Hansa Roses, 18 x 24, pastel on board.
Apricots on a Green Plate
Small paintings are really hard. I had no idea. I have a feeling I wasn’t a very good painter the last time I tried to go 9 x 12 inches, and with some increase in ability comes the need for enough space to swing the arm from the shoulder – get some muscle into it. I have some plums set up next, on the same size board, so that when I start an 18 x 24 drawing next week it will feel huge.
Berries in a Dish, 9″ x 12″, pastel on board
This will be a series of (at least) three small panels. I started out with the motive that I would study the more complicated passages in some of my new set-ups (blackberries are not to be approached for the first time without a dry run) but the drawings took on a life of their own. The largest size panel I work on is 18″ x 24″, which is plenty large for my studio space. If I went any bigger no one would be able to get into the bathroom. Still, 9″ x 12″ feels tiny and has required a change of technique – a broadening of my marks. Odd that such a small space must be filled with ever larger areas.
Next up, apricots on a green plate.
I produce about 24 drawings a year. They don’t all turn out well, which is neither surprising nor heartbreaking. This piece is a dud. The composition was dramatic with beautiful color and familiar material – I’ve drawn a lot of nasturtiums over the years – but the final product failed the “can this leave the house?” test, so it went to the Strawberry Hill Transfer Station rather than the gallery.
In order to pass the test, the painting must be entirely “meant”. van Gogh’s “Sunflowers” passes the test – every passage is approached with the same degree of confidence and finish. The viewer doesn’t doubt the wall behind or the surface (a table?) beneath the vase and flowers. The painter didn’t piddle off in the corner, where he wasn’t sure how to indicate a further room. A great painting might be drawn badly (Velasquez drives me nuts) but the passage is carried through like a knife though water – we are unfazed by any discrepancy.
Tonight I have a small crystal bowl full of huge purple blackberries to start on; we’ll see where it ends up.
Blackware with Portfolio, pastel on board, 18 x 24 inches
Papaver o. and tan vase with snow flowers
This week I bought six new pastels – Sennheliers in shades of blue-brown and green-gray, the perfect colors for shadows in summer. I haven’t added them to my inventory spreadsheet yet, but this is what is represented in the photo above. (The decimal point denotes a change of tint.)
| code | color | comment |
| 700.5 | black | six sticks |
| 548.3 | blue violet | |
| 548.5 | blue violet | |
| 548.5 | blue violet | |
| 548.7 | blue violet | |
| 548.8 | blue violet | |
| 548.3 | blue violet | |
| 548.7 | blue violet | |
| 640.3 | bluish green | |
| 640.5 | bluish green | |
| 640.7 | bluish green | |
| 640.9 | bluish green | |
| 727.1 | bluish grey | |
| 727.3 | bluish grey | |
| 727.7 | bluish grey | |
| 727.8 | bluish grey | |
| 727.8 | bluish grey | |
| 727.9 | bluish grey | |
| 727.9 | bluish grey | |
| 727.5 | bluish grey | |
| 727.3 | bluish grey | great color |
| 727.5 | bluish grey | great color |
| 727.7 | bluish grey | |
| 411.1 | burnt sienna | |
| 411.3 | burnt sienna | |
| 411.5 | burnt sienna | |
| 411.5 | burnt sienna | |
| 411.7 | burnt sienna | |
| 411.8 | burnt sienna | |
| 411.9 | burnt sienna | |
| 400.3 | burnt umber | |
| 409.1 | burnt umber | |
| 409.5 | burnt umber | |
| 409.7 | burnt umber | |
| 409.9 | burnt umber | |
| 409.8 | burnt umber | |
| 343.3 | caput mortuum red | |
| 343.5 | caput mortuum red | |
| 343.7 | caput mortuum red | |
| 343.8 | caput mortuum red | |
| 343.9 | caput mortuum red | |
| 343.9 | caput mortuum red | |
| 318.3 | carmine | |
| 318.3 | carmine | |
| 318.5 | carmine | |
| 318.7 | carmine | |
| 318.7 | carmine | used |
| 318.8 | carmine | |
| 318.9 | carmine | |
| 318.9 | carmine | |
| 627.1 | cinn green deep | |
| 627.3 | cinn green deep | |
| 627.5 | cinn green deep | |
| 627.7 | cinn green deep | |
| 627.9 | cinn green deep | |
| 626.1 | cinnabar green light | |
| 626.3 | cinnabar green light | |
| 626.5 | cinnabar green light | |
| 626.7 | cinnabar green light | |
| 626.9 | cinnabar green light | |
| 202.12 | deep yellow | |
| 202.3 | deep yellow | |
| 202.5 | deep yellow | used |
| 202.7 | deep yellow | |
| 202.7 | deep yellow | |
| 202.9 | deep yellow | |
| 231.1 | gold ochre | |
| 231.5 | gold ochre | |
| 231.7 | gold ochre | |
| 231.8 | gold ochre | |
| 231.9 | gold ochre | |
| 231.3 | gold ochre | |
| 709.1 | green grey | |
| 709.5 | green grey | |
| 709.7 | green grey | used |
| 709.8 | green grey | |
| 709.8 | green grey | |
| 709.8 | green grey | |
| 709.9 | green grey | |
| 709.3 | green grey | used |
| 709.1 | green grey | |
| 704.1 | grey | |
| 704.3 | grey | used |
| 704.5 | grey | |
| 704.7 | grey | |
| 704.8 | grey | |
| 704.9 | grey | |
| 704.7 | grey | |
| 347.3 | indian red | used |
| 347.5 | indian red | |
| 347.9 | indian red | |
| 347.7 | indian red | |
| 205.12 | lemon yellow | |
| 205.3 | lemon yellow | |
| 205.5 | lemon yellow | |
| 205.8 | lemon yellow | |
| 205.9 | lemon yellow | |
| 236.3 | light orange | |
| 236.5 | light orange | |
| 236.7 | light orange | |
| 236.8 | light orange | |
| 236.9 | light orange | |
| 339.1 | light oxide red | |
| 339.5 | light oxide red | |
| 339.7 | light oxide red | |
| 339.8 | light oxide red | |
| 339.9 | light oxide red | |
| 339.3 | light oxide red | |
| 201.3 | light yellow | appears green |
| 201.5 | light yellow | |
| 201.7 | light yellow | |
| 201.8 | light yellow | |
| 331.5 | madder lake deep | |
| 331.7 | madder lake deep | |
| 331.8 | madder lake deep | |
| 331.9 | madder lake deep | |
| 538.1 | mars violet | |
| 538.1 | mars violet | |
| 538.3 | mars violet | used |
| 538.5 | mars violet | used |
| 538.7 | mars violet | |
| 538.8 | mars violet | |
| 538.9 | mars violet | |
| 707.1 | mouse grey | |
| 707.5 | mouse grey | |
| 707.7 | mouse grey | |
| 707.8 | mouse grey | |
| 707.9 | mouse grey | |
| 707.3 | mouse grey | |
| 620.1 | olive green | |
| 620.5 | olive green | |
| 620.5 | olive green | |
| 620.7 | olive green | |
| 620.7 | olive green | |
| 620.8 | olive green | |
| 620.3 | olive green | |
| 620.3 | olive green | |
| 620.3 | olive green | not as dark as it looks |
| 235.3 | orange | |
| 235.5 | orange | |
| 235.8 | orange | |
| 235.9 | orange | |
| 235.9 | orange | |
| 619.3 | perm green deep | |
| 619.5 | perm green deep | |
| 619.5 | perm green deep | |
| 619.7 | perm green deep | |
| 619.9 | perm green deep | |
| 618.3 | perm green light | |
| 618.5 | perm green light | |
| 618.8 | perm green light | |
| 618.9 | perm green light | |
| 372.1 | perm red | |
| 372.5 | perm red | |
| 372.5 | perm red | |
| 372.9 | perm red | |
| 372.8 | perm red | |
| 371.7 | perm red deep | |
| 371.8 | perm red deep | |
| 371.9 | perm red deep | |
| 370.3 | perm red light | |
| 370.5 | perm red light | |
| 370.7 | perm red light | |
| 370.9 | perm red light | |
| 397.1 | perm rose | |
| 397.3 | perm rose | |
| 397.5 | perm rose | |
| 397.7 | perm rose | |
| 397.9 | perm rose | |
| 633.3 | perm yellow green | |
| 633.5 | perm yellow green | |
| 633.7 | perm yellowish green | |
| 633.9 | perm yellowish green | |
| 372.3 | permanent red | |
| 371.3 | permanent red deep | |
| 371.5 | permanent red deep | 2 sticks |
| 570.3 | phthalo blue | |
| 570.5 | phthalo blue | |
| 570.7 | phthalo blue | used |
| 570.9 | phthalo blue | used |
| 675.3 | phthalo green | |
| 675.5 | phthalo green | |
| 675.8 | phthalo green | |
| 508.3 | prussian blue | |
| 508.5 | prussian blue | |
| 508.7 | prussian blue | |
| 508.8 | prussian blue | |
| 234.3 | raw sienna | |
| 234.5 | raw sienna | |
| 234.7 | raw sienna | |
| 234.8 | raw sienna | |
| 234.9 | raw sienna | |
| 234.1 | raw umber | |
| 408.1 | raw umber | |
| 408.3 | raw umber | |
| 408.5 | raw umber | |
| 408.7 | raw umber | |
| 408.9 | raw umber | |
| 408.5 | raw umber | |
| 545.3 | red violet | two sticks |
| 545.5 | red violet | |
| 545.7 | red violet | |
| 545.8 | red violet | |
| 522.1 | turquoise blue | used |
| 522.1 | turquoise blue | used |
| 522.3 | turquoise blue | |
| 522.5 | turquoise blue | |
| 522.8 | turquoise blue | used |
| 522.1 | turquoise blue | |
| 505.5 | ultra light | |
| 505.5 | ultra light | |
| 505.7 | ultra light | |
| 506.1 | ultramarine blue | |
| 506.3 | ultramarine blue | |
| 506.5 | ultramarine blue | |
| 506.5 | ultramarine blue | |
| 506.7 | ultramarine blue | |
| 506.9 | ultramarine blue | |
| 506.9 | ultramarine blue | great color |
| 505.9 | ultramarine light | |
| 505.8 | ultramarine light | great color |
| 536.3 | violet | |
| 536.5 | violet | used |
| 536.7 | violet | |
| 100.5 | white | 6 sticks |
| 227.1 | yellow ochre | |
| 227.3 | yellow ochre | |
| 227.5 | yellow ochre | |
| 227.5 | yellow ochre | |
| 227.7 | yellow ochre | |
| 227.9 | yellow ochre |
So, I’m thinking of starting a new title theme for my work, along the lines of Russian primitive icon labels. They are typically one long sentence that tells the story of the work: St. Paul rides a Lamb out of the gates of The Holy City at Sunset as beggars strew Palm Fronds. . .you get the idea. This painting would be called “Hansa Roses and Dianthus in a Bell jelly jar with black cherries on a Dutch plate on Jane Wineberger’s table linen around mid-day in July”. I know what everything is in my drawings – it would be hard not to what with staring at those items for hours and hours. Seems like I ought to own up to the knowledge, especially when I want to emphasize the object in the context of the painting, as is the case with the Dutch plate which belonged to my neighbor Rose, who died on Midsommer.
I guess the proof will be going forward, if I can keep to a schema. You should let me know what you think.
Mel's Lane
18 x 24, pastel on marbled board, sunny afternoon in Stonington.
Cosmos in a Green Vase
Finished last night; pastel, 16 x 20 on Ampersand Museum board. I’m getting more done during garden season this year. I think it has to do with confidence in the process. Petras Vaskas, who taught ceramics and moldmaking at the old Philadelphia College of Art, used to tell me that worrying about the work increased the load by half again, and he was right.
