Evolution of a painting

Sometimes paintings just spring from your forehead (so to speak) like in mythology.  On the other hand, most of the time you have to work at it. This blog outlines the evolution of a painting: how it starts, what you do next, and then after that, and after that…

This example is interesting because it combines  picking and choosing from the complex still life set up at the League, my interest in a Nicholas de Stael painting (which I only could see in black and white), and the demands of the painting I was creating.

First the set up (or at least the part of the set up I decided to focus on):

ASL Set Up

Then, my first stab at a painting:

My first stab at the painting

And then, the de Stael painting (B&W version only) that I decided to use as inspiration:

N. de Stael painting (B&W version)

So I  eliminated the fabric and by also eliminating perspective flattened and raised up the table top.  I added legs for the table, a bar on the top right and expanded on the colors to come down from the left corner and move over the table.  The purple vase was too strong so I washed it out.

Next iteration

I darkened the space under the table and used my dirty water (created by cleaning my brushes after painting all the colors so far) to darken the surface on the left.

Next iteration

Well, I’m not sure where I go with this next.  Frank (bless him) says my version is already better that de Stael’s and (of course) who am I to argue.

Yet another “to be continued…”

 

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31 Jul 2015