"Turkish Urn with Oranges" - Step Two Demo

Step Two: "Turkish Urn with Oranges", 22x26, oil on Belgian Linen

In this stage you can see that the urn has been somewhat more refined with paint. This will be an on-going process throughout the painting. In addition, I have established the value pattern on the little ochre vase on the left hand side of the painting. This, too, was an on-going proposition, as I changed my mind about the lighting of this little gem. At one point, after step one, I set this vase back into the background only to change my mind and repaint it back into the light. It was just far too charming to leave out entirely. I got more paint on just about everything, it would appear, with the exception of the miniature cup. The orange segments have been restated, as has the larger orange itself. These are little stepping stones throughout the painting. Most importantly, though, is that I'm trying to come to terms with the background. This will become a back and forth proposition for me, unfortunately. The reason is that I often 'make up' the backgrounds. In other words, it isn't exactly what I'm looking at on my stand in front of me. Or I just change my mind. It's never straight forward, whatever the case. While I have a concept in mind at the beginning of my painting, there are endless possibilities that present themselves along the journey and I find too many of them irresistable! The beauty of oil painting is that everything can be repainted and one cannot be afraid to make changes. It all comes down to what makes a painting more beautiful. Once I made a statement about the background quality I thought hmmm, what if? And this is how I arrived at the palette knifed surface of the table ledge.I like it so it'll stay as is ... for now ;)

At this stage, as in all stages, decisions are being made about paint quality, edges and colour saturation. You will notice that the darks are smooth and often transparent while the lighter and brighter colours are opaque and often have impasto qualities. The joy and beauty of painting for me is just putting the paint on the canvas....

On to Step Three....