Sunday, September 7, 2008

Sunflowers and Pears Still Life Painting


Sunflowers and Pears – 24” x 18” Oil on Canvas

Its finished! About year ago I painted another sunflower painting, “From Garth’s Garden” which included some sunflowers and a tomato he and his wife, Martha, had given to me as a gift. It is one of my favorite paintings, and I use a part of it as my blog banner. With this painting finished, it is hard not to make a comparison to judge where painting skills have improved and what may be my next step to explore. I believe the skill I have gained the most since last year is patience.

That is patience to slow down and look. Patience to think about the subject in front me and to think about how to paint it, instead of just acting. This year has been a lot about practicing to see. And being willing to allow myself to take the time to observe, by nature I like to be active. I feel better about the day if I am able to check off a whole slew of items on a to-do list. So slowing down, and willing myself to take the extra time has been something of a challenge for me. Though I feel it has been very beneficial, and I recommend to everyone to take just a moment to pause in the next few days and see if life has gotten a bit more colorful and interesting.

10 comments:

theresamillerwatercolors said...

Hi Liz, beautiful painting! And congratulations on the one year!

I've passed along "Brilliante Weblog" award to you, you can read more about it on my site. Enjoy.

eLIZabeth Floyd said...

Theresa, thank you for dropping by and commenting!

Also, thank you for the honor of being nominated for a billiante weblog!

Jeffrey J. Boron said...

Lovely painting Liz...wonderful colour and shadow work...love the reflections of the pears!!

Jeffrey

eLIZabeth Floyd said...

Thanks Jeffery for the comment. This painting was a wonderful opportunity to experiment with shadows. It does not come out so well in the photo, but there are greens, purples, and roses all mixed into the shadow area. I tried to make the color transistions subtle and soft.

Paula Villanova said...

I really like the arrangement of colors in this painting and I also really love the shadow. It's a nice element and even though as you mention all the colors don't show up, it still has impact. Glad you're taking the time to slow down to really see; I have found that it really makes such a positive difference. Thanks for sharing your thoughts on the creative process!

eLIZabeth Floyd said...

Hi Paula, I am glad to hear the shape of the shadow is something that captures your attention. It turned out to be the part I focused on the most.

Also, thanks for the feedback about my ramblings, sometimes I wonder if they add to the experience or not.

Theresa Rankin said...

This a beautiful arrangement of color and I love the shadow!! Your work is truly beautiful!!

eLIZabeth Floyd said...

ahhhh... Theresa, thanks for the comment, as always I value your judgement.

Mary Sheehan Winn said...

Beautiful work with the sunflowers. One of my favorite flowers.
They are hard to paint.

eLIZabeth Floyd said...

Thanks Mary! Sunflowers are one of my favorite flowers as well. They always make me happy when looking at them.