Monday, September 5, 2011

APPLES ARE RED


I wonder why I make myself layer colors.  I much prefer the freedom and the flow of wet-in-wet painting.  And yet, it's something I think I must do once in a while :)  And when I get into it and let the paint rest in between layers (am less impatient than normal), I can understand the beauty of this technique.

So I try it once in a while.



Starting with bright and golden yellows and then going in with reds for these apples (Quinacridone Coral and Permanent Red Deep with Hansa Yellow Light and Hansa Yellow Medium and the back apple had Raw Sienna placed first).

I worked on these while the underpainted pear layers dried completely or I'd get too impatient and ruin both things.  Not that I can't do that anyway! ha ha



What was I thinking? 
I don't like the background - yuck! 
That's what comes from not planning the whole painting. 
And that middle apple is getting muddy, probably because I began with Raw Sienna?

So the question is - start over or muddle through?  I think I'll try to muddle through and come up with something better than this.

11 comments:

Vicki Holdwick said...

Lots to love about this painting. I don't know how to correct a background, but can't wait to see what you do with it.

xoxo

Anonymous said...

my favs are the ones floating in space!!! seeing you blog is inspiring. right now i need to decide whether my homework is finished or needs more work...

RH Carpenter said...

Thanks, Vicki. Next post will show the "fix" and we'll decide if it really is fixed! ha ha

Edwina, I like the white background, too, and should have left it at that with just some shadow shapes under the apples. But I do tend to overwork things even when I'm taking my time and the problem was I wasn't getting a good rich red on any of them so kept trying. Sometimes knowing when to quit is the best tool to have in your kit!

RH Carpenter said...

Vicki, I wanted to say thanks for stopping by and taking the time to comment, too, as I see you are a new poster here :) I just peeked at your blog and will return again when I have more time - I enjoy looking at book art and journals :)

Unknown said...

Those are wonderful apples! So rich and vibrant and full of color! I think it all works nicely together!

Autumn Leaves said...

Gorgeous reds that look right out of the grocery store. Nice shine on the apples too.

Judy said...

I'm also very curious how you are going to fix the background. Oh those backgrounds.... I struggle with them all the time!

irinapictures said...

Muddle through! Maybe to add green to background?

jgr said...

Hi Rhonda, your apples are beautiful, I think your background is fine - but I'm interested to see your next step. Thank you for the inspiration and the specific paint color info.

Christiane Kingsley said...

Great reds, nice shapes and shadow on the table. The background just needs a bit of fine tuning:-)You will use your magic on it.

RH Carpenter said...

Thanks so much, Katherine, Autumn, Judy, Irina, Jane, Christiane and SKIZO for your comments on this one. Next post = the finished version (hope you like it).