I am a real fan of oranges both to eat and to paint. Luckily, I live in a locale where citrus trees can grow, so at certain times of the year they are easily available and as fresh as can be. In fact, sometimes neighbors have so many they can't use them all. Then, the local food bank profits and so do neighbors as often bags or boxes of citrus fruits are put on the curb with a "Free" or "Take Me" sign.
The light in the reference photo is what caught my eye. It brought out the vivid color of the oranges and created dark shadows...something that painters love.
This painting will go on auction at DailyPaintworks beginning tomorrow, September 12th.
HERE is a link to the site.
You certainly took advantage of that lighting! Very dramatic. Your pieces always look so lovingly crafted. Wonderful found colors also.
ReplyDeleteWe used to see a lot of excess fruit when we lived in the Bay Area. We were in Concord which used to have a lot of orchards and people did indeed have excess oranges and lemons.
That's such a nice compliment, Libby. Thank you! I know many places do the same type of thing. I used to enjoy when I was a child that when we traveled through various states in the Summer or Fall months, there was always an abundance of produce stands...some big, some just out of a truck or wagon. I loved it!
DeleteI love the color and composition of your oranges. Very eye-catching. This almost looks more like an oil painting than a pastel. It must be the surface texture.
ReplyDeleteHi Melanie. Thank you for the kind words. The photo is from the reference library on Wetcanvas.com. There, many artists share their photos for use by others for paintings. I, too, was taken with the light and composition. As a surface I used Art Spectrum paper which has a medium grit. It's a wonderful paper and comes in many colors. It also takes many layers of pastel.
DeleteI haven't been on Wetcanvas for a while; I didn't realize they had a reference library. Good to know for future reference. It would be interesting to see how other artists interpret your own photos. Thanks for the information.
DeleteI didn't realize either, Melanie, but I am impressed with the quality of the photos. I appreciate others sharing their photos as often what I need isn't available in this area. Hope you enjoy the site as well!
DeleteJust got back from visiting the Grand Canyon so I'm catching up!!! I LOVE this painting, Carol. It looks very realistic...I love how you achieved that perfect texture!!!
ReplyDeleteHilda, my goodness, you're visiting my state! Hope you enjoyed the Grand Canyon. The enormity of the place is unbelievable.
DeleteThank you for such a nice comment. I love doing watercolor underpaintings for pastel. I think somehow it adds a special texture to the piece and certainly it adds interesting patterns.
Love the saturated color and glistening texture of this one Carol!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Susan. In choosing oranges to paint I get to play with the bright oranges, reds and yellos in my pastel box. Always fun!
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