Pear and Persimmon Painting

Why Pear and Persimmon Painting gentle reader? And, what ever has happened to last week’s painting? So much to share this week. But first, here’s a warm welcome to you and new readers, too, and a link explaining the purpose of this post and blog.

Fess Up

First I need to fess up and share that we ran off to Merchant Millpond State Park for several days this week. What does this have to do with painting? Oh…a lot! There’s not a whole lot of time left to paint on the day before we leave. Why? Packing, prepping food and checking off the ‘wheels up’ list.

And though I did sketch everyday, and I even brought my paints with me. We hiked and kayaked and sang around the campfire with camping pals. So, the oil paints didn’t see the light of day. I am excited to share some moments I have definitely stashed in the memory bank.

Heads Up

Such as? Well, there are alligators living in Merchant Millpond which is located on the Virginia/North Carolina State border. So, we, and everyone else out canoeing and kayaking was on high alert as we paddled in the magical setting of this place. Here’s a picture of Mr Studly in his kayak. I swear I thought I had just seen an alligator when I took this. But, whew, it turned out to be a log floating near a tree. Here’s a peak of the view we had.

Fall Colors

The fall colors continue to amaze. Especially when comparing the swampy green covering at the pond beneath the burgundy leaves on the trees.

Wild Animals

Seems the only wild animals we came across were in our midst. Although we did have the chance to see the resident Great Blue Heron do a flyover twice. And, the owls serenaded us at night. Here’s the nearest thing to a wild animal that Best Dog Ever (BDE) saw during one of our hikes. ;-D

Painting Anyone?

So yes painting is what this blog is about, right? Not sure if this metaphor will work but I had to paint this pear and persimmon several times this week. Why? Well, first, I love their shapes and their color.

And, maybe you, like me, enjoy a simple meal after a feast? So my eyes had an absolute feast of trees and skies and water and clouds while we were away. And, I want those images to simmer in my mind for awhile. That includes the painting I started last week.

So the simple shapes of this week’s paintings were just what my eyes and mind needed. And, I really had fun adjusting the composition of each of these paintings. In fact, I am going to share two of the four paintings this week. And, then the other two next week.

First Things First

Before I show you two of the four “Pear and Persimmon” paintings. Here’s how I did these paintings. I sketched each composition in pencil first. Then I painted all four paintings at the same time. So here’s a photograph of the first pass.

Just to clarify what “at the same time” means, if I saw yellow, I painted yellow shapes in all four paintings. Then for the shadows, I mixed them and painted them all at the same time. I did this for my own reasons which, ok, I will share. This approach forced me to be a bit disciplined about how I thought about the shapes I was painting. It also encourages economy of paint and brush strokes. At least that is what it did for me.

Not sure if this is how you are when you work but I know I can start painting and just drift off into a dreamy world of flow. Sounds perfect, right? Well, it’s not. In the first stages of a painting, especially when painting realistically but probably true in abstract art too, it’s super important to be analytical and aware of what it is I am painting. Once I have the fundamental composition down along with correct values and colors notes, bring on the dreamy flow!

It was really fun to be aware of what I needed to do to get each image to look the way I wanted at this stage.

Pear and Persimmon

So here’s a larger version of Pear and Persimmon #2. It’s painted in gouache and approximately 4×3.5 inches on cold press paper.

And while we’re at it, here’s Pear and Persimmon #1. It’s also painted in gouache and approximately 4×3.5 inches on cold press paper.

Next week I’ll share the other two paintings and how I plan to present them so they’ll be ready for display and/or gift giving. Yay! Stay tuned, OK?

How about you

How about you gentle reader? Have you tried changing up a habit or process in your world? If so, how did it go? I would love it if you shared your experience in the comments below. Thank you for reading along here today!