Sunday, April 12, 2015

Philodendron Over Alaska

Philodendron Over Alaska
16" x 20" oil on board
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This is an interesting painting. It's called Philodendron Over Alaska because it's painted directly over a painting I had started from a photo reference from my wife's trip to Alaska.  I just couldn't get the original painting to work, and it bothered me that I had wasted a perfectly good 16" x 20" board, which is larger than I usually paint.

I'm not sure what possessed me to paint over Alaska without sanding it down or attempting to wipe it away, but the result is kind of cool.  Because I used thick brushstrokes in the underpainting, there are lots of interesting textures throughout the still life.  It almost looks like it was painted on plywood.  And because I used the same palette to mix the underpainting, I was able to let it poke through in places.  For example, the red and lavender of the chair is all underpainting with the wall blocked in to form the shape.  In reality, the chair is black, but I thought the red underpainting complimented the vase and added to the harmony of the painting.  I used the same effect in parts of the philodendron where you can see red and lavender poking through.