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| Oil on cardboard / 53x45 |
Strangely enough, this piece of cardboard handled oil paint much differently than the first piece. The surface was slightly rougher and much more absorbent. I do like the subject and the composition but I certainly struggled with the paint application. Here are a few photos from the work in progress:
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| Initial drawing in thinned oil paint and the beginning of color. |
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| Working on the first white lion. |
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| More progress. At this point I decided to delete the trapeze figures in the background as they were too distracting. |
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| The foreground figure. |
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| The lady and her lion |
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| The finished painting. |
In between working on this large picture, we had a few spring like days and I was able to get a little gardening done.
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| A pink flowering succulent called Calandrinia Spectabulis from the mountains of Chile. I hope it is hardy enough for Reno, Nevada! |
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| And my snowball bush with the flowering plum in the background. It was covered with pink flowers just a day or two before I took this photo. |
I love to see the large ballerina's again, and in such a beautiful circus setting! The lions are so sweet! I seem to have missed your previous post with the first large format painting. Both are so fabulous!
ReplyDeleteHi, Judy, having never painted this large before, they were both a challenge and great fun. So glad you like them!
DeleteI'm glad you make the closeup photos , you're figures really deserve to be seen , beautiful and animated painting !
ReplyDeleteHi, Jane - thank you for your lovely comment. I like showing the close ups as the small photo does not really capture the essense of the entire painting. It reduces the size so much that the painting itself looks m
DeleteHi, Jane, thank you for your nice comment. This painting is so large that when I took the photos, they just did not seem able to do it justice - thus the close ups. I am hoping they give a better idea of the overall essence of these large pieces.
The progression of this painting was such a treat, Susan. I love this...my eyes took me all over the canvas... The man in the foreground was perfect.
ReplyDeleteYour pink succulent plant is beautiful...
So happy you like it! I spent more time than usual on the drawing and initial lay in with oil because of the complexity of the composition. Still there was plenty to correct as I progressed. My husband thinks this piece has a dream like quality that I attribute to the extra absorbancy of the cardboard. As with the first one, it was mostly trial and error!
DeleteWhat a fabulous piece, Susan, It makes me smile, and I really loved seeing your mark-making up close. I seem to love everything you do.
ReplyDeleteYou live in Reno full time? Such a pretty place.
Oh, thank you, Julie - your opinion means so much to me. Painting on cardboard is a unique experience - and I did it because I just could not let the packing material go unused! These two circus pieces are the first time I have ever painted anything so big and I surprised myself by surviving the first to attempt the second. I think I may go back to more standard sized canvas panels for a while now! My husband and I have lived in Reno for about 8 years and we are still acclimating to the changeable climate of living in the mountains. I love the progression of seasons and we have a spectacular and ever-changing view from our home. It is beautiful and I love it here!
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