Green Apple with Enameled Cup

Green Apple with Enameled Cup
8" x 10" oil on board


I painted over an old painting for this one, which I love doing because the surface is nice and slick, so the paint spreads on easily. However, the smart thing to do would have been to sand the old painting down a little first.  You can see the ridges on the left side from the original. I guess it kind of makes it look old or something. I also used a mixture of equal amounts ivory black and titanium white as a grey in this painting, which is something I think I'll continue to do. The premixed grey made it quicker and easier to tone down colors straight from the tube.

I'm going to experiment with mixing  the leftover paint on my palette and priming some new white boards with it to see if I can get the same, slick painting surface.  Despite the ridges, I'm really happy with this one.

Green Tea with Honey and Lemon

Green Tea with Honey and Lemon

8" x 10" oil on board

I almost gave up on this one because, as I was painting it, I started to think about the importance of correctly representing objects that people are familiar with such as green tea sleeves and plastic bottles of honey.  However, I saw it through, not because I felt like I was doing such a wonderful job of representing these objects but because, if there's one thing I've learned from painting, it's that they have a way of turning out better than you think they will. The one thing I do like is the way the lines of the bag and reflection lead the viewer through the painting, which was purposeful.