07 Feb 07 by Hanjo Schmidt
I'm still pondering on the tomatoes. Should I really do new ones after Brueghel's Method is sold? Isn't carrying tomatoes to Italy like carying owls to Athens? And does that make sense?
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Well, thinking, contemplating etc. is a nice thing to do. But for a painter the best method to find out what to do is to just doing it. So let’s have a dialogue with the brush and see what’s coming out. And for to do so let’s begin with the stretchers.
Compensation (?)
It’s very helpful to have such a huge working table that by the way is exactly right-angled. So putting the stretcher together needs no witchcraft.
Compensation (?)
Maybe it’s a bit boring to show how a canvas is made. Everybody knows it. But art isn’t just inspiration or magic. It’s work. More often than not hard work. And all the preparations are part of it. It’s like meditating on the subject. One should not underestimate this process.
Compensation (?)
Well, back to painting. Instead of one painting in the size of Brueghel’s Method I do two smaller ones. So everything fits well in the crate. The forms are fixed as well as light and dark. What I have to find out is the exact colouring of the skin. Therefore I finished the fruit ... red pepper this time ... first for that will influence this decision a lot.
Compensation (?)
In the details one can see that the whole painting is made out of many nearly abstract particles done in a very spontanious way. I mean it’s not just painting some pepper or hands but it’s about painting as well.
Compensation (?)
Sometimes I like to link two colours together with scratching. Acrylics are not as perfect for transitions as oil paint is. And I am no friend of these smoth transitions anyway.
Compensation (?)
Why is it so important to have a look on the way one is painting? Well If you ask me I would say „At least your painting should look more interesting than your palette shouldn’t it?“.
Compensation (?)
The scratching I hope gives the painting more hardness. It shouldn’t look to sweet. Well, with pepper that’s not the problem but with nudes. And that’s where it comes from.
Compensation (?)
White areas are difficult in particular. So there should always be some colour in it so it doesn’t look so dead and boring. Okay, that’s for today.
Compensation (?)
Well another day. And to be honest: I don’t like this piece! For the moment I have the feeling that this picture is going to be painted over very soon. On the other hand I feel sick since one full week and it’s getting worse. So I better go home and stay in bed for a while.
Compensation (?)
Nevertheless let’s have a look at some other details I am not satisfied with ... the broken fruit. For my taste it’s to „spongy“ as we would say in German. That means that it is not clearly defined.
Compensation (?)
And I am not satisfied with the the background and hands as well. The whole composition is a bad one. It doesn’t make a good picture. It’s so 50 : 50 or as said „spongy“. So better I give this up here and now. And maybe there will be no compensation at all.
Compensation (?)
Well, last one for to say good bye to this story of a failure.