More fish...

Recently there's something fishy about my studio. I've just completed the second still life painting to include some fish within the composition.  If I keep this up, it's going to get really smelly!  Well actually I've been using reference material, but I've been really enjoying tackling this new subject within my still lifes. It seems to humanize the subject in some strange way. I used some paintings of fish by Georges Braque as inspiration for how to treat my stylization of the fish.

I like the conflict of geometry here, the circular table and rug pushing against the square angles of the background drape. Round against Square.

The painting proved a challenge to photograph accurately. I feel the red rug is actually a little deeper, with a slight purplish tinge. I think the photograph often struggles with the subtleties or red and warm ranges. It's one of those paintings that really shows well in person, but I know I'm biased.

Delphinium, fish & Oranges

40X30           Acrylic on wood

Detail

I though these flowers were worthy of a close up. I love the over sized petals in relations to each flower. The irregular, unique shapes of each flower formed by these big floppy petals, that stretch out on storks from a bed of broad leaved foliage. I tried to leave a lot of red under painting, within the petals, to help state and enhance the overall color.

Detail

I consciously kept this painting a little looser, more under painting was left than usual and forms were loosely defined. This detail illustrates that well. The Delphinium have very little definition with some lost and found elements that bleed into the background. The blue jug has very loose stylized coloration on the inside of it. Again this was achieved by letting a lot of the under painting remain.

Here are some stages of the paintings progress -

 The 'block-in', out line stage 

You'll notice I originally intended just one fish on the plate, and this was nearer the jug. Once I moved to the color plan stage, I began to feel the fish was too centrally placed in the picture. So I slightly off-set it, and added a second fish.  I needed additional fruit placement on the left to balance out the change.

The color plan

The proposed colors of the final painting. These quick color studies guide me as I complete my final painting.

The under painting

Under painting colors are chosen in reference to the final color plan. Both complimentary and secondary colors are used.

First pass on most colors. 

Still some refining and re-tuning of colors where needed. Notice how the tone of some elements changed, - such as the rug and flower pot.

A fishy business

In all my years painting still lifes, I have consciously chosen subjects from (what I would call) the 'classic still life'. By this I mean,  a traditional bouquet of flowers or a plant, with a grouping of fruit and vegetables. For me there is still a wealth to be explored and said with these subjects and feel no need to move from this subject. (perhaps this is the topic of a larger blog post?)

That being said small dalliances are allowed. For example, I have always thought it would be fun to paint a modern interpretation of the 'game' still life. A pheasant, rabbit or even deer carcass draped over a table with much finery placed around the macabre scene. In truth the opportunity has never presented itself, so that will have to wait... But fish on the other hand are readily available.

It's taken me a long time to get round to it, but here is my first ever fish painting!

Fish, plums & a runner from Leon M

24X48                Acrylic on wood

And I enjoyed it, so who knows I may paint a fish again in the future, that is unless I stumble upon some other poor creature, shot and ready for the pot!

The runner and indeed the placement of a couple of the Japanese eggplants are loosely based on a painting by Leon Morrocco. I originally designed a rug underneath the table, but tried a number of color treatments before I realized it pulled and distracted too much from the table and and I chose to remove it.

detail

 detail

2 man show in Santa Fe

Check out this link to my forthcoming show in Santa Fe, New Mexico with Ventana Art fine art gallery. The opening is on Friday the 23rd of May.  Looking forward to being there next week!



http://myemail.constantcontact.com/Botanica-Vivida---New-works-by-Angus-and-Frank-Balaam.html?soid=1101288866406&aid=-oB5R_y79hU

Ginger Jar

Here's one from last week. It's nice to work with a warm palette again and on a still life. It's been a few weeks since I've done that. I tried to keep my edge and line work a little looser and rougher, may try and do that a little more as weeks progress.

Mellow warmth with Ginger Jar

24X36            Acrylic on panel

Another blog

One of my galleries wrote some nice comments about me on their blog. You can read about it here.

http://korologosgallery.com/the-colorful-world-of-angus-wilson/

Alberto Morrocco

I've just finished reading a book on Alberto Morrocco (1917-1998),  by Atelier books. The artworks featured in the book were nicely reproduced and the text consisted of a variety of conversational interviews drawn together.

watermelon seller

In truth, it is only in recent years that I have stopped to consider this artists work.  I realize this view point may have been somewhat unfair, especially when you consider locationally we had so much in common. Both of us were born and brought up in Aberdeen, Scotland (though admittedly in different eras). He also taught at 'Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art' in Dundee, around the same period that I was a student there (though my types of classes never would have intersected his). Indeed, I should add, we may have just missed each other altogether; for he went back to Aberdeen to work at 'Grays school of art' around this time. 'Grays' was where he originally attended and learned fine art.

3 young clowns with birds

I mentioned having dismissed his work in the past, and I can only explain this as follows. I believe it's fair to say even in Scotland his work is not terribly well known, when compared to other Scottish peers from this period. The little I personally knew of his work, I felt to be derirative of Picasso. It was only in recent times when I came into contact with more of his paintings, that I realized he had greater depth than my previous views and there was a lot to love about his work.

Fishermen & boats

Within his work he is very technically proficient and quite varied within his treatments. In many ways he's most known for his paintings of the Mediterranean figure. Streets scenes, stalls, Watermelon sellers, sun bathers and men riding horses by the ocean are all common subjects of these paintings.   These works are filled with a light confident touch, but also a more contemplative understanding of form and composition structure. They demand attention;  he is an artist who understands that paint can be a powerful thing on its own, and presents confident color blocks and color relationships. He has a beautifully controlled careful brush stroke, with considered value choices. This when combined with his expressionist modern figure paintings give his work a strong power, and one that I regret overlooking for so long.

Santa Fe Chapel Study

A little study of a Santa Fe church. I love the Adobe style buildings in New Mexico, the architecture always seems so fitting to the environment. Looking forward to being back there next month!

'San Miguel Chapel study' 

Acrylic on panel    16X20