Monday, November 24, 2008

Cut Pomegranate

6 x 6"
oil on panel
Sold

The background of this painting appears to be grey, but it's really a blend of reds, greens, and blues. I do actually have a tube of grey paint, but I mainly use it to tone down other colors, and not as a color in itself. Most of the greys in my paintings are mixed from complementary colors. In art school, professors often used the term "muddy" to describe paintings that had gotten beyond the student's control color-wise, with complements blending into each other on the canvas and giving everything a greyed-down feel. Frequent washing of brushes during painting, and using separate brushes for separate colors while painting were some suggestions for avoiding mud. However, there is a school of thought in painting that using the same brush for the entire piece helps achieve better color harmony - since a little of each color is present in all the rest. The moral of the story really is that there's no wrong way to paint - as long as you come out with a result that you like.

4 comments:

Atul Pande said...

Sarah: The background is what makes the painting work for me. It makes the reds of the pomegranate stand out so well.

Taryn Day said...

This is an absolutely amazing, beautiful piece. It has got real character- there's a great sense of honesty here, if that makes sense.

Skruez said...

I've started painting again, Ive enjoyed your videos, Funny this as I always ( out of habit) use the same brush, or one small & one bigger too paint all my work. When I painted graffiti, I'd use the same cap unless it blocked. I must say I learnt some great tips from your vids & work. Many Thanks, greetings from the UK.

Skruez said...
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