Trio - Still Life in Oil

I spent Thursday wrestling with a painting that included roses....wow, what a challenge that is!  I must have wiped the flowers out three times.  Finally I called it quits with that awful feeling of frustration and failure.  But I resisted the urge to wipe off the painting.  On Friday I returned to the painting and made a final attempt.  I finished the painting....at least, I've done all I'm going to do on it.  By now I realized that the roses were not the only problem with the painting.  The composition was weak and the whole setup lacked energy and interest.  Another lesson learned.

Still filled with that feeling of frustration, I immediately set up a more familiar still life...wine bottles and grapes.  And I used the darker background again.  It's my favorite so far.  Anyway, in a short two hour session, I painted this still life.  I returned for another hour on Saturday to finish it up.  I really enjoy doing this type of painting.  I love the subtle lighting and the value relationships are a real test. 

The title "Trio" refers to the label on the bottle of wine.  It's a cabernet that was given to me many years ago by a business friend.  His family had purchased a vineyard and this wine was made from grapes grown there.  The "Trio" name refers to the members of the ownership group, if I remember right.  The bottle is now some 13 years old.  It's the last of several bottles that had and the wine was delicious, but I hate to open it. I think I'll just leave it unopened....it makes a great still life subject and brings back memories of a great guy, long retired and moved to greener pastures.

Trio    oil on 12" x 16" linen panel 

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My Art Site: Bruce Hancock Fine Art

White Pitcher with Flowers - Still Life Oil Painting

This is another high key still life.  These brighter paintings are still a learning process for me, but I do enjoy the opportunity for playing with the light and color.

White Pitcher with Flowers    Oil on 9 x 12 linen panel

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My Art Site: Bruce Hancock Fine Art

White Pitcher with Oranges = Still life in Oil

I continue to experiment with still life subjects.  I'm enjoying painting these relatively small works.  This is another with a dark background, but in this painting I've tried to keep all the objects in the painting in fairly strong light. That makes for lots of color...and the painting seems brighter (naturally), but the trade off is that the "mystery" of the darker paintings is lost.  I do like the opportunity to play with the light and reflections, though.  I guess it isn't really a loss, but simply a trade-off.  It's just a matter of what appeals to the viewer.

This is painted on stretched canvas (3/4" thick) ....9 x 12 turned horizontally this time.

White Pitcher with Oranges   Oil on linen panel   9 x 12

 
To Purchase this painting please click HERE

My Art Site: Bruce Hancock Fine Art

Join Me? Still Life Oil Painting

Another Still Life oil painting!  I'm hoping to do quite a few of these small still life paintings as a practice and learning tool.   I feel like the process of creating them has already helped me somewhat in my landscape plein air paintings.  When I'm out painting, I try hard to concentrate on the landscape in front of me and treat it as if it were a still life subject.   In many ways it is, of course, and by using the same approach I would as though painting a still life, I feel that the somewhat chaotic plein air process that I've been following becomes more methodical and planned.

So here's another still life once again using good ol' Johnny Walker as a prop.  I like the beautiful burnished copper color of the scotch and painting glass is really fun.

To Purchase this painting, Please click HERE

My Art Site: Bruce Hancock Fine Art

Main Street Volcano, CA -Plein Air Oil

Our little painting group of Julie Trail, Vickie Chew, Ruth Andre, Howard Rees and me have been meeting weekly for plein air painting in the Gold Country.  The spring weather is too much to resist.  Everything is green, the poppies are creating blankets of amazing color.  It's a feast for any painter.  Ruth couldn't make it on this trip but the rest of the group ventured to the small town of Volcano, CA.  It's a fascinating little place, though not as popular with tourist visitors as some of the Gold Rush towns, probably because it's a bit out of the way.  Maybe that's good, because it retains a strong feel of the mining days. The surrounding hills create a valley that the first explorers to the area mistook for the rim of an extinct volcano, thus the name for the little settlement that was built there. 

Some of the larger masonry and rock buildings that once lined main street have collapsed with only the front wall remaining in some cases.   But several little wooden stores and shops still remain.  The general store is open and cooking up some cheeseburgers for those who do visit.

We set up in various places around the little town.  The weather couldn't have been more beautiful and by early afternoon, it was actually beginning to get warm, and shade was welcome.  I painted these two small buildings along Main Street.  The bright light changed as the morning went on and the shadows and dappled light from the trees created some challenges as they moved constantly.  But hey, the cheeseburger and the beer made it all worthwhile!

Main Street Volcano, CA    oil on 12 x 16 Ampersand panel.  

My Art Site: Bruce Hancock Fine Art

Drytown and the Old Well Cafe

Drytown is a tiny town in the heart of the California Gold Rush countryside.  It's one of the first places I ever did plein air painting...and it is always fun to return there.  I'm not knowledgeable about Drytown's history, but I'm told that the name does not refer to any kind of 'prohibition'.  Quite the contrary.  In it's hayday, Drytown had 65 bars!  I have no idea where 65 bars could have fit into tiny Drytown....but apparently it was a bit larger than it is today.   The little white building is the Old Well Cafe.  I don't know its history either except it's been there forever, apparently.  Funky would describe it best, I think.

I painted in Drytown on Friday with artist friends Ruth Andre, Julie Trail and Howard Rees.  It was a nice day...a lull between welcome rain storms.   We painted all morning and then had lunch in the Old Well Cafe.   A good day. 

Drytown and the Old Well Cafe   Plein air oil on linen 9x12

My Art Site: Bruce Hancock Fine Art

Black Label and Roses - A Still Life Oil Painting (Sold)

I'm painting small still life as frequently as possible for awhile.  They are relatively quick to do...2 to 4 hours at the most and it's excellent practice.  This one was painted this morning and early afternoon.  I'm following the Qiang Huang process as much as I can.

Black Label and Roses    Oil on linen panel   9 x 12

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My Art Site: Bruce Hancock Fine Art