to the red. The reflections are a little trying so i am going to simplify them a bit.

WIP Finished 15 x 30 inch acrylic "Copper, Vinegar and Eggs"

I think I will call this one finished for the time being. It went fairly smoothly for such a complicated set-up and I enjoyed painting it. The most trouble came in the reflections and I am not fully satisfied with them. I will probably re-paint them at some point.

WIP 15 x 30 inch acrylic

I thought I would post this new painting although I am a long way from calling it finished. I think this is the first time I have tried to paint copper and it has been quite challenging. I think this is mainly due to the fact that my reference photo, which I shot myself, has two different light sources, one from the right and one from the left. There is two windows in the room I shot this photo. These windows left quite a glare on the kettle and there are some weird reflections that I may have to tame a little. I really wish I could take better photos. It would help a lot.

WIP 12 x 24 inch acrylic

I am not sure what to call this one, but I liked the simplicity of this still life when I shot it. For such a simple layout, it really gave me a lot of grief and i am still not finished with it yet. The teapot is looking too white for my taste so i will have to redo it and the background needs another layer of paint to smooth it out. My daughter says I am too much of a perfectionist and she is probably right. She thinks it is fine the way it is but i know I will still play with it tomorrow.

WIP Finished "Waiting to get Pickled"

I am finally putting this painting to rest and calling it finished. This was a fun one to paint and I learned a lot about how to paint white ceramic. This is not an easy thing to do. It is very hard to get a smooth finish with acrylic since it does dry so fast, but i think I did a not too bad job on this one. The bowl definitely was the hardest part of this painting.

12 x 24 inch acrylic WIP ??

I started this painting a couple of days ago and I am liking my results so far although I still have a lot of work to do on the bowl. I am really enjoying painting these jars and plan on doing a couple more in acrylic. I still haven't come up with a title yet for this painting but I am leaning towards "Waiting to be Pickled"

Canning Time 15 x 30 inch acrylic

This painting is just about finished except for some more blending on the background. I am very happy with my progress using acrylics. I think I am actually liking them now and will probably continue using them in the future.

WIP continues

I have been trudging away on this painting and I think I am almost finished, just have to work a little more on the cloth. This has been a real challenge for me and I am glad I tackled it. The lids on the bottles are really killing me though and I am still not happy with them. I thought the clear glass would give me the most trouble, but this was relatively easy for me. Although it looks like the table is slanting, it is only my terrible photography. IRL it is perfectly straight.

WIP continues

I thought i would post this painting after doing the first layer of color. It is starting to take shape although I now see some errors in my drawing that I have to fix. I decided to paint in acrylics this time so corrections are done very easily since it dries so fast.

New painting WIP 15 x 30 inches

I started another painting today from a set-up of some mason jars I had in the house. I liked the colors and thought it would make an interesting arrangement. This is the first layer of values much like a map of where i want the painting to go. This layer is done in acrylic but I am not sure whether I will continue in acrylic or switch to oils. More to come.

WIP continues

I worked a little today on this painting and I am finally making some progress. This layer really added something that was lacking previously. I darkened up the background with a beautiful rich dark brown color and I really like how it glows now. I will probably do another layer or so on the apples and touch up the highlights and then I think it will be complete.

WIP continues

I have decided to go with the dark background on this painting and I am glad i did. I think it looks much more dramatic this way. This is the second layer of paint and I will wait until this is dry to do another layer. I am not sure how many layers will be required but usually I just stop when it feels right to me. As I look at this photo I see that the top rim of the teapot looks lopsided and that there is a hard line on the left hand shadaw of the teapot. I will fix these things as I progress. I find that I can always see things in a photo that I have a hard time seeing while looking at the painting.