Take Two

Another look at the dried pods and flowers that is part of the large collection of things to paint at the studio. There is never a shortage of items to inspire, but I decided to have a go at the same items but paint it in a different way. I did, however, keep the shadow a large element in my composition, this time cropping the pods quite sharply at the top of the painting. The yellow horizontal band made its' way in to break up the shadow with a structured shape to contrast against the many organic shapes.

Dried Pods

Studio still life has many of the elements within my control- what I choose to paint, how it will be lit, the composition of the elements. In this painting I chose to emphasize the shadow as an integral part of the composition. 8x10 on linen. I'm fascinated with rendering the pods with minimum detail while letting the viewer know exactly what they're looking at.

Simplify

I wanted to incorporate some pattern into this very simplified still life, while emphasizing the strong verticals along the right side of the piece. This was done with gouache- a small study used to play with a few ideas I'm having.

Heading Home- Travel Journal

We spent a few days before heading back to New England on the Blue Ridge Parkway exploring small towns and hiking the trails with Cooper our Labradoodle who loves being in the woods exploring. 

This campground Chantilly Farm in Floyd, Virginia holds music festivals all summer long featuring bluegrass at its best in a beautiful setting surrounded by hills. In the town of Floyd is the famous Floyd Country Store with their renowned foot tapping Friday night Jamboree and Sunday bluegrass brunch.

I did a small gouache study before we left of the hills at the campground. So peaceful.