Saturday, December 3, 2011

Cuddling Pears

6"x6" acrylic on masonite

I have been spending more time than usual on these little paintings, but I don't feel that I am wasting my time. What I have been concentrating on doing is observing the color more closely and thinking about the placement and value of my brushstrokes. My goal isn't to paint a pretty picture, its to learn from the exercise and developing my skills as a painter.

One thing I learned from this painting is that its ok to leave out some of the details. I found myself painting in every subtle highlight and dimple of the red pear. The more detail I put in, the more I hated it. So, I decided to paint over the red pear and approach it a bit simpler. I squinted at the pear to simplify it and break it down into blocks of color. It didn't take much to get it to look right. Just concentrated on where I put the color. This time I limited the details and only added the highlights that stood out the most.

In the end I am happy with the results.

9 comments:

  1. No time painting is a waste of time. Great values in the cloth.

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  2. Thank you Pam! You are absolutely right!

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  3. That old saying "Less is more" applies to painting too, huh? The folds make for an interesting composition.

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  4. Thank you Stephanie! Yes, I would agree with that saying as well.

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  5. Great exercise and a gorgeous pear! I love the colors.

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  6. You should be happy with this Brad, it's fabulous! Love the colors you found in the tissue!!

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  7. Brad, wonderful painting! pears do roll together like this so often and you got it just right. The color and surface is lovely.

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