This is a post in how NOT to paint a still life with flowers. You will see how I broke the first rule in painting a still life with flowers... ALWAYS PAINT THE FLOWERS FIRST!You are about to see the sad sad tale of a painting gone wrong.... get out the tissues, this one's a real tear jerker.
At this point I am happily painting the teapot. I don't even notice the wilting flowers. Duh! I even forgot to put water in the glass. The paint fumes must be getting to me.
Now I turn back to do some real painting on the flowers...Look at those beau... those things in the background. That's about how I felt by the end of this weekend of painting.
Sunday morning I replaced the flowers and tried again. Note the sad little flat flower bud. This painting fails on so many levels. This is what happens when you spend too much time on a painting then when you look at the result you say to yourself " Look what I did... I murdered a painting!"Self Critique Time:
First, I did not establish a focal point. Is it the flowers or the tea pot? Second, the background is not a part of the picture. Third, I painted the flower petals as individual petals and not as light falling on the flowers.
After this I quit and went to watch Tiger Woods win yet another playoff. Now there's an artist at work!
PS I even had to write this post twice because of HTML errors.
10 comments:
Oh Peter, bless your honesty, I liked the tea pot, cut that bit out! I hope you had a good time watching Tiger Woods.
It's still a lovely painting. You are your worst critic. Love the reflections in the pot.
What a great post! I thought I was the only one with such a pushy inner-critic. That's why I have never finished a painting. Seriously, I am a closet painter...it saves the expense of framing. I also "bless your honesty" and thank you again for sharing your painting life with us. Oregon onlooker
Sounds like you had a heck of a weekend. As artists, we can be our own worst critics! This truly is a great painting, considering the dearly departed flowers. I'm glad you didn't give up on it.
Hi Peter, I definitely agree, flowers are very tough to paint!
Peter,
That is hands down, the funniest post that I have ever read!!
p.s. I really like the painting!
Mark
Hi Peter, I have to agree with Mark, you had me laughing, most poeple are scared to show who they really are in these blogs. You on the other hand are full of honesty. We've all been there, with paintings that don't work and you just ask yourself what was I thinking? I'm working on one of those right now! Wish me luck!
Luis
Now thats funny!
Really fun post Peter. Boy would I love to take a whack at that gorgeous blue teapot! I do think this painting is very salvagable.
You need some dark in the foregrd since yr only dark is the teapot-along that underledge perhaps. Plus put yr finger over that pink bud in front = needs to go IMO
Then just beef up the glass jar a bit-make it glassier. Always so much easier to see others ptgs and not yr own :( Come crit me anytime. I need it!
In college I had an instructor that called painting "PAIN-ting."
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