" Garden Still Life with Red Chair "Oil
6" x 8"
I began this little painting last summer during my Plein Air workshop. I always feel guilty taking time to do my own work during a workshop, hence didn't finish it. I will demonstrate with beginning plein air students but generally I want them to have the time to begin their own painting during the best light in the morning. This day we were in an incredible perennial garden. While my students went for the flowers I am usually attracted to the off-beat stuff like this old red chair in a potting shed, with the push mower and super cast shadow on the shake siding. I find the main gardens overwhelming and not intimate enough...go figure! I added the hanging vine because the little holly hock coming up out of the gravel just didn't look so lonely and I needed to repeat the green somewhere.
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4 comments:
I always feel the same way doing demos in a workshop. I feel guilty taking their painting time. I discussed it with my last group and they all agreed that it was worth it to see the demo no matter how long it took. I do some that are just starts as demos but try to bring at least one to finish during the week.
The painting is great. Not what I thought I would see this morning from you. I like the narrative to this little corner scene. I'm glad you found time to finish it up. This week I am working on finishing up a few demo/starts from my last workshop as well.
Thanks Frank. You are so right about the demos.I will do more demos next workshop. Glad you like the old red chair!
Jennifer...I love it, because I have a chair fetish...I moved last september and realized how many antique chairs I had accumulated, many with seats I would fix "someday"! Alas I had to leave most of them :-( But I love the idea of where an old chair has been, how many people have rested in it, and how inviting this red one looks in your garden! It makes me wish summer would get here already!
One reason I am attracted to still life is that they are objects we humans use. You can create the feeling of someone having just left the room, the evidence if you will. I think still life can be a portrait or mini bio without the physical body. Our stuff can speak volumes!
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