"Paintings have a life of their own that derives from the painter's soul." Vincent Van Gogh

Saturday, May 18, 2019

Lions! Oh, my!

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:


Initial drawing in thinned oil paint and the beginning of color.



Working on the first white lion.



More progress. At this point I decided to delete the trapeze figures in the background as they were too distracting.

The foreground figure.

The lady and her lion

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.

A pink flowering succulent called Calandrinia Spectabulis from the mountains of Chile. I hope it is hardy enough for Reno, Nevada!

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.



8 comments:

  1. 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!

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    1. Hi, Judy, having never painted this large before, they were both a challenge and great fun. So glad you like them!

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  2. I'm glad you make the closeup photos , you're figures really deserve to be seen , beautiful and animated painting !

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    1. Hi, 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






      Hi, 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.



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  3. 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.
    Your pink succulent plant is beautiful...

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    1. 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!

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  4. What 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.
    You live in Reno full time? Such a pretty place.

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    1. 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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Your comments are welcome and brighten my day!