NIPPON VASE & LILY OF THE VALLEY

March 13, 2018
I finally completed this painting of the Lily of the Valley, started in the spring of 2016 or 2017.
I used a cold press paper, which I really don't care to use, and the further I got into painting the image the more disappointed I became. Finally, I put it aside and forgot all about it. As the exhibit at the David Strawn Gallery neared, I knew I needed a few more works, so I brought it out and played with it some more, Off and on, between other paintings. I added here and there to the image, and today I am calling it finished! The image size is 12 1/2" x 10".
Colorfully,
Sandy

March 10, 2018
At last! It's finished. Still haven't decided on the title.
'One Escaped'... 'Harmony in Red and Brown'.... 'Apple Basket' is not an option!
My desire to paint the basket was stirred by my delight in seeing old objects that wear a sense of their history. The basket has been in existence since circa 1850. That's a long life, with it passing through many hands and holding many items. Even during the 48 years I have owned the basket, it has held fresh eggs from the chicken coop, fresh vegetables from the garden, fresh flowers ( wrapped in wet newspaper) cut from the flower beds. The past few years it has been the keeper of some of my antique lace pieces. It also holds memories of where it has been in each of the homes I've we've lived in over the years. All of this is a part of what Wabi-Sabi, that Japanese aesthetic of what makes something beautiful.
A few days ago, a friend saw the blue color on the light side of the basket and asked if it had traces of blue paint on it. I explained that the blue she was seeing is the reflected light on a dark object. It reminded me of a time when I was traveling down a country highway with a friend and he mentioned that a house in the distance was painted blue. The house was white, but what he was seeing was the shadowed side of the house on a sunny day. The house was reflecting the color of the big blue sky overhead.
Colorfully,
Sandy

I'm finally starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel. The background took a couple of days to do. It took three layers of the blue-violet mix to give the drama I wanted. Each layer must be bone dry before applying the next layer. You can't really tell from the image just how varied the dark color is. I mixed Indathrone Blue, Carbazoe Violet, and Sepia together, allowing some of each color to stand out here and there. I also reworked the two apples at top, and finished the apple on the table.
Still to be done: the darker side of the basket, the design of the cloth under the set-up, the shadows of the basket and the apple onto the cloth. Then of course, there will be lots of tweaking.

Monday, March 5, 2018

Here is the progress from Saturday's painting time. Sundays are always filled with church and time off. Yesterday afternoon we went antiquing...saw very few antiques! The shops are filled with so much vintage, and Goodwill finds that it's not the pleasure it used to be. I love searching for that unusual piece to include in my cast of characters for future paintings, but I also love bringing it home. Maybe next time.
Colorfully,
Sandy