harvet+time & Seasonal

Here's the bigger version of Seasonal - The snow has had a couple of passes, the strawberries just one which is why the fruit looks stuck on. The grapes aren't even started yet. Much shadowing and building of snow around the edges to come. I may back away from the current high key color.


Here's the progress on harvest+time. Still working on placing the leaves. Added the clock face and did another layer of the white background. I expect it will take at least three, maybe four layers to get it the luminous featureless glow I'm after. There's a leaf of kale that may be added to the front left of the basket. I keep thinking I want to add one more element. I have a scythe but it's much too big - throws the scale way off. Maybe a small sickle.


I couldn't varnish yesterday, due to cold rain, but it's gorgeous today and all three paintings that are going to the March 26 show are varnished.

In the queue - progress report on the South of Eden series

Working on several canvases at different stages. Here's the line-up.
Paradise Lost - Probably a third done. With a big push, it'll be done by the end of February. I did the watering can today and the mossy band across the bottom has a zillion more twiddles and fidgets of moss, leaves and pine needles. Only a trillion more to go. Next - all those leaves along the top. It's the priority. 30x40
Grind - One layer all over, so maybe one fourth done. The wood grain is interesting and the husk is looking good. I hope I am better with corn now that I've done spin. The coins are a beeyatch because I'm working from four or five references. At the end of today I painted the needles. I tapes them to a a board for angle, and set them next to the grinder for scale. They turned out to be so close to life size, I ended up holding the needle in my left hand and painting with my right. I went with no cap because a needle is dangerously sharp and adds that element to the painting. Also, I can always add the orange, but it would be very difficult to try to get rid of it. They worked out great. You would have thought I'd been painting hypodermics all my life. Now that I've made the decision to include this element, the title will revert to Corn & Consequences. 16x20
Spin - close to complete. just one more round on the darker area of the corn and a little glaze on the dark area of the yarn. A week or two to dry, then varnish. Want to enter it in a show with a Feb 8 deadline. 24x24
Seasonal - Two layers of snow done, no fruit started. Very small - 8x10 - but the white is really slowing me down. I'm thinking of it as a study for a larger version that will be 85% snow.
Harrow - maybe halfway, maybe less. It depends on how long a field of knee high grass blades take. But it is my least necessary piece. I can finish it whenever. 14x18
Equilibrium - Started yesterday. Did part of the chest top and the dark green silk background. Miles to go. 18x24
Calibration - gridded and gessed canvas, gridded reference. Prepped to draw. Tons of elements, a lot going on. 24x30

I know it sounds a little crazy, but they will all start popping off the line and out of the studio. Much like Metamorphosis. That's the plan anyway.