assembling the ideas – bit by bit

I set aside work on the large painting to begin some studies of flowers.  Since the vase of flowers will play such a prominent role in the picture, it’s a feature that I want to get sorted out early.  So I bought some more grocery store flowers and have begun making studies.  The one above has an indication of the striped cloth on the table and the pale colored Limoges vase that I found on the internet.  It’s the first of several practice paintings that I’m making.  I’m not sure yet what the flower arrangement will look like.  Indeed, I keep changing the still life — adding flowers as I happen to find new ones when I’m out shopping.

The study for the previous painting sits on the easel next to the new flowers.  I still haven’t finished the previous painting.  But I set it aside to let the paint dry.  In between tasks, I’ll go back to it.

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new bouquet

I have returned from the grocery store, got my flowers, and have begun setting up.  I’ve been trying to get the flowers to jump into the vase that I drew.  Jump, flowers!  It’s hard to mix the real with the strictly two dimensional things.

I’m going to be painting a study for the Big Picture.  As I begin I’ll be looking at this somewhat awkward arrangement.  But once I get the vase indicated I’ll move the drawing off to the side.

The drawing is sitting on a music stand.  That’s because the drawing is the score!

grocery shopping

 

drawing after a Van Gogh painting of flowers

 

Today’s plan is to get some grocery store flowers to paint as a study for the flowers in the big painting.  I need some actual flowers to put in the virtual Limoges vase that will sit in Bonnard’s window at the Villa Castellamare.

I am still trying to decide what objects will also sit on the table.  The frog teapot (remember the frog teapot), a second smaller bouquet of flowers, the songbird figurine, the black teapot with flowers, and a couple of oranges.

I’m also thinking that I should include a seashell because I’m always painting seashells.  Of course the compotier with lemons has a prominent place, and the porcelain basket (which I got from the internet) sits in the closest foreground.  Maybe the honey jar.

I’m trying to figure out a way of setting up a still life in the studio so that I can put the objects in better relation to each other.  Logistics …  The virtual objects will, of course, have to be content with the place they occupy in my imagination.

flower power

Got me more flowers to paint.  Ain’t they pretty.