coffee

[cagathoc]

14"x18" oil on canvas
2001

What do you think of the composition? Does it work? What kind of atmosphere does the painting project?

All comments welcome & appreciated! Thanks!

Cindy!

[SanDL]

I like these still lives of yours. Very moody. I like the loose paint, I like the colors, I like the composition.
But I wouldn't be a good wetcanvas bud if I didn't mention that the orange/purple strip next to the cup feels incongrous to the rest of the piece. Color is too mushy here. The purple marks don't work that well, the orange is pushed up to the cup placing them on the same plane rather than one in front of the other.

[cagathoc]

Thanks, SanDL. You're right. I think it has even greater problems with a stilted composition that just isn't working. I was thinking of cropping but I think this one can't be saved. :( I like the elements but not the whole.

[SanDL]

Fiddlesticks!
Just clean up that orange/purple bit and it's fine. I havn't seen still lives like these before....come on now...work it!

[fink]

This is very interesting. My only comment is that the top of the cup should be perhaps more oval than round - but that may be what you were going for rather than oval.

The colors are wonderful!

[MKathleen]

Cindy, looks like the new puppy is letting you get some painting done. lol
My eye was drawn to the spoon on the right, leads the eye out of your painting like an arrow. Agree about the cup...
Like the colors!

Best,
Kathy
:cat:

[cagathoc]

Kathy,

I'm so busy I can't even see straight, let alone paint but I felt I should give it a try. This is one of those for the basement! ;)

I am thinking about doing agility with Jesse... :D

[arlene]

ok i'm gonna take a break and play...just call me the crop queen!

[arlene]

http://www.wetcanvas.com/Community/images/08-Jan-2002/coffee_450pix.jpg



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ok ok...i did more than crop...

1. i turned the spoon around
2. i angled the knife differently and moved it onto the bagel
3. i moved the bottom portion of the picture...the placemat and everything on it...over more to the right....and finally i cropped!

[ArtBabe]

Cindy, don't put it in the basement!

Just smooth out that purple and calm the orange a bit. The purple marks are distracting, but as a shadow area it would work. Carry the light up into the orange. I don't fine the spoon a problem if it didn't lead right up to those purple and orange marks. Sometimes a composition comes together in the most unexpected way. You think the problem's the parsnip, and instead it's the avocado. :D

By the way, your paintings always make me hungry!

[Andrew]

I will be blunt.

I like it! I wouldn't have changed the arrangement of the spoon, though the knife works well either way. Leave the purple and the orange. I find the play of the colors off each other and the early morn feel most satisfactory.

The only detractions for me is the perspective if the coffee cup. It seems out of sync with the rest of the composition. Since the bagel, the flatware and the envelop are so consistent, in my eye the distortion of the mug doesn't settle right.

Andrew:clap: