Tuesday, March 03, 2009

Oranges and Sycamore

Photo of Actual Still-Life Set-Up

Oranges and Sycamore, 11 x 14, oil on archival linen board, copyright Pat Aube Gray

I have completed this still-life which I discussed in a late January post, "The Value of Light." I changed the backdrop and table cover considerably from the set-up for two reasons: 1) I wanted my painting to differ from those of students painting the same subject, and 2) I wanted to do away with the fabric folds to simplify the composition. In the January post I discussed the value of the light in the composition so I won't repeat myself here. You may note that the color in the pitcher is played up considerably in comparison to the real pitcher as I felt it added to the color harmony by playing up brighter orange tones that can also be found in the oranges. I also painted some orange into the brown section on the right side of the little ceramic piece, once again for harmony but also to play the orange tone against its blue complement for added impact. (Click on the images above to enlarge.)

I am very happy with this painting and hope that you like it as well! It is available for sale at Carriage House Art Center.

4 comments:

David Larson Evans said...

Excellent work, you can be proud of this work.

Pat Aube Gray said...

Thanks, David! I appreciate your taking the time to comment!

Leslie Saeta said...

Pat,
Thanks for visiting my blog! Your art is amazing! How long did it take you to complete this painting? I am really impressed as you are very talented. Glad to have found you!

Pat Aube Gray said...

Thanks, Leslie, for your kind words. The painting probably took about four days to complete, if I add up all the pieces of time I worked on it. And I am glad to have found your blog as well. I love reading what other artists are writing and seeing what they are painting! Always inspiring!