'Crinkled White' Peony, Coloured Pencil on Stonehenge, 20.5" x 5.5"Reveling in the sublime...that is what I was doing this morning. In past weeks I have been teaching on Saturdays. Ah, but not today. This morning I was up with the birds, brewed some coffee and sat at my drafting table, pjs and all. It was a gloomy, almost rainy morning and it seemed appropriate to put Mozart's Requiem on the CD player. Pure bliss. While I was sipping my coffee and enjoying the music, I tweaked the peony above. Please take into consideration that while I took many photos in different lighting conditions, I didn't get a photo that was quite true. The white is reading rather blue but I hope you can get an idea of what the work looks like. (you can click on the photo above to see a larger image) From here, the peony will go on my studio wall for a while so I can look at it from a distance and see if there are changes I wish to make.
This peony would have been done sooner but I have been busy with other aspects of my business. I have been teaching, negotiating teaching agreements for the fall (outside of my studio), advertising, writing my newsletter and setting up new classes. It didn't help that this was a rather large piece (for me anyway) and it had a lot of detail. I loved doing it though.
I am now thinking about the next piece. I have a busy week ahead. I am hoping to get the ball rolling with a printer for my line of reproductions and I have to be out of town to handle something regarding my Father's estate. Given my schedule and the fact that my last three pieces have been rather big, maybe it is time to do a small piece. The peony is 20.5" x 5.5".
The piece I did before that was Neptune's Leaves, 16.5" x 25".
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Before that, it was the Swiss Chard Mosaic piece, 17" x 7".
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Yes, definitely smaller and faster for the next one, maybe trading card size! :-)
After the blissful time time in the studio, my husband and I and our dog went hiking for couple of hours on the Carp Ridge. The Ridge is a rugged, rocky, wild place just a few minutes from my home. Absolutely delightful. Those words at the top of my blog, "add beauty to your life", well that is how I strive to live. I hope you have found a way to add beauty to your weekend. Now, I shall head off to look through my reference photos to see what art might be next.
12 comments:
Hi Teresa! The Peony is beautiful! I wish I could see it in real life!
What kind of printer are you planning on buying? I'm going to buy a printer also.
Large and on stonehenge! It's a stunning piece, you should be very pleased. I love the composition and crop too.
As for the peony, I actually like the fact that the white is reading rather blue. My favorite from the three pieces in your blog entry remains "Neptune's Leaves." Can't wait to see what you'll come up with next! You've truly earned a relaxing weekend.
Thank you Beth! When I said "printer", I actually meant someone other than me - someone who runs a professional printing company. :-) I am going to do giclee reproductions. I know that some artists buy huge, expensive printers to do this themselves but for now I would rather not have to deal with calibrating my monitor, not to mention learning all the technical stuff in obtaining quality prints. Maybe someday...Considering how frustrated I get with our current scanners and printers, it is probably best this way!
So, I am sorry that I don't have any good tips or info on buying a printer. Good luck!
Hi Ann, thanks for stopping by and thank you for your kind words.
Hi CountryDreaming. I should clarify that the 'white' petals have lots of colour in them, it is just that on a computer screen these colours can come across as as a monotone of blue, or gray, at least in a small image. I spent way to much time putting yellows, shades of coral, oranges, violet, teal, aqua and blue colours in the 'white' to be satisfied with what I see on the screen. Arrrrgh...At least the peony looks more colourful if you click on it to see the larger version.
I am delighted that you like Neptune's Leaves. I finally managed to get a quality image of it and the colours are now reading much better on screen. Now I just have to do the same for the peony before I add it to my website. I hope you are having a great weekend too!
The finished piece is very striking Teresa. You've accomplished a lot recently with these complex pieces. So is the next piece going to be less complex as well as smaller too?
Good luck with the prints, I'm looking at something similar for myself in the next week or so. I just need time to do it!
Hi Jeanette, humm, less complex as well as smaller...probably not. I tend to love detail. :-) Yet I must say that the Neptune's Leaves piece wasn't very complex, there were just a lot of inches to colour! The Swiss Chard was detailed and complex but it didn't take long at all. That piece had a wonderful effortless flow to it. The peony was all about capturing the gorgeous stamens and so the time it took to get those right was worth it.
I came up with a couple of ideas this afternoon for at least two small pieces and after that I think I shall do another Colourfix piece.
Good luck with your printing adventure. I shall post about my progress once I have visited the printing company.
Such an intriguing piece - would be easy to get lost in all those beautiful stamens! Your white glow from the inside. Very beautiful piece of work!
Wow Teresa you really like your detail, that implies you have patience as well as talent. I love the second image best but they are all just brilliant.
It's a beautiful and visually interesting piece, Teresa! I like the way you cropped this, and the size you chose for it. All of it impacts the overall look. Great work!
Hi Laure, thank you for your comments on my blog, you are so supportive. :-)
Hi Karie-Ann (aka PencilPortraits), thanks for stopping by. Now I know from your work that you have the proverbial patience of a saint...takes one to know one perhaps? What's not to like about detail? :-)
Hi Christine, thank you for you lovely comment. I am glad that you like how it is cropped!
Congratulations! Isn't it such a feeling of relief when a piece is finished and you can take pleasure in the completion? Of course, sometimes there's that sense of loss when you aren't working on it any more too!
Anyway, those stamens really pop as the focal point and the surrounding colors simply enhance them!
Teresa, the peony is absolutely stunning! I can see it hanging in my house. :)
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