Three Apples Painting

This evening, I got a chance to sit and paint for a few hours.  I went ahead and finished my apples painting by adding in the shadows and then painting the white paper towel underneath.

Rough sketch (left) and final painting

Three Apples (close up)

I'm going to leave the painting as is and call it "done".  I've been learning that the more I touch something, the more I overwork it.  Simple and less is better.  

Now, I'm off to look for a photo to paint from.  I've only got thousands to look at.  Sigh!

Apples - WIP

In less than two weeks, I'm on my fifth oil painting which is an apple study.  I used titanium white, lemon yellow, alizarin crimson, cerulean blue, and yellow ochre.  The three primary colors represent cool colors.

My palette

Used yellow ochre mixed with thinner to create a light wash for my outline

Still a work in progress...to be completed later this week

A Fall Flower

50mm, f1.4, 1/6400, ISO 100

Beauty

Look how much the roses have opened up.

I can see this as a future oil painting exercise.

The Annual Fall Gallery Walk - Old Town Manassas

After work, hubby and I headed into Old Town Manassas for their annual Fall Gallery Walk.  The shops along the main road, Center Street, were open from 6-9:30pm and each hosted local artists and musicians.

One of our stops included the Creative Brush Studio.  Mary Reilly (owner) and Christine Raymond are the featured artists.

Creative Brush Studio inspired me to try oil painting.  My favorite painting is the colorful masks in the background

Michael Francis Haley performing

We stopped in the Opera House Gourmet shop to see what was happening.  They had a local artist who was setting up to paint real time.  Unfortunately, I didn't get a chance for a photo opportunity as there was limited space with lots of folks milling around.  

I did get a wonderful opportunity to sample this fabulous red wine.  

We arrived at the Center for the Arts at the old Candy Factory to see a showing of Jinchul Kim's exhibit.  Several of his paintings were so realistic (oil on canvas), I thought I was looking at photos.  This one is my favorites.  I love the glow of the painting and plus the scene is from our local Manassas train station.  

History of the Candy Factory

No wonder I'm drawn to this building, it has something to do with making chocolates

We had a wonderful evening strolling in and out of the various shops and museums.  I'm looking forward to the Spring Gallery Walk next year.

Anniversary Flowers

Hubby and I celebrated our anniversary today.  When I arrived home from work, these beauties were waiting for me:

50mm, f1.4, 1/125, ISO 720

50mm, f1.4, 1/125, ISO 320

50mm, f1.4, 1/125, ISO 320

I love pink roses.  These are sweetly scented.  Ahhhhhhhhh....

Two More Paintings on Values and Secondary Colors

Here's my third oil painting called 'Secondary Colors'.  This represents the purple, green, and orange colors that are created by mixing the primary colors (red, yellow, blue).  I then mixed the purple, green, and orange colors to create the background colors.  I also used white to create the lighter colors.  I have to wait a few days for this painting to dry before I can finish it.

'Secondary Colors' painted on a canvas panel

My second painting represents another take on values, but in the color blue.  I used Ultramarine blue and white to create the values.  Before I can finish this painting, I have to wait a few more days for the paint to dry.  

'Values 2' painted on canvas paper

I'm trying to figure out if I should paint the back ground first and let it throughly dry and then paint the objects.  Currently, I'm painting the objects first and then painting the background.  This method makes it harder to paint in between the objects.

As for photography, I didn't realize how hard it is to take pictures of oil paintings.  I have to use my external flash to capture the details, but at the same time I get a lot of shiny spots from the painting.