Ceramic Lady on Window Sill

oil painting
Ceramic Lady on Window Sill, oil on canvas 24 in. x 18 in., January 2018

I am proud of myself for now beginning paintings by loosely conjuring the composition with terpenoid and pigment. By skipping precisely pencilling onto the canvas, it makes the entry into starting the painting quicker, and I do not dwell on details too soon. This leaves room for altering and fixing later as I gradually develop the painting. My Painting II professor related the importance of not settling a painting too soon, and now I understand. It’s okay for things to be raw-edged and free-formed in the beginning. You will resolve things later; it will turn out alright.

For this painting, I did not like it for the first three-fourths of my time working on it. But then I started to see the painting come together, and enjoyed the process. I like the contrast of the curving lines of the female body with the straight edges of the window sill and molding. I wonder if it is strange that the background is very 2D-looking, but the woman looks more in relief. Nevertheless, I enjoyed the pastel colors that I chose, and believe that the painting is pleasing to the eye. Such as the strong sense of light. The organic shape of the statue’s shadow on the molding really drew me in. I want to work on more interesting shadows like this one for future paintings.

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