Wow, the art gods are seriously whacking me over the head with going back to learn the basics again and again! This one (you may notice it looks different than my usual stuff) started out as a second attempt at a realistic treatment of a Bosc pear. It began great and was basically finished really fast...but I was so enjoying the feel of painting and of the brush and the oils that I...uh, kept going. And going. And pretty soon I'd ruined it and it was just a great big pile o' mush. Kind of pretty-colored mush, but a ball o' mush nonetheless. And also I'd been getting hungrier and hungrier and hadn't wanted to stop for a snack.
I was going to toss it but I got so angry at the time I'd wasted and the fact that I hadn't responded appropriately (i.e, stopped) when it was perfectly finished...mad at it, mad at myself, mad at painting in general...that I just took a deep breath finally, and wiped it.
And then (another lesson ignored) instead of getting a snack and coming back, I decided to redo it. Aaaghhh!! No wonder the gods are desperate to get me to hear them, eh? I wiped that too, then was so hungry I went and got a quick snack (at midnight), then came back and FORCED myself to take a good, objective look at where I'd gone wrong. And in this better frame of mind, it turned out to be pretty simple: in the enjoyment of pushing around the paint, I'd forgotten my original mission of keeping shadows more transparent and lights more opaque.
So I decided to do a super-fast study of the pear to remind myself of these things and only these things. Ten minutes later, this is what I had (overlayed on the wiped linen). I kinda like it.
Moral (one of them, anyway): don't paint while hungry.
More art on my website: jalapfaff.com
More art on my website: jalapfaff.com
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8 comments:
Well said Jala, well said. Sometimes the art spirit feeds the soul and sometimes we need to feed ourselves!
Your ten minute quickie is amazing Jala. The color is soft and while its not pear color it reads pear. Look at that quiet green!
You're right about painting while hungry, it's a hazard I'd rather avoid.
I love your pears, Jala. This one turned out beautifully! Great brushwork.
Good one, Jala - and lesson duly noted!! Sometimes when I'm on a 'deadline' I get frustrated and concentrate more on how it's NOT going - andend up wiping it and taking more time in the long run!
Ok, the next time you go through all this pain could you take photos before each wipedown. It would be interesting and instructive to see each.
PS. It is ok to eat a little before each photo.
Three times a charm, my dear! This is lovely and I think what is most impressive is that even after all of your struggles you didn't give up! Now that is what I call talent. Nicely done!
Jala,
The colors in this are perfect. It's really very nice, and all the better hearing what it took to get there.
Brian E - Yeah, I for one have definitely learned that I can't paint while I'm hungry.
Loriann, Edward, Kelley - Thank you.
Bill - Hm, good idea.
LSaeta, Jean - Gracias!
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