Thanks! I think I painted that egg four times. @MeganS my wife said the same thing! I do like placing things in a composition in a way that spices thinks up a bit with a sense of tension. In my another still life I had a knife balancing on a plate. It fell off more than once while I was painting it.
Martin, very impressive skill here. Lots of opposing elements in the composition. I like the drama. Is it only me who sees references to YouTube painting instructors' still lifes by your subject choices or was that a conscious choice?
Thanks all for your comments! @Jimmy, I'm not sure who you're referring to so I really can't say. Mark's the only instructor I've ever had. I guess of all the still life painters I like Chardin's simple ones the most. Living painters, probably Gregg Kreutz and David Leffel, but I think they paint way looser than I can/do. So in putting this together, my thoughts were on simplicity, light and atmosphere. I started this one a long time ago when we had an "old masters challenge" that I never completed. It even had dried pasta and another bowl in the composition originally. The pitcher I found at a flea market. It was painted from life. Here's a shot in which you can see the setup in the background. As you can see, I took the glass out of the composition and decided not to put the blue details on the bowl. I call it "The Space Between" in part because I kept taking things out of the composition.
Thanks Martin. It's fascinating to me to see the progression. The pitcher was a real object which you painted and then used the painting in the final composition of the now framed still life as a stand in? Why did you use the painting of the pitcher and not the pitcher itself? Just curious. I like your original composition best. The negative space under the table. The bit of light in the lower corner, the elongated cloth with the crease and white on white pattern. It's all lovely in the end anyway. Congratulations on finishing it! Your frame choice is compatible and lovely too.
The online instructor I was thinking of, other than Mark whose silver cup is like your silver pitcher, is David Gray who paints egg shells: http://dgpaints.org/.
@Jimmy The whole thing was painted from life. When I first started painting in 2012 I thought that using a photo would be a good way to start out but it didn't work for me, so all my still lifes have been painted from life. The portrait that I'm doing of @Valentin will be the first painting I've done from a photo (as well as my first painted portrait).
I really admire David Gray and I'll have to check out his site. Shirley Gipson (who also started with Mark) has done a fantastic painting with eggs. https://www.google.com/#q=shirley+gipson There are an infinite number of things to paint, but you see recurring objects, such as flowers, grapes, vases, table cloths, shiny things, bottles, etc. in still lifes. Eggs make an occasional appearance. (In fact, checking out Shirley's site, I just saw that she did a painting that uses the exact same pitcher as I did in this painting.)
I think that's a good thing. The appeal of still life painting is finding beauty in ordinary objects that we see every day.
Beautiful! Beautiful! Why are we drawn to painting eggs? I just purchased my bowl for an egg painting. I'd be thrilled if I could come close to the beauty of your painting.
When you start with a portrait and search for a pure form, a clear volume, through successive eliminations, you arrive inevitably at the egg. Likewise, starting with the egg and following the same process in reverse, one finishes with the portrait.
Really just seeing this for the first time. Comparing to an earlier version, I notice you went back in and "fixed" the egg on the far right. Excellent work. Just a really nice painting in all respects.
Still-lifes don't get much better than this. If nothing else, it captures simplicity in a complex sort of way. It also shows the skill if not the soul of the painter. FWIW, the egg on the right is a lot like me- always in a precarious situation. Most people think I'm more like the one on the far left- cracked!
Just made adjustments to the first. There's a whole different thread that centers on repainting the egg on the right, which unintentionally looked like half a grapefruit. It took me forever to see the problem, but I'm sure glad that people on this form spotted is so I could sort it out. This thread was after the fix.
Late to the thread, but this sure is a beautiful painting. I would love to know how you did the lighting. I want to replicate the sunlight through a window or door, but find it challenging.
Thanks @Freeman. I light most of my paintings from above with a dimmable led spotlight at a 45 degree angle or so, sometimes filtering through tracing paper to soften the shadows. I have warm and cool lights depending on what I'm looking for. That gets you part way there. The more you resolve in your setup the better. I used pieces of cardboard to block the light to put some objects in shadow, a small mirror to put some reflected light on the egg on the right--just lots of playing around and experimentation. Really take your time. It also helps to look at your setup in a mirror to see if it's working.
Then I make the background up, playing around with colors and values that you find in the objects, especially as they turn away from the light. In this painting it's hard to tell but the shadow part of the background is warm and the lit part is cool. It's really trial and error. When the shadow part was too cool it looked like solid slate rather than the atmospheric feel I was looking for. Hope this helps.
@Martin, yes that is very helpful. I need to get a dimmable bulb, for sure. I am currently set up with a higher angle on the light, but I am using tracing paper to soften the light. I am also using wood and other devices to create the shadows I desire. I feel like you have produced a very natural feeling light. I have some work to do before I achieve that I think.
@Martin_J_Crane wonderful painting ! I like it even more now than I did when you posted it first. When I get back painting I must work more on lighting, good info
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Comments
The online instructor I was thinking of, other than Mark whose silver cup is like your silver pitcher, is David Gray who paints egg shells: http://dgpaints.org/.
I really admire David Gray and I'll have to check out his site. Shirley Gipson (who also started with Mark) has done a fantastic painting with eggs. https://www.google.com/#q=shirley+gipson
There are an infinite number of things to paint, but you see recurring objects, such as flowers, grapes, vases, table cloths, shiny things, bottles, etc. in still lifes. Eggs make an occasional appearance. (In fact, checking out Shirley's site, I just saw that she did a painting that uses the exact same pitcher as I did in this painting.)
I think that's a good thing. The appeal of still life painting is finding beauty in ordinary objects that we see every day.
Beautiful work! Well done!
Denis
Freud has a lot to answer for!
Denis
Then I make the background up, playing around with colors and values that you find in the objects, especially as they turn away from the light. In this painting it's hard to tell but the shadow part of the background is warm and the lit part is cool. It's really trial and error. When the shadow part was too cool it looked like solid slate rather than the atmospheric feel I was looking for. Hope this helps.