Camelias 4
Oil 24"x20"
I’ve deepened the shadows, put in the wall battens and scumbled the backround with a slightly lighter and warmer grey to try give it a sort of vibrancy. It was rather flat and dull before. This is something that my friend David does extremely effectively – and I have one of his paintings to inspire me; only he does layer after layer until a rich texture of subtle difference “hums” off the surface. I put in the battens partly because they were there; partly because I felt that they would provide a foil to the organic shapes.
Since starting this the camelia has taken sick, the leaves have gone pale yellow and the blooms turned a pale pink/brown. I’m glad I got to it when I did. I think I’ve finished on the basis that I don’t know what to do next. Any ideas?
WOW!!!! Absolutely beautiful. It’s great to see the different stages of the painting….. makes it like a journey, an adventure, and is also gives helpful insights. I LOVE it! Even more for the fact it is OIL, not watercolour
rachel said this on April 25, 2010 at 2:12 pm |
Gorgeous painting. When I opened your site I thought it was a photograph. I don’t know if I would do anything else. The only question I have is should there be any shadows? The sun seems to be hitting the petals rather brightly.
lindahalcombfineart said this on April 25, 2010 at 10:43 pm |
I agree with the person above. The background is completely flat. Some cast shadows where the sun would have made them, and that fixation of mine that all four corners should be different. Lighter, darker whatever. It’s beautiful.
ErinHillArt+Travel Journal said this on April 26, 2010 at 12:50 am |
Thanks so much for your comments. Yes, the background is too flat, so I am going to work on that, but not to the extent of putting in shadows – primarily because there were none (the wall’s local colour is a very pale cream, but it was cast in deep shadow with the sun in front of me and to the left) but also because I didn’t want a competing source of interest. I actually had in mind a slightly abstract, patterned treatment. If I had painted this on board, and not stretched canvas, I would be thinking now of chopping 2″ off all the way round to leave a patterned design with no particular centre of interest. I’ve never consciously painted with the “four corners different” ideas in mind, but it’s a helpful tip, Erin. I will post it again when I have sorted the background out…
Noel Garner said this on April 26, 2010 at 7:33 am |
Oh I read again what I said and I do sound like a bossyboots.
It’s quite a japanese feeling you have and was the first thing I thought when you showed the working painting.
It’s a beautiful work as is anyway.
Cheers,
Erin
ErinHillArt+Travel Journal said this on April 28, 2010 at 9:06 am |
noelgarner said this on April 28, 2010 at 10:35 am |