Something different today. I decided to return to two little paintings that appealed to me ... that were started en plein air last year during a workshop I took in Easton, MD. My goal for that workshop (in addition to surviving the heat and bugs) was to look intently for the strong contrasts of light and shadow ... and learn to state it boldly. I started to do that during the workshop, but it's something I've continued to strive for this past year. These two, "Benched" and "Special Delivery", are very different than the paintings that I started with this morning. They demonstrate that I "got" the lesson.
After finishing up with those two, I headed downstairs where Michela Mansuino has set up a beautiful, Cezanne-inspired still life for a weeklong workshop she's giving at the Great Falls School of Art this week. While I'm not one of the workshop attendees, I am working after hours to tackle this complicated still life in my own fashion. (I'm helping to pay the apple bill.) I'm starting with an open grisaille, what you see here, just laying in the darks with a burnt sienna and French ultramarine blue combo. I "erase" the lights as need be with a paper towel -- one of my favorite painting tools. Tomorrow afternoon/evening I'll check my drawing and arrangement and then go in with color in the lights.
So, today's three are:
"Special Delivery", 8"h x 10"w, oil on Senso linen, copyright Jill Banks 2009.
"Benched", 9"h x 12"w, oil on Senso linen, copyright Jill Banks 2009.
"An Apple Arrangement" open grisaille WIP, 24"h x 30"w, oil on Senso linen, copyright Jill Banks 2009.
This is the last week to view my "On the Bright Side" solo show at the Great Falls Library, 9830 Georgetown Pike, Great Falls, VA (comes down August 31) and works in the "Still Life Poetry" show at ArtSpace Herndon, 750 Center Street, Herndon, VA (comes down August 30). See my web site for more details.
Web: www.jillbanks.com
Blog: jillbanks.blogspot.com
Email: jillbanks1@aol.com
Phone: 703.403.7435
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