"Abandon Me" (16x16 oil on panel) painting process

in #art7 years ago

Greetings Steemians and Artists,

Staring at still life objects as much as I do, it's hard to avoid some contemplation about the incredibly transient nature of the world of objects (not to mention the material world at large).

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cropped view...(gotta get that thumbnail, right?)

Here is the setup:

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First stage. Simple block-in:

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I try not to start on a completely white panel, but it happens sometimes. You see below I'm sure to cover it up quickly.

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This beginning stage is my favorite part of painting. The form emerges quickly. Something from nothing.

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Next stage. Starting on that cloth:

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Next stage:

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Next stage:

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Next stage:

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Next stage:

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Next stage:

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At the moment above, I thought I was finished (you'll notice there is a signature). The following day, I realized there was something wrong. It just wasn't working. Instead of adding focus to the pitcher, the chunky blue areas of background were a distraction. So I decided to simplify the background (see below). The relative calm allows the pitcher to dominate.

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And the finished painting, "Abandon Me" (16 x 16 oil on panel, 2016):

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Up close:

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Thanks for reading! -David

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I love your brushwork. And I am glad you are capturing the stages as that first piece, where you lay down the color and shape, is like everything I love about vintage illustration. Of course the final piece is the quality of the old masters.

I think one of the things I came to realize more as I moved my painting and drawing digital is that my 'studies' and 'layers' were in and of themselves also finished work. And each of your layers are stand alone pieces to me.

So well done, and somehow I've missed your stuff. It's hard for me to keep up with everyone on here and sometimes people slip through the cracks for me so I was so glad to see you on my feed this morning!

Also, I feel you with the thumbnail. I always do my own crop because if you leave it up to steemit you get the oddest imgae. I do a lot of figures and animals and when they are cropped wrong it's like, "What is that?"

Glad to find you again. Wonderful, just beautiful.

Thank you very much. So glad you like the different stages. That is something I aspire to (but often fail at)--to make each stage of the painting process beautiful on its own. When successful, it's an indication that I'm on the right track--that I'm approaching each decision and brushstroke with care and clear intention. I'm trying to get better at this... :) Thanks for your comment

Honestly I was not so interested in still life objects, but your paintings changed my mind. Every still life object has a soul in your paintings! Admired your artworks!!

Thank you! I love to hear that.

Me encanta el realismo que consigues con tus naturalezas muertas y bodegones. Aquí se ven como objetos van cambiando progresivamente en el tiempo.

Wooow amazing, good job, I love it, I'm a painter too, i followed you, I'll be happy if you check and follow my blog too👍

Beautiful work as always @davidcheifez. I find still life very hard to do, as i'm always getting lost in the detail - love the way you handle the subjects and give them a life of their own.

Thank you! I've always had the opposite struggle--avoiding/delaying finer detail because I enjoy the big picture stuff more...I have to force myself into the detail!

Good painting, unusual objects in still life! I also like to draw from nature. I used to practice oil painting. Now I prefer oil pastels.