Monday, August 18, 2008

Daily Painting Practice - Peaches in a Brass Bowl Study

My daughter gave me this oriental looking canister as a gift. She thought it would make a great painting subject. My wife/art prop reclaimer quickly snatched it. She holds it hostage in the kitchen. I swiped it back for this study....if I'm careful she'll never know it was gone.
I started with a pencil drawing transferred to the panel. Then I sprayed it with a fixative so I would not loose the drawing. This way I could wash in the background and still see the guidelines of the drawing. After laying down a raw sienna/burnt sienna mix of paint I can pick out the lines using this paper charcoal blender.
With the basic tones blocked in I am very impatient to get to the color.
If I add color immediately I have to be careful not to pick up the under painting.
Using Liquin the thin paint drys fairly fast.... good thing for impatient daily painters like me.
click on the image to enlarge the painting

Peaches in a Brass Bowl Study
original by Peter Yesis
8"x10"
oil on masonite

My color is rather muted in this study. I originally thought it would end up much more intense.... that's why I called it a study...it sounds better than Peaches in a Brass Bowl Mistake. I still like it though. My favorite inch of the painting... the fuzz on the half hidden peach in the front. I think it is rather amusing that I may not like anything in a painting except for 1 square inch.... And that I could find so much enjoyment in that 1 square inch. I'm just simple I guess.

9 comments:

Apple said...

I am absolutely jealous. I would LOVE to be able to draw like that. You are very talented!!

Sarah said...

This is lovely Peter, and some great tips! You're right that peach fuzz is very good.

Mary J DuVal said...

I like all 80 square inches (is my math right?!) I have a nectarine in a fruit study I am doing that is driving me crazy so this helps - maybe you could just come to Texas and paint it for me - HA! :0) I was very interested in your use of the charcoal stick. I'll be giving that a try. (Maybe if I wave the charcoal stick in front of my nectarine like magic?!)

Celeste Bergin said...

I very much related to how you decided to call it a study once you weren't a thousand percent happy with it. That's what I do.
I wonder...would be considerably less muted if you did not do an earthy underpainting?
The earthy underpainting that is not dry has certainly fouled me up on many occasions. Curious if you might try it sometime without an earth underpainting.

hj said...

What a terrific technic!
Lovely , bravo!

hj said...

...and you call this study ! I would call this piece of art!

A Brush with Color said...

Your work is just beautiful! I love this!

Marian Fortunati said...

Really lovely!!
I take it your wife doesn't read the blog... (Since you're trying to hide the fact that you borrowed back the prop.)
This is as I said really wonderful... I wouldn't have called it a study. What's wrong with muted? The ceramic prop is fabulous as is your peach fuzz. How DID you achieve the fuzz????

Mary Sheehan Winn said...

This came out great. I can relate to just liking a tiny spot on the painting. Funny.