Tablescape and More

In my oil class, our instructor, Jody Regan challenged us to prepare for outside painting next week with an expansive interior landscape.   There were two six foot tables in the middle of the painting space covered with an assortment of linens, objects, fruit and flowers.   The idea was that by confronting this confusing array of still life objects, we would get some preparation for the even more confusing outside landscape.     

Thumbnails

I stepped back to a south facing wall and framed a scene that would include a fellow student (thank you Gail.)   To the right are a couple of thumbnail sketches that helped me decide on the second one looking straight across the still life set up toward the student on the other end of the table.   I liked this angle because it included the left and right doorways which I foumd appealing for some reason.  

My starting canvas was especially wild and colorful which worked out well when it came time to work on the table covered with objects.  I painted only the "negative space" of the tablecloth around the brightly colored objects.  In other words, I left the multi-colored dots of underpainting color as the strawberries or flowers, then painted a warm white tablecloth around them and added the vases and object shadows.

The figure was the challenge since am not experienced enough on figure painting.   My first rough-in of the figure was probably okay.   I did not leave well enough alone and began to muddy the skin tones; the hair grew bigger before my eyes.  Adding the painter's reading glasses smeared her profile and ear.  I impulsively rubbed off the head.   What? Purple paint smudged everywhere, the source of which was unknown.  I don't remember having used any purple so it must have been churned up from under a paintskin of the underpainting!   I'm sharing this mini-disaster because I know it happens to everyone sometimes.   What I have learned to do (gotta love oil) is to take a picture of the scene and call it a day.   A fresh, rested mind and a canvas with 24 hours of drying usually reduces my painting calamities to minor rework.



Gail Painting Tablescape



Here is the completed painting.  Even though the lesson was about good cropping decisions on the composition's inclusive and exclusive elements, mine turned out to be more about the figure and recovering from a mistake.   All good learning ... I can't wait for Friday when we tackle the outside landscape - and, my plan is to include a figure or two.