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Tuesday, January 31, 2012

Win Some ... Lose Some

The hibiscus turned out quite well. I am not sure about the brooding background, but it is a good  foil for the  light flower.

The aeonium was an interesting challenge. A bit more forethought on my part would have been good.  I painted the background first, and got swept away by creating soft, graded washes. The dark would have been better on the bottom half. Then the darker leaves would not look so out of place. 

I tried to rescue it by cropping.


If the bottom had been dark, I could have blended the shadowed leaves more readily into the background. There are a few spots I really like - all of the greens turned out well, and the one red leaf going from yellow to red to violet. My glazing proficiency improved. It was wonderful to watch the green/gold alter with applications of yellow, alizarin and violet; it certainly does increase the depth of color. So, as far as technique goes, it was time well spent. But you'd think by now I'd have learned to PLAN from beginning to end!
As always, please feel welcome to leave your comments - love them! 

14 comments:

  1. They both seem flawless to me. I love the aeonium in particular. You have used a wonderful range of values and colours.

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  2. Oh gosh- these are perfect- back ground and all!
    It feels soft, and comforting to look at.
    They are both a masterpiece, and you should be very happy with them!
    Thank you for sharing your steps by steps!
    You never give up as you climb over the obstacles.- and in the end- you master it!
    love
    tweedles

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  3. Kathryn, I think this is a really interesting piece.. I haven't ever seen this painted before.. I love all the washes in each individual leaf. I do like the cropped version better, and I think it would be cool for you to play with this again and do one with the light on top.. Have one of each maybe? Unless your over it. I finish something and don't want to look at it for a month.. lol.. I love this painting though :)

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  4. Kathryn both the Hibiscus and the Aeonium are stunning art works, and if I were you I would be very proud of what I accomplished. The Aeonium has a gorgeous light going on and the leaves one by one ( I checked them out) are flawless, you really did a good job. Then again, we always only see what could be better, things that others never would notice. Just think about when women start complaining about their bodies...:-)) Big hug!

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  5. The hibiscus is gorgeous - and the other, I really like the third crop :) xx

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  6. I LOVE the first one! The background looks like a stormy sky and it looks just like a ray of sun has peeped through a break in the cloud and shone on to the flower. I think the background is PERFECT for this one!
    I also love the pink flower too - but I really like the cropped version. I'm not sure why. Maybe the background does work better this way. So, I think you have got a fabulous painting regardless and also an even more interesting composition :0)

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  7. Both pieces are really beautiful. I especially like the way you cropped the aeonium - it focuses your attention on the range of colors in each individual leaf.

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  8. Both are outstanding, IMHO, Kathryn! The crop is great, but I like the original also.
    Love the powerful darks.

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  9. Both these flowers are sooooooooooooooo beautiful.. you have done very well in these two..Patience pays and how..

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  10. they are both super katharyn !... love the aeonium

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  11. Don't be too hard on yourself, Kathryn! I think the image looks well even before cropping. Normally if the bottom of the image is lighter than the top, it would make the bottom look weightless and the painting look lop-sided, and most painters compensate that by adding more complicated patterns and textures to the bottom part, and make the forms there less well defined to avoid over-emphasize, but it is not an absolute rule. I think your image is complicated enough with many pedals, hence the simple, light background actually looks well... It is very hard to paint anything in a single portrait format, and I think you did a great job here!

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  12. I love them both, Kathryn! The Hibiscus is gorgeous! the way the light hits the flower is outstanding..the background on both of them make the flowers pop...great job.

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  13. Lovely Hibiscus, well done Kathryn! I think the last crop of the aeonium works well, but then I'm partial to "squarish" formats.
    :o)
    Judy

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  14. I love the color of the aeonium and think it turned out beautifully. And the hibiscus has great vitality. I like them both, Kathryn!

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