Pitcher and Radishes

Elegant simplicity... 

     one of my favorite combinations.  

A simple white pitcher and two simple red radishes... somehow... elegant together.

This little painting doesn't fit into my usual style; so, how did it come about?

Last weekend was a celebration, a celebration of my 10th anniversary as a painter.  We booked a weekend at Welcome Home Retreat, and I got to spend the three days with some of my favorite people doing my favorite things.

My art mentor Cheri had the painting plans, and this project was where we began.

First, Cheri taught us to use a trapezoid method to sketch in the image. Why, yes indeed, I was terrified not to have the option to trace the image onto the canvas... I am so NOT a drawer!  But... it worked!  

Next, she taught us to block in only the values... just darks, mediums, and lights. (If you look on our easels, you'll see that these didn't start out in color.) No, I did not have any faith. I imagined mine would be meaningless blobs of gray. Before I knew it, there it was... a pitcher with radishes. What do you know... it worked!  

Finally we got to add color, but Cheri had one more lesson for us.  She wanted us to add a discord color  "Color discord is created by using colors widely separated on the color wheel. These colors are visually disturbing … they clash. But, however unpleasant, they can provide excitement."  What that meant for us was, as Cheri said, "Find a place to sneak some turquoise or aqua in there!" And... yes... it worked.

Cheri is so encouraging, even when I whine and complain about trying something new.  Gosh, it was good to paint with her again!

You can purchase this little painting by clicking Pitcher and Radishes.

Original Oil Painting on 6"x 8".