Artists Magazine - USA (2020-01 & 2020-02)

ArtistsNetwork.com 21

7

I always paint still lifes from direct

observation, which gives me the

opportunity to continually re-evaluate

my composition as I notice new aspects

of my setup. In this case, I noticed the

center pomegranate in my set up looked

far more interesting from the right of

where I sat, so I turned it slightly after

the block-in. This allowed for a clear

view of the calyx, which I added.

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Over the bright red underpainting,

I drew the seeds with a No. 1 sable

brush dipped in rose madder. I painted

the leathery peel with yellow ochre.

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I continued to render the seeds.

Each one was engorged with

ruby-red juice, but the surfaces were

a purplish gray as they caught the light

on their faceted planes. To capture this

effect, I used a mixture of white, rose

madder and Mars black. For tiny

highlights I mixed in more white. To

render the membrane between the seed

clusters, I used a mixture of yellow

ocher, white and umber.

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For the broken pomegranate

wedges, I switched from rose

madder to alizarin crimson. Alizarin

crimson produces a darker and cooler

red than rose madder, allowing me

to render the shadow areas more

effectively. I added a single seed on the

plate to allude to the myth. I completed

the ceramic dish using white, raw

umber and Mars black. 11

I intensified the cast shadows in Winter Still Life (oil on board, 9x12) using

raw umber and Mars black. The napkin texture was created with thin layers of

white and Mars black. I kept the brush strokes pronounced and loose in the napkin

and the green tabletop. I think juxtaposing refined details with visible brushstrokes

adds a lively quality to the painting.