Watercolor homework
Two pears
I started working with an artist and teacher from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. I am trying to introduce some sense of direction to my drawing and painting explorations. My teacher works with numerous media, but her monumental pen and ink works as well as her watercolors are particularly noteworthy. I am not taking formal classes in the Art Institute, this is too structured for me. Instead I work with Kaye in her studio where the class is very small and takes more of an open studio format. There are about half a dozen of us, all working in different media as it happens. I am the only watercolor student.
This is my first homework. The subject is inspired by wonderfully talented Jacqueline Gnott of Contemporary Realism. Initially I wanted this little painting to have some kind of a background, some painterly washes in complementary colors and so spent significant time mixing colors and making swatches in class yesterday. In the end my teacher made a suggestion that the subject is perfect and complete in its current form and only needs shadows to settle, the minimalist “incomplete” look just works. I agree.
Oh, and we ate one of the model pears for breakfast today!
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Great colorization and control of the media; the contract/depth control is very well done as well. The texturing is very nice, suggesting the roughness of the fruit skin. The only oddity is the stem in the foreground; at first look, it seemed the nipple faced full-front to the foreground while the stem stuck out from the side. This criticism is irrelevant; the true task is control of a very sensitive and unforgiving media and you succeeded admirably, in coloring, highlighting, texturing, and contrasting. Good for you.
Thank you for the kind comment, Mikey! It means a lot to me, coming from the artist work worked with the media.
WOW, Alex this is great! Not perfect, but very good. As Mikey says, the colors are very true. The sideways pear is a bit misshaped, but not at all bad for a first try.
I also looked at some previous ones: your Husbands book is being published! that is WONDERFUL, and with your Art on it, EVEN BETTER. I am so proud of you, Alex and so happy for both of you. Keep up the good work.
Barb, thank you from Lou and me both!
Really great work! Keep it up! You then ate it for breakfast – ha!
i dont really see that its mishaped. maybe thats just my naive untrained eye. it looks very tasty to me.
Lou and Shelly, thanks for stopping by and checking out my work! BTW, there are no pears left, Lou ate the second one :).
I love the shapes of these pears! Very design-y. Wonderful contemporary feel all around.
Thank you rgarriot! Is your name really aRt like it says on your website? This is neat! The kind words coming from a painter who’s work I admire mean a lot to me.
Well done!
Thank you, Barbara! I keep checking your blog for new sketches from the History Museum… Did you have a chance to go?
These turned out super. How great to have a good teacher.
Thanks, Rob! They did turn out alright, I am very surprised…
Well Alex, you probably know by now that I am a huge fan of minimalist backgrounds. Your teacher is a wise woman – the pears stand well on their own.
A fabulous, tasty little treat for the senses. And I don’t know about you, but I can’t remember the last time I saw a pear in the grocery store that wasn’t a bit crooked. Art is what YOU see, not what necessarily is. I see beauty in your pears.
~ christy
Thanks for finding the time to stop by and comment, Christy. I’ve been thinking of you lately because I am considering putting an order for some tube watercolors – Daniel Smith. My instructor let me try hers, and even gave me some indigo to take home, and I am so convinced! The colors are amazing, I cannot get anything even close from my Cotman pans.
These pears are absolutely stunning. The color and slightly mottled texture says delicious pears. Wonderful!
Jana, thank you so much! I know we are not working for approval, and yet approval still means something, and approval coming from an artist whose work I aspire to, like yourself, means so much more! Thank you for stopping by!