Cobalt Curtains

[JStarr]

I LOVE interiors- I'd have a wall-full of interiors if I wanted to put that much effort into it- I just really like interiors. But I've never even sketched one- likely because I love them so much and don't want to screw up my love affair- classical 'fraidy-cat. But I took this pic of a couple of my cobalt pieces on the dining room table with the early morning light coming in the French doors, and I really liked them- the backlit shine in the glass and the backlit flowers-- yep- that'd make a good piece. Except there was a bit of chair there, and the French doors also showed, like, a bottom third of an ugly, sprawling tree (good for shade on the patio- not much else) and- no, that is the wrong background. But I remembered an interior I'd kept, just light and shadowed curtains with a tree outside it- yep- that would do. And so I tried marrying them together.

Took maybe an hour, fast sketching and trying to get values in place enough to read it as a ref (although I'll be glad for my artistic license) and trying different hue-layering for shadow tones on the curtains. This is about 8" x 10", and I really like it small- cause when it is opened big it shows a lot of tortured spots. It'll work as a ref though.

C&C welcomed before I start on the larger piece- let me know if it looks distorted or just wrong some where so I can get it right on the big one.

Thanks!

 

[Donna T]

I love interiors too but avoid them because of my lack of perspective skills. This is such a nice composition and the shadows on the curtains add a lot of interest. Nice color contrasts too!

 

[Terri]

I love your blues! The deep blue shadows on the table are wonderful. Flowers and vase look fine, and I like your setup with the vases.

I'm looking at this on my phone, so apologies if I'm reading it wrong - trying to get the placement of the curtains in my head. I think only seeing the tabletop is throwing me (no legs). The windows are right above the table, which is in a corner, and the shadows of the tree outside are dancing across the curtains.

It all looks good to me, just maybe a tad more table to help ground the surrounding curtains. Hope that makes sense!

 

[JStarr]

Thank you, Donna- but what if you find you do them really well? I mean, you should try at least one to see if you have the interior-bent.

I thought I might fit a table edge and bit of under-space in, too, Terri- good eye, thank you for confirming that.

I might get to at least hinge paper to the easel tomorrow, but more is less assured. We are apparently going to trim the hedge *inside* the fence tomorrow morning while it is (ha!) cool, and then I'll be wiped for awhile. That kind of balance-intensive work takes my legs out from under me.

Plus smoker-roasted chicken for supper with 'tater salad and fried corn. That'll take some doing, too! Maybe next week.

PS: As terrible as this sounds, hope that the tropical "disturbance" in the Eastern Pacific actually moves up the coast of Mexico and right up into the Gulf of California- as a low grade hurricane would be perfect. We REALLY need rain, and monsoon has shut down. The tropics are our only chance now.

 

[KreativeK]

Very nice work!

 

[snoball]

I think this is going to make a delicious painting. I love the shadows and the complements of the blue and the yellow/orange/rusts are just perfect. Will await the final outcome.

 

[Artyczar]

That blue again--luscious! I also love interiors. Do you like Diebenkorn by chance? You made me think of him and he is one of my all-time favorites. This is a beautiful piece. I am loving your work. Keep 'em coming. Can't wait to see the final.

 

[JStarr]

That blue again--luscious! I also love interiors. Do you like Diebenkorn by chance? You made me think of him and he is one of my all-time favorites. This is a beautiful piece. I am loving your work. Keep 'em coming. Can't wait to see the final.

Diebenkorn is able to abstract far better than I, but yes, I really like his work. I also like Jessica Brilli- being able to take a scene, a *composition* and reduce it to just the perfect, necessary shapes is such a wondrous skill!

Jessica Brilli

Jessica Brilli's oil paintings are of vintage objects, cars, road scenes

www.jbrilli.com

 

[JStarr]

That blue again--luscious! I also love interiors. Do you like Diebenkorn by chance? You made me think of him and he is one of my all-time favorites. This is a beautiful piece. I am loving your work. Keep 'em coming. Can't wait to see the final.

Perhaps, given the number of folks saying "I love interiors", there should be an "Interiors" sub-forum.... Might get these professed lovers moving inside some

Here's the sketch in a couple bits of hard pastel; I would appreciate linear-perspective eyes on the curtain/ceiling lines, and the table/right side curtain line. I don't want to have to brush off a huge swathe when I'm two thirds done just to fix a line that should have been blocked in correctly in the first place! (Also, may put an about half or so of a table leg on the left-bottom. It'll be according to if the comp needs weight there).

600 grit Blonde UArt, 21" x 27"


No pressure, amirite??

 

[Terri]

There's that table leg!

This sketch looks great. The curtains and ceiling looked fine in the first sketch: my only question was getting more information on the table.

No, no pressure at all! Looks to me like you have it right in your head, which is the most important. You can get to it at your leisure - sounds like you have some outdoor projects to get to. Stay safe in that heat! Hope you all get some rain soon. 🌧

 

[JStarr]

I waaay increased the size of the vases and bouquet- the quickie ref is in-your-face and that's one reason it works- but it's because the vases are so forward and, well, in-your-face.

It's coming along in a sketchy, hard-pastel base-block-in; tomorrow is appts and a hair cut for DearHusband, and maybe lunch- no telling if I'll get to it.

He needs to go into the garage and make frames or something.

 

[snoball]

I waaay increased the size of the vases and bouquet- the quickie ref is in-your-face and that's one reason it works- but it's because the vases are so forward and, well, in-your-face.

It's coming along in a sketchy, hard-pastel base-block-in; tomorrow is appts and a hair cut for DearHusband, and maybe lunch- no telling if I'll get to it.

He needs to go into the garage and make frames or something.

In other words, stay out from under your feet.

 

[Artyczar]

Diebenkorn is able to abstract far better than I, but yes, I really like his work. I also like Jessica Brilli- being able to take a scene, a *composition* and reduce it to just the perfect, necessary shapes is such a wondrous skill!

Jessica Brilli

Jessica Brilli's oil paintings are of vintage objects, cars, road scenes

www.jbrilli.com

I love her work! Thank you for that introduction!!! I will be revisiting her site.

 

[Artyczar]

Perhaps, given the number of folks saying "I love interiors", there should be an "Interiors" sub-forum.... Might get these professed lovers moving inside some

I think that's a good idea, I just wonder if some people will have a hard time picking between still life and interiors at times, but I will consider that. It's a good idea. I'll figure something out.

 

[CaliAnn]

I think this is beautiful. My only critique - two blue vases makes it too matchy-matchy for me, I think they compete with each other. Maybe lighten the value of the back vase some, to push it back a little? Of course, it could just be how that shows up on my screen and not in real life.

 

[JStarr]

I think that's a good idea, I just wonder if some people will have a hard time picking between still life and interiors at times, but I will consider that. It's a good idea. I'll figure something out.

You could include Exteriors, too, and call it "Architectural Elements"

 

[JStarr]

I think this is beautiful. My only critique - two blue vases makes it too matchy-matchy for me, I think they compete with each other. Maybe lighten the value of the back vase some, to push it back a little? Of course, it could just be how that shows up on my screen and not in real life.

Thanks- I see what you mean. The back one will likely go darker as it is not real cobalt glass, just a dark-dark blue with a shape I liked. Looks female- which is why it needs the flowers.

(ooooooo! *Idea*!! Wait-wait-wait- get this one done first....)

 

[JStarr]

In other words, stay out from under your feet.

pleasepleasepleasepleaseplease

 

[JStarr]

I love her work! Thank you for that introduction!!! I will be revisiting her site.

You are most welcomed- I think her work is exquisite- such simplification that displays the bones of her excellent compositions!

 

[JStarr]

Crap.

End Program

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