638 Cherry Bowl

 Cherry Bowl

oil on canvas

8x8"

$140

     This is the final painting of last summer's cherries. I painted this one on an old canvas that had been washed down so many times I did not know if paint would even stick to it. It was pretty slick. I had a little trouble with it because of that, but it turned out that the worn out old canvas was good for something after all.

631 Spilled Cherries Closeup

Spilled Cherries Closeup

oil on canvas

12x9"

$238

     Summer fruit always yields new paintings. And then you eat.

     Fall is here. I am hoping something beautiful and delicious comes my way.

537 Coffeescape with Moonrise

Coffeescape with Moonrise

oil on canvas

6x18"

$216

   Edgar Payne, the American painter so known for his western landscapes, says to express your composition in one word. When I looked at my setup, I said, "skyline." I liked that and so I went with it.

     (Painting white on white can sure be a lot of work.)

Three Cherry Glaze

Oil on Canvas

6x6"

$75

     I realize this might be considered a great UN-favorite by many, but I like it. Sometimes when I am working on an underpainting, I think it looks so exciting as it is that I feel reluctant to begin with the application of thicker paint.  So this time I decided to allow it to be without the richer layers that I usually enjoy so much. Even without the heavier paint, I find this interesting to look at, almost like the cherries are transparent. This might be more of a drawing than a painting. That is OK with me. I love to draw. And where is painting without drawing at its foundation?

Three Rainiers

Three Rainiers

Oil on Linen

8x10"

$160

     Three cherries this time. They are fun to paint and to look at. Such bright cheery fruit. Taste good too.

Two Rainiers

Two Rainiers

Oil on Canvas

18x6"

$100

     I thought painting a couple of cherries was going to be pretty easy. Just add the reflection in the glass they are sitting on and their shadows. Take away the double light source casting yet another set of shadows. The reflection should not be so hard. Simply paint the thing again upside down, but the glass does not reflect what you see straight on. It reflects from the bottom up, sort of. And the reflection is a duller color than the actual cherries which were very bright. That makes four cherries, each with its own special set of painting decisions. It all would have been easier if I had practiced what I read once: paint what you see, the shapes, not the cherries. 

Clementine, Cherries, & Daisy

Clementine, Cherries, & Daisy

8x6"

$96

DPW $76

     This composition is very much like the last post. This one I find more interesting though, probably because there are more objects to look at, and I believe the color carries the eye around the canvas better. It is, therefore, more fun to look at. Another aspect that makes me like this one better is the overall color unity. Mostly warm with some cool; mostly middle value with some light and just a little dark. Aim for a dominant value with a secondary and then just a little of a third.

Cherry with White Teapot

Cherry with White Teapot

6x6"

Oil

$72

DPW $60

     White. Now there is a color for you. What paint do you choose? Certainly not white. 

     In this little painting, I had to work with white and with gray. I wanted the cherry to be brilliantly red. The "big idea" was the red against the white. I did what Carol Marine teaches: I mixed red, yellow, and blue to get a gray. I like the way it came out a little greenish to complement and emphasize the red. So the white is not really white, but green. It also had to be not white so that I could put a highlight on that showed. 

     This white business is very challenging. I will try to do more. I have always enjoyed looking at paintings that have lots of white done well.

Cherries Two and One

Cherries Two and One

5x7"

Oil

$70

DPW $60

     So many non-art duties keeping me away from the studio lately, so I decided to warm up with friendly cherries.

     I have been studying Carol Marine's lesson on color and the importance of gray. I have always known that color stands out against neutral, but I usually end up just painting with color wheel colors.  Here I tried to gray down the shadow on the creamy background so that the red cherries will glow.  I like it, but now what am I supposed to do about that other teacher who said to use warm shadows in a warm painting!?

     If you listen to too many people, you can really get messed up.

Cherry with Stem

Cherry with Stem

6x6"

Oil

$72

DPW $60

     Here is just what I need for a daily painting. A simple subject and a simple color scheme. I really love setups like this because I can devote all my looking to the smallest variations in value and the tiniest detail. 

     I painted this and thought I was finished, but something kept bothering me about that highlight. Today I decided to look again and see what I could see. I found that the highlight was not bright enough and yet had very hard edges. I thought that was what I had seen in the cherry, but now I think I was wrong. I softened the edges and left some halo around a very bright spot for the highlight. Now I like it so much better.

     Simple setup does not mean simple work.

Another Cherry

Another Cherry

18x6"

Oil

$100

DPW $80

Another cherry from the nearly empty summer box.

Is it as red as the wine-dark sea?

Or as red as the cheeks of my beamish boy?

Is it the cherry my mother gave me?

"Don't swallow the seed!" she warned.

It is the cherry I have right now,

As bright  and pretty as a cherry can be,

With its stem reaching over far for something desired

And upward for the thing unattained.

Three Cherries

Three Cherries

6x18"

Oil

$100

DPW $80

     Two neat things: cherries and extreme rectangles.

     When they speak of stepping outside the box, do they mean the traditional rectangle? We already did that with the square, the darling square. Now these extreme rectangles are capturing my heart. I am stocking up.

     Carol Marine paints cherries, cherries, cherries. I can see why. How varied they are in shape, size, color, attitude. I loved painting these and using the complementary green, a color I rarely use much of. See how the red cherries are so at home against the green. They are so strong, the open space on the canvas seems essential to the composition. (That is, if you are thinking outside the box.)

A Cherry

A Cherry

8x8"

$128

DPW $96

     Cherries have been delicious this summer but will be out of season soon, so I thought I better get some paintings done right now.

     You think of them as deep, deep red, but they have many colors. Look closely and you will see. You can stay just on one end of your palette and have a lot of fun. Another part that I enjoy is the stem. It will surprise you too with all the colors in that little skinny stem.

     Nature provides delights great and small. A cherry can be as rich in expression as an expansive landscape or a big fat floral.