641 Cut Bartletts

Cut Bartletts

oil on canvas

9x12"

$238

     Paint them whole or sliced, lying down or standing up straight, with stems or without. Pears have so much to offer. Especially that pretty little star when you cut them across.

 

639 Bartlett Pears

Bartlett Pears

12x9"

oil on canvas

$238

     Pears have been a favorite subject of mine since the very beginning of my painting endeavors. They still charm me with their shape, color, stems, variety. Actually, any painting of a pear turns out kind of good no matter who paints it.

555 Sliced Boscs

Sliced Boscs

oil on canvas

8x16"

$256

     Although bosc pears look quite brownish, they sometimes also have a lovely orangey color that goes well with blue. Because orange and blue are complementary, the orange came out really, really orange, and the blue really, really blue. They could have used a little neutralizing or some split complement work. Aside from that, I love that little star shape in the center when you cut a pear crosswise.

536 Pear Leaves

Pear Leaves

oil on canvas

12x12"

$288

     I sometimes save the greenery from fresh bouquets. They can be so interesting after they have dried. I found them beautifully delicate as they cast their shadow on the background. And I liked how they had not lost their red stem color even though they were quite dead. Mother's antique pitcher was just what I needed to put them in.

Sliced Red Pears Extreme

Oil on Canvas

8x24"

     In trying to use my new information on composition, I found it liberating to place my central pear right smack in the center of the canvas with other elements radiating from there. Still so much to learn.

Sliced Pear

Oil on Canvas

24 x 8"

$200

     Love to paint pears. Never seem to tire of it, but sometimes I want something new in the process, so I tried the horizontal-slice approach and found it interesting. I saw that the slices themselves were very pretty and will consider painting the lovely white circles with their starlike seed centers next time.

Red Pear Stem

Red Pear Stem

Oil on Canvas

6x6"

$75

     One might think I tried to paint a pear, but I consider it a painting of a pear stem. It was fun.

Pale Pear Solo

Oil on Canvas

8x6"

$96

     I wanted to paint something very high key, lots of white. I like the way this turned out although it is not as pale as I had envisioned. How often my plans end up so soon forgotten. I might as well say, "Let's see what painting I will get today." 

     I still like the idea of a very pale piece so I will give it another try another day.

Fruit Bowl Close Up

Fruit Bowl Close Up

12 x 12"

Oil

$288

DPW $230

     The fruit in this bowl looks very nice when seen as a whole bowl and all the fruit, but I found it more interesting close up. It looked even better the closer I got. Then when I allowed the edge of the bowl to leave the canvas, I really liked it. 

     My friend says to always have part of your shapes go outside the picture frame. I believe she is right, but I must be careful not to cut things in half, and definitely do not go just to the edge and "tickle" the edge of the canvas. Then I must be sure that what I have left is not stuck right in the middle.          

     Composition can be such a juggling act.

     

Golden Pear

Golden Pear

8x8"

Oil

$128

DPW $96

    Here is another example of an analogous color scheme. I enjoy doing them, probably because the color harmony is built in. I have tried doing blue ones and violet ones, but I just cannot manage to like them. There is something about the golds and reds that makes me feel good. I guess they are my favorites, but I am sure a cool green or blue would be pleasant to look at if it is done right. In my efforts to develop, I must give them another try.

     (I did not do the Challenge this week. We had to paint a blue object. Mine turned out bad.)

Pears Yellow, Green, Red

Pears

12x16"

Oil

$384

DPW $288

     These pears are starting to log on the mileage. They just turned out to be the right size and color, with leaves. I will probably paint them again before they are lunch.

     I like the way the red is in the green and the green is in the yellow and the yellow is in the red, etc., etc. I did not contrive the fallen leaf. It really did fall from the pear, so I just nudged it a bit into the picture.

     

     

Pink Pears with Leaves

Pink Pears with Leaves

6x18"

Oil

$100

DPW $80

     I work very hard to find fruit with the leaves still on. Adds interest. Pretty.

     I am continuing to work with the warm shadows in a warm painting, but I am also trying to use MORE PAINT! I love the look, but how out of control I feel! With practice should come control, so I do not mind having a few paintings with a chaotic quality. What if I start to like it?

The Complementary Challenge

Tipsy Bartlett

8x24"

Oil

$100

DPW $90

     Complementary colors, an idea we learn in elementary school and a lesson well worth learning. This week we must paint with complementaries and I chose orange and blue. Be careful. If they mix, you get neutral, but sometimes that is exactly what you want.

     I liked this Challenge, but my big fun was not in the color. It was in the format. Not so long ago I thought the square canvas was a little oddball. Then I began to love it. Now I am using extreme rectangle. A little oddball. I think I might love it too although it will demand more of me than the square. Even so, I am eager to try again.