Still in the Life

Works in Progress means I am back in action after thinking about it too long. That may be the problem with art. It works better when you don't think. I almost forgot how much fun it is! Lots of clean-up to do on this watercolor. This is an exercise in a very limited palette of blue and orange. In this case, Prussian Blue and Vermillion. Tried a variety of my blues and oranges to come up with a pair that made really nice mixes. These two made such nice varieties of purple-browns and near-blacks, that I chose them right away. Apricots, peaches, and Queen Anne cherries (those pretty yellow-red ones). Lots of detailing still to do, but the most important thing is that I am once again at play and it feels wonderful!

This is my first work on watercolor canvas board. I really like the surface and its durability. These boards are a bit expensive, compared to buying big sheets of Arches CP papers, but that just means I am acting like an artist for a change and planning things before committing them to the support. Not a bad habit to pick up.

Colored pencils, my favorite medium so far, called my name and I began this still life from a photograph I took very early one morning. This fruit bowl is usually in our kitchen, but moved it around the house looking for good morning light and reflections. It's coming along. I am still wary of sitting for too long, or standing either, for that matter. So, while the watercolor layers dry, I work on this one.

So, I feel like I am returning to that new routine I was beginning to ease into and still in the artist's life. What better way to express that than to start off with some still life?