Daily painting #91: Silver pot (in progress)

I posted some compositional sketches for this little pot last week, and today I finally got around to painting it. It’s a challenging subject, so I’m not close to finishing, especially as I haven’t even begun painting the two glasses in the background. But it’s a good start. Here’s a look at just the pot:

Geoff Watson, “Silver pot (in progress),” detail, oil on linen, 5” x 7,” 2019.

And here’s the whole picture, with placeholders for the two glasses behind the pot.

Geoff Watson, “Silver pot (in progress,” oil on linen, 5” x 7,” 2019.

Daily painting #90: Veggies

Thanks to my lovely family, we have lots of yummy fresh vegetables in the fridge. I decided to paint three of them. I like the result, except that I wish I’d put them on a plate or bowl or something, to provide context. But it sure was fun to paint all those reds and greens.

Geoff Watson, “Veggies,” oil on linen, 5” x 7,” 2019.

Daily painting #81: Compositional sketches

I set up an interesting still life scene, and then I spent two hours ineffectually trying to find a good composition. Here’s the scene itself:

“Still life setup,” July 2019.

I sketched various combinations of these objects, and I still haven’t found an arrangement I like. (I also need to wash the glasses!) I couldn’t include any live objects, like fruit, as we’re about to leave on vacation for a week. Anyway, here’s one example of a possible composition:

Geoff Watson, “Study-sketch for a still life (in progress),” oil on linen, 5” x 7,” 2019.

Here’s an earlier start, focused on the pitcher with the other objects receding into the woodwork. It’s okay, but I think I’ll go with the vertical composition above. I have a week to think about it, as I’m not bringing these objects with me on vacation.

I will, however, be bringing my paints. Tomorrow will be a busy day, so at most I’ll post a quick sketch, but starting on Sunday I’ll be painting Rehoboth, Delaware in all its glory. Weather permitting. :)

Geoff Watson, “Study-sketch 2 for a still life, in progress,” oil on linen, 5” x 7,” 2019.

Daily painting #77: Garlic & pottery

I set up this composition so that the objects are almost at eye level. It gives them a somewhat dramatic cast, I think. I’ve got work to do, obviously, but it’s a pretty good start. Back for more tomorrow!

Geoff Watson, “In progress: Garlic & pottery,” oil on linen, 5” x 7,” 2019.

Daily painting #76: Statuette (unfinished)

This statuette is even smaller than the statue I painted a couple days ago, but I couldn’t resist the colors and pose. The composition is a work in progress, but I’ve had fun with it so far.

Geoff Watson, “In progress: statuette,” oil on linen, 5” x 7,” 2019.

Daily painting #53: iPhone

I actually made three paintings today, but only one of them is worth posting — this little sketch of my iPhone. I tried to paint it in as few strokes as possible. I counted about 350, but the actual number was surely more than that, as I’m sure I forgot to count strokes in the heat of the moment. The idea is to think more about each brushstroke, to make sure the brush is loaded with the correct color, and to get the brushstroke right the first time. I did find myself mixing paint and cleaning the brush more often, which is a good thing. It’s easy to get lazy and pick up paint that’s close but not quite right, or to make too many strokes with a dirty brush.

I like the resulting image, though the composition is a bit stark. If I’d had more time, I’d have added other objects or a more elaborate background. But it was a very worthwhile exercise.

Geoff Watson, “iPhone sketch,” June daily painting #22, oil on panel, 6” x 6,” 2019.

Cherry tree on a corner

The wind blew again today, and the cherry trees lost more of their blossoms, but they still look great.  It was also downright hot -- 85 degrees or so.  So it was a good day to get outside and paint once more. 

I struggled with this one more than the past few.  I drew a few sketches and settled on a plan, but once I started painting, I started rethinking the composition -- adding and removing background elements, fussing with shadow placement, etc.  I think I managed to recover, and I hope the picture doesn't reflect my early indecisiveness.  In any case, the blossoms look pretty, and that's what counts!

Geoff Watson, "Cherry tree on a corner," oil on linen, 14" x 18," 2018.

Cherry blossoms

The artist Mitch Albala writes that colorful garden scenes are among the more difficult to paint plein air, and I think he's got a point. We think all the pretty colors will be easy to paint, but it's often hard to construct a compelling composition, or to depict values correctly. I had some of those difficulties today.

Also, ordinarily I love having the occasional onlooker, especially when things are going well. But today I had swarms of tourists, many of whom ask the same question: "Are you painting?" (I'm always polite when asked this question; I smile and say "yes.")  Still and all, I had a great time, and the painting came out reasonably well. I wish the blossoms would stay longer than a week; I need more time to practice painting them!  

Geoff Watson, "Cherry blossoms," oil on panel, 11" x 14," 2018.