Kim Eshelman Fine Art

The Color of Light: An Artist's Blog

8/23/2020 7:52:34 AM

Keeping it loose

Kim Eshelman / 3 Comments

In bloom, 9"x6"
In bloom, 9"x6"

I love doing small studies when I don't feel like starting a large painting. Working on a small surface keeps me from getting too detailed, and I don't worry about whether it may not succeed. Paradoxically, these often turn out quite well precisely because I don't  worry about them! 

 

This little painting was a great exercise in seeing shape and value and keeping a very loose painting style. The inspiration comes from my Mother's Day rosebush, which was in full bloom when I painted this. I love giving the impression of a subject instead of rendering every detail. I laid in a quick and loose underpainting. Next I loosely sketched out my large shapes, then really looked for the darks, midtones, and lights, and quickly blocked them in. I didn't want to paint each petal. Finally I put in a few small refining finishes and called it done.

 

 

Share This Post

Comments

3 Responses to Keeping it loose

yes .. what i enjoy most about a painting is an attention to eliminate nonessential detail .. to capture the essence of the subject matter, as it were .. a very sweet lil painting, Kim .. and, a nicely explained tutorial on how you achieved this ;-)

Posted by clif · via kimeshelman.com · 73 months ago

Thanks Clif! I agree, having an impression of the subject is my preferred style of painting. It's not always the easiest to achieve though!

Posted by Kim Eshelman · via kimeshelman.com · 73 months ago

you're welcome, Kim .. .. many of your words remind me of what my painting/art history professor imparted to me, sooo many years ago .. just FYI, i happen to be, casually, mentoring a couple of young painters these days .. and, i find myself using some of your words .. with them ;-)

Posted by clif · via kimeshelman.com · 73 months ago

Leave a Comment

Remember Your Info
Check this box if you want email updates when people comment on this post