Artists
Related: About this forumA still life I just did with a limited palette.
It's almost monochromatic. I though it would be fun to do a painting with just a few colors. Here's the result. Feedback and suggestions welcome!
https://markdomincreative.blogspot.com
madaboutharry
(41,362 posts)I appreciate the simplicity.
CrispyQ
(38,299 posts)Excellent job!
CaptainTruth
(7,233 posts)cayugafalls
(5,755 posts)No feedback, just awe...very nice.
Alliepoo
(2,490 posts)I also like the Greenfield Village series.
I'm hoping to have them sell them as note cards in their gift shops.
appalachiablue
(42,927 posts)and the charming buildings of the G. Village which I've visited briefly twice.
lunatica
(53,410 posts)You are amazingly prolific in painting your surroundings and your focus of interests and its a delight to see your worlds. The more I look at your individual paintings the more I see and discover. Theyre well worth the effort of lingering on each piece because there are countless gems in each. Your technique is developing constantly and giving your talent an ability to express itself more powerfully as you continue to challenge yourself. Its wonderful!
In your Spot of espresso spot when I initially looked at it I saw the still life as a tableaux, but the more I studied it, it started to look like you painted two tableaux, or each object in their own particular setting. Its an exploration of the different visual properties that objects have when light shines on them. The contrast of sharply defined reflections of light on different objects.
The coffee cup is reflecting light on a rounded and smooth surface which makes the light soft, blending into the darker shadow side in a smooth transition from light to shadow. It depicts the soft sheen and glow of porcelain. The surrounding gray background is also soft with blended brushwork, fitting in with the smooth play of light on the cup.
The espresso coffee pot is in contrasting sharp highlighted edges and flat surfaces reflecting light sharply and also picking up the colors of its surroundings due to its polished and highly reflective quality. The fact that you only used black and white as the colors emphasizes the quality and feel of light as it is absorbed and reflected by the different makeup of the objects. The background for your pot is different from the background around the cup. For the pot it continues with sharp edges and lines and a more reflective depiction of the background, in contrast to the one around the cup. The addition on the pot of just a minimum spot of the color of the biscuit is inspired and inspiring! Its the perfect touch of color, and like so much of your work can be sadly missed when its not explored. Its that touch of talent genius that sets it apart. Taking a deep visual dive pays off!
Your OK bouquet painting is inaccurately named. Here is your focus on the small details in nature that catch your eye and wake up your appreciation of casual beauty. You captured the beauty and the marvel of random and unintended positioning of the flowers as they lay scattered on the black surface. These unintended details are keenly seen by you and they capture your attention and you depict the interplay so the viewers can see them too. This is a gift and I hope you never stop. The composition is dynamic with the lines created by the branches all radiating off the edge of the canvas and then bringing the viewers eye back into the canvas to travel around and back to the rose which is the heart of the painting. Its your appreciation of the casual disarray of these random and delicate placements that makes scenes like this important. I think you misnamed this painting. I think naming it something like The Unintentional Bouquet would fit perfectly. I only say this because it describes how I see it, not because I think you should change the name. Its to give you an idea of whats in my head when I appreciate it.
bif
(24,029 posts)Reading your comments is so rewarding and inspires me to keep on painting and exploring.
Thanks for your advice on renaming the bouquet painting. The title was the first thing that came to mind. I'll have to rethink it.
lunatica
(53,410 posts)I rely a lot on your blurbs so I can connect your insights and explanations to my perceptions, so if you want to correct me or bring my attention to something it will be very well received. The artists intent is the most important part of paintings!
femmedem
(8,444 posts)I appreciate how you keep stepping out of your creative comfort zone, never relying on what you already know how to do. I don't know how long you"be been painting, but I see your work getting stronger just in the short time I've been following it on DU. I think this is my favorite yet:
even with the limited palette, it feels rich.
Just lovely.
I've been painting since about March of last year. Teaching myself for the most part. I've been reading Richard Schmid's book "Alla Prima" but it seems like I've learned some of the same techniques on my own. I just love the constant discoveries one encounters painting!