The Value of Onions

Onion   oil/canvas   8 x 8 x 1.5

 The humble onion makes everything more delicious...right?  Who can resist the fragrance of the saute?  This onion was our first class project and was painted from direct observation.  The onion appeared rather bland as the interior value shifts were so very subtle.  And so....I exaggerated the value on the edge of the outer skin to bring down the background dark into the onion itself.  Ahhh....much better.

If working from direct observation, realistically, the observed values are honored.

If considering design, the values can be altered according to the discretion of the artist.  For me, design trumps reality.

V. Mired in Blue

Mired in Blue   watercolor   19 x 7.5

was painted from life and from a sketch done in two subsequent sessions.  The model was a lithe and artsy young woman who managed the goings-on at the desk of our local art center.  The countenance of the relaxed and unposed face is always so appealing to me, its being devoid of a public personna...the model usually drifting quietly into self.

While painting just the figure is an admirable aim, which I so much enjoy in the work of others, is near to impossible to me, as a search for design and color to take the work into more "me-ness".  As I tell the artists in my classes, the search for your personal aesthetic is a long and arduous road, only achieved after the reality of the subject has fully been discovered, achieved, and discovered and achieved again and again.  And, so, while I fully admire the simplicity and beauty of just the reality of the model, I must, at this point, be satisfied with my own way of working.  And....to celebrate it.

Purpose

Purpose   oil/canvas   24 x 18 x 4

My watering can has seen better days.  It has multiple dings and a leak that has been repaired with duct tape.  It was originally purchased at Rootstown Hardware, owned by my cousin, which has since gone out of business.  I love this can.   As I am not a plastic-person, I continue to use, appreciate and love this well worn can and will continue to do so until a worthy replacement can be found.  I shot some photos of the can last summer in a late-afternoon light while it was perched on the arm of a patio chair.  The painting began mise en scene (in a context) containing the chair, the plants, and  the brickwork along with the can.  When will I ever learn that this approach is just not who I am?  After a couple of passes, all supporting actors were sent home while I used the design approach to carry out my vision.  There is a patterned border on the left which was created by pushing a linoleum block into the fresh oil paint.  Lots of layering, mushing, pushing and pulling.  This work took many many months to resolve.  For me, minimizing the number of shapes in the work allows more power to each.  After all, my purpose was to elevate the stature of this much-loved and worn household object.