David B. 20x16" Oil on canvas "Precarious"

I was compelled to choose this subject matter for the fact I wanted to challenge myself. When I painted eggs in an earlier painting it was not that easy. It was challenging then, and it was challenging in this painting. I wanted to be able to represent the many surface planes of the eggs as well as the reflected light.

To start off the painting I used many techniques. They included (#1) an under painting to lay out the values, (#2) I used a limited palette making it easier to think in terms of warm and cool, (#3) I tried to bind the subjects together by repeating colors within the painting, (#4) I used different brushstrokes, (#5) I used the rule of thirds and applied cropping when setting up the composition, (#6) I used hard edges and countered this with the soft edges that I scumbled into the negative space, (#7) I worked from the darkest values to the lighter ones, being careful not to overwork the painting, (#8) I incorporated a layering technique and allowed areas previously painted to dry before painting them again, (#9) I used a lighter value in the foreground that becomes darker in value towards the background to represent the illusion of atmospheric space, (#10) I used a palette knife to add paint as well as using it to scratch in textures.

Throughout the painting I discovered how the final painting is enhanced by the under painting technique, that by using multiple thin layers over the under painting one can achieve many effects as the different colors show through the layers of paint. I also discovered how blended edges can totally disappear, yet still be visible. I found that using warm and cool colors in close proximity with one another can add a lot of excitement to even the most drab areas in the painting.

For this painting I chose to do an individual still life on a 18”x24” canvas. I also kept the palette simple. It consisted of ultramarine blue, yellow ochre, burnt sienna, indian red, raw umber, black, and white.

I really liked the “rolled edges” of the eggs. I liked the dark cast shadows because I wanted to use contrast as an underlying theme of the painting. Some of the contrasts were the colors-warm/cool, the textures-smooth/rough, as well as the complementary colors-yellow/blue, and black/white. If I had to do the painting over, I would lower the value of the entire painting by at least two steps (on a value scale of 10). Another thing I might have incorporated in the painting was maybe a bright cloth draped along the base where the blocks are sitting. I think this would have added another dimension to the painting and allowed me to blend this color into the base of the blocks. I’m not sure if I like the bottom of the blocks and the way they are sitting, to me it is too barren.

This painting, titled Precarious, represents the many different planes that exist within three-dimensional objects. The rough texture and resiliency of the wood and wall is contrasted by the smooth, yet fragile eggs. To me the blocks represent the hurdles that can be overcome before finding a secure place to rest upon completion. This secure place is always an illusion, it will always be a precarious one, when viewed from another perspective.