The Last One

This is the last in the cosmetic still-life setups. I am so anxious to get back to doing looser still-lifes and trying my artistic hand at doing some Plein Air work now that the weather is finally warming up here in Portland.

After I completed this painting I realized what an odd composition this is; first that there is an equal number of objects in the piece ( I was taught to use an unequal number of objects to balance a composition) second, that I have a division in the center that draws the eye in to the background.....what was I thinking; I guess I lost my sense of balance.

As much as I am tired of painting so tightly, I do feel I learned to see values better. Painting metal is a challenge, but the real challenge for me is the clear glass objects, in my opinion they are the really difficult ones to capture in value.

Since I don't get time to paint everyday I am having a hard time keeping my paints from forming a film on top of the pigments I have squeezed onto my palette. I don't like breaking through that film to get to the wet paint, which seems to always wind up on my brush and in the painting. I am trying some new ideas I have toyed around with and will post any success. In the meantime I would love any ideas or suggestions anyone has to help solve this problem.