Wednesday, September 20, 2006

Painting Peppers


One thing I like about working on masonite panels is the beginning of the painting. The sketch always seems to have a wonderful light to it . I wish I could keep that.
Here's what I was working with when I started the painting. I had left over paint that was drying or caked over. Dry paint is great for sketching with, but I have no room for mixing clean color. Besides my teacup was empty.Ah, much better. I am so proud of myself at this moment. That tool is the razor scaper I use to scrape off the old paint. I highly recommend buying the largest scraper you can get two hands on.
Starting off OK with clean paint. But wait, our hidden camera catches me in the act of fiddle farting with the background. (Fiddle Farting is a high art crime!) I started messing with the background on the left side.....again.
End of the Season Peppers
8"x10" oil on masonite
SOLD
Here we are at the end of the gardening season in Omaha. Last night was 39 degrees. Great for sleeping, not great for peppers. The garden is ready to be put to bed. Our tradition is to wait until the first frost. We hang on to the bitter end hoping for one last tomato

Self Critique Time:
This painting is in a little looser style than I have been doing. I don't really like the outcome, it may end up in the for trade pile. Getting that red was a battle I'm not sure I won. Anytime you battle a painting, I am convinced something is wrong. I got too opaque too quick, and it is very hard to recover from that unless you wipe out and start again. I hate wiping out and starting again, it makes me feel like such a loser. Of course that attitude just shows my of lack of experience. One thing we beginners all share is thinking that Rembrandt or Vermeer never made a mistake. They of course did, and they wiped out paintings and started over. I can imagine the conversation between Rembrandt and Saskia (his wife):
Saskia:"Remy! What are you doing?"
Rembrandt: "I'm wiping off this piece of crap."
Saskia: "But it was so good, you only needed to do a little bit more to finish."
Rembrandt: "I 'll never be any good."
Saskia: " But Remy, you are good. Why don't you start over or do one of your self portraits? That always makes you feel better."
Did you ever think you would have something in common with Rembrandt?

8 comments:

Louis Boileau said...

Hi Peter,
Very nice painting! I much prefer to work on masonite... I find those little canvas boards too toothy for small paintings. You should never feel like a loser for wiping out and starting over! Here's a scenario between two famous impressionists (can't remember who they were)in the late 1800's as acurately as I can remember it: They are both looking at a painting that artist #1 is working on. Artist #1 says such and such is wrong..."I'll fix it in the morning." Artist #2 says "What do you mean you'll fix it in the morning...what if you die in the night?"

Darren Maurer said...

I don't even want to get into this Peter painting peppers pretty purple pink..... or whatever. I like the dialog between Remy and his wife. The next line by Remy could be (As he is scrubbing the canvas clean for the thrid time.) "I stink, I don't why I thought I could ever paint. I'm worthless. Maybe I should quit." By the way, cool painting of the peppers there.

Robin Weiss said...

Peter I think your being a little to hard on your self this time. This is truely a great painting!I love the loosness,I love the light,I love the color. Trade ya any time.

Luis Colan said...

you crack me up! I think the painting is good, and yeah maybe you did get a little to opaque. If you really care about it maybe you should do more work to it, glaze some colors and you'll get some luminosity. I know this is supposed to be a one day painting but it's always good to go back and fix. It's all part of the learning experience. Good job still.

Luis

Louis Boileau said...

Hi Peter and Darren,
I say this about every second day... "I stink, I don't know why I thought I could ever paint. I'm worthless. Maybe I should quit."

...but who of us has never thought that?

Anonymous said...

No really decent artist gets it right every time, Degas would draw things over and over until he got it right. One of my professors in college remarked that Picasso made a lot of bad work along with the good work.

David said...

Looks good to me, Peter! The table cloth is equally handled well, too. I like the looseness of it, myself. I'll make sure not to broadcast any of this to the fiddle-farting police ;-)

Anonymous said...

hi Peter,
I'm currently studing AS art and design. My main ambition would to become an art and design teacher. I was looking at your work and how you are directing people in how to produce a painting of peppers. Peppers is what im currently experimenting with,im planning my final piece which i want to become an abstract piece.
I like to look at the peppers in a foreign view and create an atmosphere that many people don;t see in the peppers! i love the texture on the core and how them many lines form the structure and depth. also love the light that bonces of the peppers.
What i like about your work is that you draw from real life but you create a whole new atmosphere, I really like the way you do that and you have truly inspired me in parts of my project as I love to create a different meaning to the subject.
I have read threw your other comments there and mines seems so..... random. But i would appreciate a few words on how to go aboout my project and what inspired you.
many thanks.
Dionne Pollock

dionne_16@hotmail.co.uk