Granny Smith and Gala

This one is from the series “Which does not belong?” And the answer is not obvious. If you are thinking Granny Smith because it’s the only green, think again. It is the Gala apple at the upper right that doesn’t belong. When my husband grabbed it from the setup and bit into it – it was mealy and untasty, and he complained. But what did he expect?! It was a prop after all!

I meant to work this still life Alla Prima, but was struggling with the texture for the apples – I wanted it smooth and shiny and didn’t know how to make it. I took it to my painting class in a half finished state so I could get some suggestions. Ed, my teacher, looked at it and said that first I must do the background all over and put really dark darks in the shadows because it would not be easy to add to it after smooth apples are painted. And he wanted me to work the background into the apple forms, so that later the apples would appear in front. So I worked the background most of the class time, and by the end it was really beautiful … and I nearly lost the apples, they were painted over . Sigh… I started trying to find my apples again, but the time ran out. At this point it would have been best to let the painting dry for a day or two, but I couldn’t wait. I took the painting home and spent another couple of hours and found my apples. Not quite Cézanne’s Still Life with Basket of Apples, but I am pleased with my efforts.

6″ x 6″ (15 x 15 cm) oil on gessobord panel. To buy this painting click here.

Orange and silver

Another still life study in oil. I knew this little jug was good for something when I rescued it from a  dumpster all these years ago. It’s just I never could figure out for what until now. It makes a handsome still life prop!

6″ x 6″ (15 x 15 cm) oil on gessobord panel. To buy this painting click here.