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Tag Archives: Teacup
Something Sweet
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Violet Tea II
Nasturtium Tea I
Poppy Tea I
Tulip Tea II
Lilac Tea Time
I just put up Lilac Tea I on my portfolio and soon it will be exhibited in womanKIND, A Cole / Drews Project supporting the YWCA of Silicon Valley at The Citadel Gallery from December 16-19 with a reception Saturday, December 17 from 6-9.
The lilac symbolizes the first emotions of love in the Victorian language of flowers, I paired this flower with an Anna’s Hummingbird and an antique Bavarian J &C teacup called “Louise” (my middle name).
Lilac Tea I
Anemone Tea I – WIP
Starting work on a new painting today, Anemone Tea is the latest in my Birds and Teacups series. I’ve paired a Steller’s Jay with an antique blue flow Chen-Si handle-less teacup and saucer and deep purple-blue anenomes, signifying forsaken love.
Sketching my subjet with thinned oils onto primed board.
Sketching in the background drawn drom design elements in the teacup and saucer.
Blocking in background tones.
Flushing out my bird.
Arranging my flowers and filling out my cup and sauser, staying loose.
Working lights and darks.
Still working it…
Detail in the sinking sun.
Poppy Teacups
Oh my, sometimes I can paralyze myself with possibility!
I love how these antique, eggshell thin, hand-painted teacups marked Germany and Nippon photographed in the early morning light with their requisite bouquet of freshly cut poppies! I better just pick a bird or two and get on with it … Cardinal, Red-winged Blackbird? The poppy speaks of oblivion in the Victorian language of flowers, I wonder how I will bring that into a Birds and Teacups piece?
Lilac Teacup
Finally!
I found a rare hand-painted, antique lilac teacup from Bavaria called “Louise”. It’s funny how different flowers go in and out of fashion… but lilacs will never loose favor with me! The motif was listed as violets, but I knew better – a huge bush used to grow below my childhood window and their scent was always a sure sign of spring. In the Victorian language of flowers, the lilac signifies beauty and pride, and the purple lilac speaks of the first emotions of love.
I’m thinking a hummingbird or a goldfinch would go nicely with one of these shots for an upcoming painting.
Violet Tea I
Magnolia Tea I
Painting of Violet Tea I
Another in my Birds & Teacups Series, Violet Tea I is still very much a work in progress…
Quick oil sketch…
Some lovely loose brush strokes suggesting violets…
Sketching in the background…
Filling in here and there…
Wiping off the gestural background that I was afraid was building up too much…
Blocking in some shadows and loosing my loose violets in a pursuit of realism…
Sharpening up details, but there’s such a long way to go in terms of drama (which will come from the lighting) in this piece…..I’ll post more when there’s more to see.
I didn’t know I was going to go for a greenish background! Such a busy image really called out for a simplified palette.
Here is the finished painting, which is now on exhibit at the Los Gatos Museum Gallery.
Magnolia Tea I (WIP)
A new Bird & Teacup on the easel today! This time it’s one of the little Dark-eyed Junkos that are always underfoot. This one is nestled into some branches of Star Magnolia that my friend painter Isaias Sandoval had cut for me from his tree. I love the way it’s coming together!
I sketched out the image in magenta oil…
Blocked in the darks and mid tones of the background loosely…
Worked in the branches…
Paid some attention to my bird…
Laying in the shadows in the petals and cup, they may look like white flowers but they have a huge range of warm and cool colors (pinks. yellows, greens, treys, lavenders and blues) in both the shadows…
And the highlights…
More tomorrow!
Dogwood Blushing
The dogwood outside my studio is glowing red now, by March it should be covered in lovely white blooms ….and of course I’ll be waiting with my teacup!!
Bamboo Tea I
Mushroom Tea I
Tulip Tea I
Bamboo Tea I (WIP)
I love to start a new painting with the new week – fresh start, fresh paint and all the those days stretching out before me like an empty road. I was able to race ahead with an image I’d already worked out…a cute, vintage Japanese bamboo demitasse filled with lucky bamboo against the lush pattern of a period cheongsam (that used to fit me). I loved this combination but wasn’t sure what bird to pair it with until I saw these Japanese White Eyes in Kawaii last winter (yes it takes me a while to get to all the ideas I have filled away). I love how their chartreuse feathers and little white eye rings act as a perfect compliment to the vignette.
As usual, I keep the initial oil sketch very loose, making sure only that the teacup is centered.
Next I loosely blocked in the background – there’s not much detail in the fabric anyway being some kind of watercolor looking satin and velvet burn out affair (I wish it sill fit me!).
The teacup came next.
Then the bamboo.
Then the birds were roughed in, all I could manage for the day.
Today, with the paint a bit set, I was able to come back in and start working on the details. At this point the birds are starting to develop personalities and the teacup is taking on it’s character. I’ll bring fresh eyes to it tomorrow, but it’s well on it way to being complete!