Tuesday, July 27, 2010

Village Farms Tomatoes

Village Farms Tomatoes
Acrylic on Canvas
5x5
Painting #15 - Wow - I'm half way there!! Well, painting the form of the tomatoes was very difficult to achieve. I finally accomplished the look I wanted by using layers of washes. I love the background colour and think that it compliments the tomatoes quite well.

New Zealand Kiwi

New Zealand Kiwi
Acrylic on Canvas
5x5
Painting #14 - I love this painting - it was very quick to complete and I achieved the realism I wanted with the flesh of the fruit.

Golden Pears #2


Golden Pears #2
Acrylic on Canvas
5x5
Painting #13 - Well, I didn't achieve the beautiful golden look that I wanted. Next time I'll pick up a couple of pretty bartlett pears with long skinny necks and try painting them!

Golden Pears #1


Golden Pears #1
Acrylic on Canvas
5x5
Painting #12 - I wanted to create a beautiful "golden" painting - its golden but not nearly as beautiful as I would like. I decided to try painting the pears again.

Sunday, July 25, 2010

Juicy Grapes

Juicy Grapes
Acrylic on Canvas
5x5
Painting #11 - This painting took quite a few hours. I like the realism I achieved in the grape vine. I think the colour I chose for the background gives the painting a "summer time or refreshing" feel.

Smooth-Skinned Mango


Smooth-Skinned Mango
Acrylic on Canvas
5x5
Painting # 10 - To achieve the rich colours of the mango's skin I had to add layer after layer of coloured washes. I don't like my white highlights - they look like they are sitting on top of my mango. Any suggestions?

Friday, July 23, 2010

Half an Apple


Half an Apple
Acrylic on Canvas
5x5
Painting #9 - I have to admit it - I like this painting. It was quick to complete, the inside of the apple is interesting and I think I captured the flesh of the apple quite well.

Red Bell Pepper


Red Bell Pepper
Acrylic on Canvas
5x5
Painting # 8 - I'm quite satisfied with this painting. I had to exaggerate the pepper's form for a more interesting painting.

Sandhill Crane on the 12th Fairway

Sandhill Crane on the 12th Fairway
Acrylic on Canvas
8x16
Painting #7 - I'll admit it - despite my efforts I couldn't finish this painting in one day - it took two days. Nature always inspires me - this Sandhill Crane came to visit as I sipped a beverage on my parents lenai in Florida. The feathers were a challenge. I enjoyed painting his/her red head and beak.

La Calera Orange


La Calera Orange
Acrylic on Canvas
5x5
Painting #6 - I struggled with the texture and the different values within this orange, however, I like the composition. Next time I will choose a "thicker-skinned" orange and cut it so that I can see a pattern within the flesh.

Sunkist Lemon

Sunkist Lemon
Acrylic on Canvas
5x5
Painting #5 - I'm pleased with my lemon. The painting was quick and I think I achieved its form. In hide sight, I wish I would have chosen a different foreground colour - or perhaps, my shadow is just too dark.

Gala Apple

Gala Apple
Acrylic on Canvas
5x5
Painting #4 - This painting was so hard! I had difficulty interpreting the pattern on the apple and I continued to over paint the details. In addition, I'm not happy with the highlights on the top of the apple.

Packham Pear

Packham Pear
Acrylic on Canvas
5x5
Painting #3 - I tried hard to capture the form of the pear. I like the looseness in this painting but I need to work on achieving more values to capture a more realistic form.

Half Grapefruit

Half Grapefruit
Acrylic on Canvas
5x5
Painting #2 - this one was surprisingly easy. I like the turquoise background. It sold the day after I completed it.

Cherry Trio

Cherry Trio
Acrylic on Canvas
5x5
The journey has begun - painting #1. No break-through in my learning, however, I feel a sense of accomplishment. I usually paint on large canvases and my paintings can take weeks to complete. The benefit of painting small is that I can actually complete a painting in a day!