I was reading a book about David Leffel where a friend of his says that he thinks Leffel's paintings are about "quiet". So, I thought, this is an interesting concept, I think I'll do a painting about "quiet". And I'm fairly happy with the result.
A word of warning, though, if you want to paint beets- beet leaves don't stay fresh very long! I had to buy a second batch of beets, because by the time I set up the still life and decided what I wanted to do, and got it blocked in, the beet leaves were so wilted that they were beyond redemption. So, back to Stop and Shop for another batch. I put them in a bucket with an inch or so of water overnight, to try to hydrate them, and once I got them set up the next morning, I kept spraying them with water. Then I painted fast.
I'm wondering though- does the stem at the top end too abruptly? Should a put leaves on it and make it part of the larger group? I think I probably should, but part of me is perverse and says, if it's a little uncomfortable, that's OK.
9 comments:
I didn't even notice the abruptly ending stem. My eye went right to the twist tie. I love this painting. It IS about quiet, but there is some intrigue too. I wouldn't touch it. It's gorgeous just the way it is.
This does seem different for you. I think the colors or more soft and muted than usual and is a quiet "still" life.
I hadn't noticed the turnips until you mention the stem. To me that is fine. Now the turnips seem a horizontal element and maybe if leaves were added it emphasize a more vertical look and not as quite. One thing I noticed that you didn't mention is the top of the bottle where one left shoulder appears a little higher than the right.
However, this is a very good painting. I like.
I think I may have said vertical when I meant diagonal element.
Thanks. William, they're actually beets, not turnips ( : And I know the bottle looks wrong. I'll take another look at that.
Love the beets... love the twist tie.... love the bottle.... and... stems end abruptly on beets that come with twist ties... So it all makes sense for a real life still life
This is lovely.
Kathy,
I think the broken stem makes for a more dynamic painting. The bottle, leaves and beet roots are all soft and round, so it adds a bit of variety.
I think it's beautifully quiet and the broken stem adds that small area of dissonance. I like it!
Hi Kathy, That's a nice piece. I think you successfully conveyed the intangible concept of "quiet". I can definitely see the Leffel influence. When I didn't see your signature, I actually thought it was a Leffel.
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