"A Dozen Roses" Painting Today

This painting is my second start of the same setup today during my still life class (that I teach through the Great Falls Foundation for the Arts). Find out more about classes and workshops I offer on my web site: www.jillbanks.com, click on classes. The first one was a close-up (a small portion of the scene) done on a much larger canvas. This one's painted from much farther back in the room -- taking in more of the scene than I ever would have attempted if my easel was set up close to the still life. What stepping back made me see was the potential to frame the image at the top and right side ... and to see some interesting shapes.

Scale is fascinating ... and a powerful tool. Fun to explore.

"A Dozen Roses"  sketch, oil on linen, 12"h x 9"w, copyright Jill Banks 2010.

Web: www.jillbanks.com
Blog: jillbanks.blogspot.com
Email: jillbanks1@aol.com
Phone: 703.403.7435

Paintings of Fruit Continued...

I spent the whole day painting fruit.



This afternoon ... I was buried in oranges, continuing on with "Arance, Oranges", a painting of a fruit market in Florence, Italy. Still more to go but when I finally needed a break from oranges I headed downstairs to work a bit on "An Apple Arrangement". In all, I've spent very little time on the latter, trying not to interfere with the official enrollees in Michela Mansuino's workshop (who work late) and keeping on track with my other projects. This particular painting shows just how abstractly I see ... and paint. I think in value (light and darks) and then color blocks, from large to increasingly smaller shapes. It's an interesting way to see the world.



"Arance, Orange" work in progress, 24"h x 36"w, oil on Senso linen, copyright Jill Banks 2009.
"An Apple Arrangement" work in progress, 24"h x 30"w, oil on Senso linen, copyright Jill Banks 2009.

Before Randy took me to dinner tonight he wiped off yellow, then green, then orange, then some red I'd managed to end up wearing.

Web: www.jillbanks.com
Blog: jillbanks.blogspot.com
Email: jillbanks1@aol.com
Phone: 703.403.7435