November 25, 2012
Quartermaine's Holiday Blend
I think it's done! I will be bringing it to the store for a light check (to see how it looks in their florescent/natural light combination) and then adjust if needed.
November 21, 2012
Work Begins
This painting is 4 feet high, 5 feet wide. In the cupping room, there was a map of the world on the wall which we took down for a little geography lesson (why Kenyan coffee is different than Ethopian coffee). The wall behind Steve is pretty dark, so if I paint in the map, it's not going to be much more than a contrast of continents to oceans. At this point, I just want to be sure I like the way the elements of the scene work together. I've moved a few things around and I've curved the counter (the way my eye, not a camera, saw it when I was there. I may play around with that some more.
November 13, 2012
Next -- Back to Quartermaine's for Cupping
I went to the warehouse today to watch "cupping" -- the fascinating tasting process that coffee roasters use to select and blend coffees. I'm going to start a new, huge painting of the scene, but today I had two logistical problems. One was that the canvas I wanted to work on was way too big, so I was going to do sketches. The other problem is that the aroma of the different coffees is a big part of the cupping (much like wine tasting includes that swirl in the glass and deep sniff) and that is mutually exclusive with a palette of pungent oil paint and cup of linseed oil (even though I don't use turpentine, the paint definitely makes itself known). So I'll be working from photos. As much as I like the scene with the view into the roasting plant through the window, I think the winner is the picture I took from up on a stool looking in to get a fuller look at the coffee.
This could take a while to paint. I hope to get it done so it can go into the store in early 2013.
This could take a while to paint. I hope to get it done so it can go into the store in early 2013.
November 12, 2012
More Painting Problems & Unfinished Work
November 9, 2012
A Painting Problem
I started this painting outdoors a few weeks ago, excited by the intense light between the house and the column on its porch. I liked the way the steps up to the house led to that light. After putting down color, though, the painting lost its focus and I scraped it down. I repainted the dark areas in cadmium red and then put it away in the studio. I got it out again yesterday to see if I could rebuild the color without the problems I'd encountered earlier. Without a reference (either being on site or having a photo), I was working very slowly. I'm not sure whether I'll ever finish it, but it's a useful exercise in working out a problem of keeping color in its place to allow the idea to shine through.
November 6, 2012
Lunch on the Amalfi Coast
This painting is a real departure for me in a lot of ways. I don't usually use so much black, so much contrast. I used Galkyd Lite, which is a lightly shiny varnish/medium for paint that helped even out the different levels of oil absorbency in the pigments, necessary especially in the mixed black areas. And I pulled back from defining features and objects to allow the shapes and colors to merge into images. The painting will be part of the December Foundry Gallery show, A Cool Palette. The show will feature works where blues, purples, greens dominate (or cool blacks, in this case). The people at the table in front are my husband & daughters.
I've got work on display now at the Framer's Choice Gallery in Kentlands -- the work will be up though December 1. The reception is this Sunday afternoon, November 11.
I've got work on display now at the Framer's Choice Gallery in Kentlands -- the work will be up though December 1. The reception is this Sunday afternoon, November 11.
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