Fig Trio

Fig Trio

6x18"

Oil

$100

DPW $80

     I continue my work with the extreme rectangles. I find the compositions interesting, odd but simple. I am putting very little into the subject matter, freeing myself to invest my effort in the smallest and subtlest details. With these canvasses, I concentrate more on color theory and character of paint in a brief process. This is the idea behind the daily painters: paint small and often and learn.

Figs 3

Figs 3

6x6"

Oil

$72

(DPW Auction beginning bid $50. Click to bid.)

     This is the third of my figs paintings. Each one has presented its own challenge. In this one I liked the fig hidden within the dark foliage, making the focal point dark against dark. How can that possibly work? I tried to use light values in front of the fig, making the fig recede. Again the dark was very important, but this time I did not use Chromatic Black. Instead, I mixed Viridian and Alizarin along with a little Ultramarine Blue. Now there is a black to be proud of!

     I think this is the last of my figs for a while. That tree was full of promise, but my eyes will not see it right now. Maybe another day I will again see the possibilities of those deep greens and reds.

Figs 2

Figs 2

6x6"

Oil

$72

(DPW Auction beginning bid $50. Click to bid.)

     This is the second of my figs paintings. I thought it would get easier but it was actually more difficult. I wanted to make this one warmer, and I think I did that, but the darks were very hard to keep. They kept lightening up as I worked. The beauty of the composition was in the darks, so I did not want them to fade into mid-tones. I had used Chromatic Black with greens and reds but finally had to use straight black to get it as dark as it really was.

     I never weary of nature, but I wonder if I am growing tired of figs. I will see because there is one more composition that interests me before I put this fig tree to rest.

Figs

Figs

6x6"

Oil

$72

(DPW beginning bid $50.  Click to bid.)

     I often enjoy painting apples in the tree, so when I found a fig tree full of figs, I took its picture. Here is my first effort, and while I kind of like it, I think the reds and greens are much cooler than an apple tree and so not quite as welcoming. Still, the reds and greens go well together, made from alizarin crimson and viridian, real partners in a color scheme. The best fun was in trying to paint the light. I picked a spot and used my sharp edges and darks against lights to create the focal point in the dense, dark foliage, and I kept reminding my self to "paint the light." I think I will tack a sign on my easel: "Paint the light!"