Black Cup Orange Slices and Magenta Wall

Another paintingh of a cup with orange slices, but this time with a little touch of magenta toliven up the color scheme.  I like the mirror on the table; it reflects the orange slices and the cup, but it is also obscured by bright light raking in from the right.  The light catches dust on the mirror surface and lightens the reflections.   I like the purple reflected on the right edge of the cup.  On my ETSY store

Cup Stack with Two Yellow Cups SOLD

I like the yellow cup in the foreground.  It has a lot of curves that are interesting in contrast to the straight sided cups.  I also like the strong contrast between the single large dark shape and all the high key cups, saucers, and background.  On my ETSY store

Cup Stack Yellow Bowl Blue Saucer SOLD

The light is above and slightly behind the cups, so much of the foreground is in shadow.  Just the rims and handles pick up the lights. This one has a lot of "glow" about it.  On my ETSY store

Blue Cup and Oranges on Mirror

The cup is so dark it's barely blue, mostly black, and the oranges are a bright high key complement.  I like the color of the background gray, there's a little yellow in it - it almost has a greenish cast.  I also like the slight orange reflection on the left side of the cup. 

Blue Cup on Red with Oranges

The bright red and orange background makes a lively contrast to this dark blue cup.  A cheery painting for a cool day.  I like the texture of the canvas covered panel - it adds lots of texture and loosens the brushstrokes.  I have been using smooth panels and this makes a nice change.

Yellow Black White Cup Stack

Because the yellows are mostly in shadow, I had to make a dark yellow. I added yellow ochre and raw sienna. I also add black (turns the mixture green), or just a little bit of dioxazine purple.  There were a lot of reflections in this pile of dishes and by keeping the colors minimal I was able to throw yellow light into the shadows. 

Orange slices and Pewter Teapot SOLD

This is an old pewter teapot with a dark tarnished look.  It has a soft glow and reflects just a little bit of the orange slices.  I like the dull finish - it was actually harder to paint than a shinier surface, but lots of fun. 

Purple Wall SOLD

I enjoyed painting the glass jar. but I really enjoyed painting the saturated purple wall. It's not a color I usually use, so I went to town. There is a  piece of glass on the tabletop and the oranges are reflected in the glass. The piece of glass allows the color of the tabletop to show through, and it creates a lighter reflection with less contrast than a mirror would create

Oranges in a Silver Bowl

A simple composition of warm oranges against a cool green background with a cool silver bowl.    This painting doesn't have unequal (dynamic) divisions of space - the edge of the tabletop divides the panel in half and the bowl is centered on the page.  But still it is interesting because of all the reflections and shadows. 

Oranges in a Glass Bowl on Green SOLD

When I look back at my old posts, I can tell the when the painting was painted from the subject matter.  These satsuma oranges are in season in the middle of winter.  I usually buy them by the box or bag, and because I have so many, they wind up in my studio as well as the kitchen.  I like the orange and blue green together. 

Blue Teapot Blue Cups SOLD

Another painting of the blue teapot but with blue and turquoise cups. All the colors of blue make the painting harmonious, but the wide value range adds drama.  On my Etsy Store.

Blue Teapot White Cups SOLD

The teapot was a gift and has been on the shelf for a while.  I put it together with the white cups and am very pleased with the sparkle and contrast.  The only pure whites in the painting are little dabs of highlight on the teapot.  I like the minimalist colors and the very tiny stripe of red in the reflection in the teapot.  I think that red stripe comes from the way light bends on a convex surface.  I see this sometimes in the edges of objects in bright glare.  (Though it might just be a distortion attributable to my bifocals.)

Oranges in a Blue Bowl

This bowl was a thrift store find and I knew it would make a great painting.  And the oranges are little halo satsumas, both attractive and delicious.