Red, White and Blue   oil  8x6

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I have to say that I'm really most intrigued by shadow shapes.  The thingness of whatever I'm painting doesn't  affect me as much as the reflections and the cast shadows.  Unless, of course, it's a portrait.  Perhaps I'll just do a series of shadow shapes, with a hint of the object.  Here's part of the above painting cropped.

Study in Grey 2  oil  5.75x4.5
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The second garlic painting. This was so fun to paint. 

Study in Grey 1  oil  8x8

My students wanted to paint garlic this week and I thought it would be a good subject to work on for greys and whites. I visited the Chicago Art Institute yesterday and the American wing has a few Sargents.  His whites are gorgeous. And Sorolla's also- all those colors in the shadows- an inspiration.

Three Against One   oil  5.75x4.5
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Another jelly beans and a slice.  Painted this one in class with my students. I think this theme needs to be painted large, so that I can really explore all the value and color richness in the beans and the shadows.

In a Sea of Beans oil  8x6

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Jelly beans and a slice.  The lesson of this one is that the slice of apple is perpendicular to the light source and so is the highest value in the painting.  It's actually pretty hard to see that because the paper is white and if something is white our brains automatically see it as the lightest value. I think making the slice the highest value gives the painting it's sense of light

Attack of the Jelly Beans  oil  5.75x4.5
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I started this little series yesterday- apple slices and jelly beans.  I did these as demos for my students for a lesson on edges.  The shadows of the fruit and the jelly beans provide an opportunity for lots of soft edges. And because the beans are translucent it's a chance to see a lot of color in the shadows.

Sprouts   oil   5.75x4.5
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We had a bumper crop of sprouts from the organic farm.

Trying and trying to keep it loose. Let the brushstrokes stand, to be gestural and not so descriptive.

A Pear on Wednesday  oil 5.75x4.5
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I painted this one for my class last Wednesday. I usually let all the students find their own subject matter and lighting.  This last Wednesday I thought I'd make the suggestion that the new students try this set up.  I created it to demonstrate a light against middle value, a dark against middle value and two dark values against each other with the corresponding lost edges.  All the students decided to do this pear against a blue background.  A very successful class with the students leaving with a better understanding of values and edges.  They would like to do it again-maybe this Wednesday we will do apples with cut edges.

Against the Wind  6x8  oil
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I find pears to be the most human of the fruit. No shapes are parallel, the curves are better expressed with straight (ish) lines, and they are bigger on the bottom than on the top.  I also love the negative shapes that form betwixt and between.

Two Cut Edges  oil  5.75x4.5

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The third pear.

Cut Up   oil   8x6
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I've been trying to paint down my stash of oils so I can switch to water miscible oils. I came across some alkyds and have been using the white.  Wow, it dries so fast, paint it in the morning and by evening it's pretty dry.  Don't really like it.  I'm finding my edges are too tight.  At least I'd like to blame on the materials.

One Pear   oil   5.75x4.5
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I haven't posted for a week.  I've been doing 3 days of teaching this fall and have many figure drawings done but less painting.  I need to figure out how to better maximize my time in the studio when I have so many classes to teach.  And I forgot to sign it.

I'm starting a pear series-the recipes to follow. I find the composition on this one a little uncomfortable. The pear feels a little crowded in the upper left corner.  I'll do another one with a different layout. The scarf is from my friend Martha who passed away last week.  Wish she were here to see it.

Swinging on a Star  oil  8.5x8
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Part of the beet bondage series.  Painted this one three times. Played with the placement of the tops of the onions and the values of the bulbs.  Decided on a swingier line for the middle bulb tops and darker value for all three bulbs, especially the far left. I also started the painting as a 10x8 but decided that it needed to be cropped in.  Mitch Albala in his landscape book talks about a flexible picture window.  Basically you paint on a larger canvas that you think you will need and have the ability to crop in and out as the composition demands.  And it's often quite demanding.

The Window Box  oil  8x6
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The nasturtiums were in full bloom. Maybe I need a few nasturtium recipes for the cookbook.

Side by Side  6x6  oil

Summer light at midday with all things two by two-flowers, windows and chairs.

Patty's Gate  oil 6x6
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In the green thumb neighbor's backyard.  I wanted this little painting to not be about flowers but shapes of color.

Farmer's Market Saturday Morning   oil   6x6
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Saturday morning with the Oak Park Art League. The gladiolus were beautiful and the cast shadows caught my eye.

Sweeping Upwards   oil   16x8
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Part of the beet bondage series.  I'll be posting more tied and strung onions. There's something vaguely compelling about them.  This one has a faintly Japanese air.

Uncle Don  oil  12x11

This was a commissioned portrait.  Very fun to do- one of those paintings that fell off the brush. I love the light and the cast shadow of the cigar.

Tools of the Trade   8x6   oil
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Painted this one with my students.  A good example of "really, anything can make a fun subject".