I’ve begun a new bird & teacup piece. This time a Purple Finch (the only red bird I’ve shot) with a Coalport teacup paired with some vintage redwork embroidery, calico and red and white striped tulips. I start, as always with a loose, painting directly on the prepared board.

I really should have worked the background first but I decided to block in my reds instead.

Eager to see some tulip action I painted these in loosely as well, letting the pigment pull through the brush strokes.

I was eager to see the finch too .

I worked on the teacup next, as it supports both the flowers and bird, I wanted to make sure they felt well integrated.

Dobbing in the foreground to feel where the shadows would fall.

Filling in the vintage linen embroidery backdrop I experimented with a crosshatched look.

Dropping the crosshatching, I tried more definition and a brighter backdrop.

Wanting a deeper shadow I try blocking in dome darks but the grays are all still too wet.

I end up wiping it off down to the initial sketch with a rag dampened with mineral spirits.

I begin to apply the darks in a more controlled way – a muddy mess is a nightmare!

More to come….

Finished!  I’ve messed around with little details until the painting told me I was done.