Commission Completed
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Here they are! The last three at the front, the plum, the mango and the nectarine.
I am so pleased with the result, the variety, the colors and the backgrounds.
Now for a few days of drying time, and then they will be packed up and sent to their new owner.
I think it would make a fun afternoon deciding what order to hang them in.
One of the comments (from Anonymous, wouldn't you know?) was that the highlights all seemed to be in the same spots. Ha! Like that was a mistake. The shadows are all falling in the same areas too. Knowing this would be a collected art piece, I strove for some level of consistency to aid in making it a whole. I was asked not to make the backgrounds too matchy matchy, so my solution was to always set the light source in the same direction.
What I learned: All these objects had local color, shadows and highlights. To paint them I began by finding the shadows and highlights and then I filled in with the color. Then I repainted the shadows, the highlighted tonal areas and cleaned out the spotlighted areas. Lastly I added the white. Also I put the backgrounds in FIRST. That way I knew how much to contrast the colors of each fruit. Great lessons to take with me for any shape or object in a painting.
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And now for something completely different: I am picking up Frieda Anderson at 10 am today. She will be visiting me until Friday. No new painting until the weekend. One of the days, maybe Thursday we may go into Chattanooga (depending) and visit some girly shoppes, and maybe the art galleries. Of course I will have reports of the visit. Now I must hurry and clean the house!
Wow, your veggies seem to jump right off the canvas. The dimension is fabulous. Who knew that was possible - well, obviously you, but not me. Great work. The new owner is so lucky. Connie
ReplyDeleteWhere's the lovely turnip? Butternut squash? Sugar snap pea? Peach? Grapes? The avocado and eggplant are way too dark in my opinion. If the commission was mine, I'd ask for a do over. :-)
ReplyDeleteJoanne s
Mel,
ReplyDeleteYou are so prolific! You finished these so quickly. They look fabulous, and yes, I think it would be fun to group them and determine what goes where. (Kind of like arranging quilt blocks). Really, they are so very charming. Wonderful work.
Kristin in SC
Well, *of course* the light source is from the same place in each painting...
ReplyDelete...so when they are all mounted together, the illusion will be that the light is *really* coming from somewhere in the room.
Duh. ;)))
FAB work, Melody. You're *still* an inspiration!
I am deeply in love with the avocado. The whole piece is wonderful and I would love to arrange it on my wall. But if I could have just one, it would be that avocado. Wonderful!
ReplyDeleteMy comment on the light was just an observation and really the comment should have been about the 'spot on' position of the 'white' instead of being a softened 'diffused' light.
ReplyDeleteIt wasn't meant to offend, which unfortunately you interpreted as being offensive.
I do not use my 'anon' status to take swipes at others.
Wow, these are stunning! They turned out fabulous... and they'd look so beautiful in my house... all my favorite colors are in these! I hope you are getting good scans of them for future prints? Beautiful work. I'm sure you clients will gasp out loud and squeal with delight when she opens them!
ReplyDeleteLooks like an old fashioned quilt..:)
ReplyDeleteI love them all. I wish they were coming to live with me.
ReplyDeleteI love these--what a great collection. They will be a wonderful focal point in a room. I hope the owner sends you a photo and you will share it with us.
ReplyDeleteSharon
Great work, Mel. These look good enough to eat...LOL
ReplyDeleteAbout my comment yesterday about the avocado and eggplant background being too dark....I think it was the way they came across on the web pic. Seeing them with the other's makes a big difference. Hope I didn't offend you. I'd take any (or all!) of them!
Colleen
That was fast! They are fabulous! Maybe someday I will walk past them in a public place and say, hey! I know who created those beauties!
ReplyDeleteThese are fabulous. They look like the fruit / veg. are sitting right on the canvas. WOW. This is eye candy to me.
ReplyDeleteI love 'em! Each is a little gem, but the whole is definitely greater than the sum of its parts. I hope they never get separated. I just love how the different, but related, background colors play together. Great rhythm and harmony.
ReplyDeleteWhat a GREAT display!!! I love them and they should come to my walls.
ReplyDeleteEnjoy Frieda's visit and have a GOOD time.
Bren
Love these! The "neutral" backgrounds are beautiful...and, I'd love to see a bunch of these with colorful backgrounds, so that pretty apple with the turquoise background could play!
ReplyDeleteCandy in CA
Beautiful job! Its so exciting to see them all in one collection! Bravo!
ReplyDeleteI love them. They would look fantastic in my lime green and red kitchen. This post is making me hungry!!
ReplyDeleteMrs Mel,
ReplyDeletelove the collection!! I have a question--I noticed you continued the background on down the sides of the frame. On the ones that the shadow extends beyond the left side of the piece, did you continue the shadow down that side?
Guess what I am asking is for a photo of the left frame sides of the mango, nectarine, and plum, for example. If I were viewing this installation in a gallery, I'd walk to the side to satidfy my curiosity, but am asking since I won't likely get the chance to do that in person.
Cherish your time with Frieda! Have fun!!!
Joan P in Missouri
Fabulous!!! No more need be said. Hugs,
ReplyDeleteLucy
I love them! I like them arranged in a grid like that, and if I owned them, I'd hang them in such a way that I could rearrange them whenever I felt like it. Or, another idea: I've been looking at coffee tables that have a glass top with a drawer beneath. I'd put them under the glass (The glass would not be leaning on them, the drawer would be deep enough) so that you could stand at the same angle you took the first photo. Or just look at the sides. I really like the way they look laid on the table like that.
ReplyDeleteI wish I could afford to commission a set from you, that's just such a cool thing. Maybe one day. You did a great job Melody! And you know I never write suck up notes.
Quilts with fruit would never look that three dimensional.
Brava!
Love,
Robbi
these are glorious. The backgrounds are perfect, the fruit and veggies look like they are popping off the canvases.
ReplyDeleteXOXO to you and Frieda too
Amazing dimension in these, Mel! This display is dazzling.
ReplyDeleteHey, if you ever decide to do a workshop, I'll drive up.
These are all so lovely. I wish I could see them displayed. Will you be able to get a picture? I'm in awe of your many talents.
ReplyDeleteCam
Beautiful, shiny, juicy...and very 3-D! Very mouth-watering collection!
ReplyDeleteWhat a great collection!!!!
ReplyDeleteYou should be pleased!!!!
glad that you had fun with it the commission.
carry on!
<3 judi in wny
These are fantastic! I had to look twice at the photo from the right side, they all looked three dimensional. This is my first visit to your blog, I will have to return.
ReplyDelete