From the Kitchen Table to the Window Sill

About the time I started writing this blog, I posted about a series of still lifes I was painting  from objects I set out on my kitchen table.  Every once in a while, I'd loop back around and do another still life.

Then I just got away from still lifes.  I've been working on getting my paintings looser after several years of getting tighter.  And, as part of that, I've been trying a lot of imagined or abstract paintings.

But, yesterday my neighbor gave me a bag of tomatoes, and I set some out on the window sill. They are an intense orange red against the white and blue gray of the window balanced against the green outside.  They shout (almost scream) end of summer.  I had to try painting them.  The painting is alla prima, in just a couple of hours, and measures about 11.5 inches square. 

And, just in case you're wondering...did you know there is a whole class of paintings called "Widow Sill Paintings?"  And, there's a whole movement called "Paintings In A Day?"  I've hit two milestones!

Exploring Gray Through A Messy Palette

Confession:  I keep a messy palette.  I use two John Pike Palettes, deep well, and I usually have colors flowing everywhere.  Once a week (or month), I like to clean my palatte, and it is very satisfying--similar to dusting after a long break.  Sometimes, the mess on my palette produces interesting grays, and I like to try and incorporate them into new paintings, and here are two paintings that lean towards muted grays done from what's happening in the mixing area of my palette..

The first painting (left) is called Move Into The Light, and shifts from the grays to tonal reds, blues, and yellows.  It is 4 inches by 11.   The second painting (right), Horizon Line, and is 11 x 6 inches.  It's a balance between two grays, and has a minimalist wintry feel.

In both cases, I was just playing with some colors that mixed on my palette, but I was especially pleased with how the paintings came out.