Still Life in Cobra Oils

Still Life in Cobra Oils 8x8

It has been a while since my last post.  Some health hiccups have gotten in the way and slowed me down somewhat.  Although I have been painting, I've not been at my easel as regularly as I'd have liked. Happily, my larger gallery paintings have been doing well, but my smaller "daily" paintings have been few and far between.



This 8x8 still life on gessoboard is one of the first I have painted with Royal Talens Cobra brand water-miscible oils. These rich buttery oils are a great alternative for painters who, like me, want to avoid solvents. In the past, I had  tried other w-m paints and found their consistency imperfect.  Often rather dry and stiff, they required medium to increase the flow.  The Cobra paints, however, very closely resemble conventional oils right from the tube.  I still love my acrylics, but it's so nice to have a slower-drying option.

The subject is one I have painted several times, in both oil and acrylic paint.  All previous incarnations have been sold, however, and I wanted one for myself -- this is the result.

Onions and Shallots

Onions and Shallots 8 x 10 acrylic on stretched canvas AVAILABLE

Some onions and shallots sharing a spot with my favorite brass bowl. An 8x10 still life in acrylic.

Demo in Acrylics

Demo at Muskoka Arts & Crafts Spring Show 8 x 10 acrylic on gessoboard

This little painting is the demo I did at the 39th Annual Muskoka Arts and Crafts Spring Members' show held this past weekend. The show features hundreds of pieces of artwork and runs from Friday evening through Sunday night. It was great fun and I was thrilled when my three acrylic still life paintings received the show's penultimate award for Best Use of Media. 

I often do a demo at the show. It's very informal, and really involves painting between chats and QandA with folks who attend the show. Usually it's a three-hour session of painting/chatting, but this year  -- to my dismay -- I accidentally left home with everything EXCEPT my paints! Fortunately, I'm married to a treasure of a husband who dashed home again to retrieve my paintbox. Here are some photos, including some shots of the little painting in progress.

Fruit and Bowl

Fruit and Bowl 8 x 10 oil on stretched canvas

This is water-miscible oils on stretched canvas. I've not used my oils in a while, but lately had a hankering for that soft, juicy texture. The subject is a familiar favorite, but what I painted was beside the point. It was the medium not the message that concerned me. I wanted to 'play' with oils for a change.

I paint a lot in acrylics, and there's so much about them that I like. Clean up is quick and easy, no solvents needed, and layers can be added in minutes. Even painting white over black is no problem. I use heavy body acrylics, and keeping them from drying on the palette can be a battle. I get focused on the painting and forget to "spritz" with my spray bottle. The stay-wet palettes don't work for me. In spite of my efforts to get just the right degree of moisture, my paints soon become too fluid.

So, every so often I long for the buttery richness, and slower-drying blendability of oil paints. But since I'm spoiled by the easy clean up of acrylics, I reach for my water-miscible oils.

Black and Gold

Black and Gold oil 12 x 16 on gessoboard  SOLD

Rich tones and luscious textures -- that's why still life paintings are such a joy.

Abundance

Abundance 10 x 8 acrylic on gessoboard  SOLD

I know what you're thinking... another brass bowl with grapes, Helene, really?!  Can't help it; I so enjoy painting the varied tones as light passes through grapes, and a brass bowl just adds more sparkle. Gotta lo-o-ve those textures!

Brass Bowl and Onions

Brass Bowl and Onions 11 x 14 acrylic on stretch canvas  NFS

Two of my favorite still life subjects -- onions and this little brass bowl. They offer such wonderful color harmony and a range of textures that are just plain enjoyable to paint. This is an 11" x 14" acrylic painting on 1.5" gallery wrapped canvas.

Onions and Shallots

Onions and Shallots 8 x 10 acrylic on stretched canvas

Onions and shallots are two flavor basics every cook relies upon. In this instance, their complimentary gold and purple hues add equal zest to a canvas.