Tuesday, July 14, 2009

Succulents III, Art Tip # 17

" Succulents III "
Oil
30"x30"
This is number three in this succulent series. The first two were painted in 1985! I love this subject because it has many contrasting elements. The soft blue greens/warm yellow greens. Softly mottled leaves (or are they pettles?) constrast with sharp pointy tips. Red with green. This plant is in a terra cotta chicken planter..I think being contained created more "chicks". The ones in my gardern seem to have more "Hens" next to each other with fewer "chicks".
Art Tip #17: I hope I'm not repeating myself here: For a great brush holder for oil painters. Take a large, deep, plastic container (like the ones dried dates come in) about 8" in diameter. Fill it with those round, little black beans (Azuki?). Stand your wet brushes in this holder as you paint. I don't know if watercolorists or acrylic painters can do this, as the water would run down into the ferrule.

8 comments:

Gwen Bell said...

Oooooh, this is gorgeous! Those puple edges look fabulous next to all the teals and turquoises. I like the composition too with all the little "chicks" around the edges.

Jennifer Bellinger said...

Thanks, Gwen. I do think this is a very feminine piece... I'm glad you like it.

Karen Hargett said...

Beautiful! Love all the subtle color changes.

Jennifer Bellinger said...

Thanks, Karen. It did take lots of blending, layering, glazing and scumbling!

indiaartist said...

Wow! How beautiful. I wonder how long did it take to finish this one. Love these colors and the tenderness captured here.

Jennifer Bellinger said...

Thanks so much. While I don't keep track of how long it takes to complete a painting...the ititial lay in/underpainting was fairly quick, but all the glazing and scumbling took many days. I find I can work more diligently when I am listening to a good book on tape..it keeps me at the easel longer!

Dean H. said...

Very well done painting, Jennifer!
I like how the bottom portion is low value...the composition seems to flow upward and outward from it.

Jennifer Bellinger said...

Thanks, Dean. I did indeed want the yellow greens of the large "hen" to be the focal point..the dark, satelite "chicks" keep her centered.