Remembering Grandma

[C_Line]

Xposted from Still Lifes. 9 x 12" on prepped mdf board painted from life. This is in honor of my grandma Tannie. She was a diminutive, gentile woman raised in the beautiful Ozark Mountains. I have very many fond memories of my childhood playing around her house. She had a large, beautiful Hydrangea bush in front of her house and she'd let us each pick one of the big flower clusters - my little sister and I pretended to be brides with our "bouquet". I inherited this Chocolate Set from her and wanted to incorporate a suggestion of the Hydrangea in the set up. All the little saucers are different and very "cuplike".

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[Li'l Brown]

Oh Celeste, this is beautiful. Your Grandma would be as pleased as punch :)

[Katwyld]

Oh, what a beautiful piece, and a touching tribute! Very well done, and very classy looking.

[C_Line]

Okay - so I meant to say "genteel"...where's the spell checker when you need it?!

[Gilberte]

Just beautiful.
How would we call this style, modern classical or classical modern but it's absolutely lovely !

[purplepansey]

You've painted the look of that old lovely china beautifully and the gold looks so realistic edging it as well. I love it. To be honest it looks like a scene from the distant past and you've captured it perfectly.

[Charlie's Mum]

Beautiful!
Character and style well captured Celeste.
Love the 'looseness' but it's also soundly structured. Love the way your style is developing.

[Lulu]

I can remember my own dear mother-in-law with this painting too Celeste. I have looked at it for the longest time, it is just beautiful.

[Aires]

Absolutely beautiful and mixing in a full cup of nostalgia. This reminds me very much of my beloved mother-in-law who took so much delight in beautiful china pieces and flowers. I've always thought it wonderful to be remembered for such thinks as dainty porcelain china and lovely flowers.
Thanks for the memories as well as the beautiful painting!

[oramasha]

Yes, I love the background story and it's a very classy painting. Love the rich background, too.

[PainterDeb]

This is a wonderful painting and almost brought tears to my eyes...I guess I am remembering my Grandma also...:)

But about your painting, this is just beautiful! You have captured the subject matter with just the right amount of looseness, great job!

If you made prints of this, I think a lot of people would buy it for the memories!

[MRSBB]

As the singer John Denver would say......."Yea Grandma"......Celeste this is just a beautiful painting and memory and it shows in your work.......Lenore

[loobyteacher]

wonderful

[C_Line]

Wow! Thank everyone for your kind remarks - I'm glad it touched so many emotionally - our memories are so important to cherish and sometimes mementos like these can really stir them.

I've learned with acrylics that the less water that you use the easier it is to keep soft edges. Using hog brushes too is a great way to get the softness. Early on I never would have used hog brushes, but now I love them. Also, if you feel yourself tightening up and you're holding the brush like a pencil, change over to holding it like a tennis racket back a ways on the handle - it will force you to be a little freer with your strokes. In this painting, the body of the porcelain was done using lots of transparent glazes though with soft brushes. And then the edges were done with hog brushes. Also, a tip I recently learned was to use gesso for my mixing white - I like it a lot...tends to appear less chalky that titanium white and it's so nice and fluid - so it's good for the glazes in the porcelain as well as using say for skies if you're doing landscapes. Just a couple of tips.

[arl]

Wonderful colours and brushwork.

[Georgi]

Lovely, Celeste and a wonderful tribute and reminder.

Cheers,
Georgi :cat:

[lilbelle]

I would love to be able to paint loose like this and have it turn out so beautifully! Great work Celeste!

[C_Line]

Thank you Georgi & Lillian. Funny you should say that Lillian - I'm teaching my first "5 Hour Power" Workshop at Water Street Art Gallery here in Oklahoma next month. It's entitled "Painterly Painting" and will feature exercises to help one "loosen" up and be more mindful with their brushstrokes - in other words - think "do I really need this brushstroke" or "where & how can I place this brushstroke so as to convey the message without too much detail". My philosophy is that it honors the viewer & engages their creativity to "fill in the details" so to speak. Wish me well as I'm a little nervous about it but excited at the same time.

[edtree]

:wave: How lovely! I'd hang this on my wall in a heartbeat! Wish I was in your neck of the woods. I could for sure benefit from lessons on loosening up. I love your style and technique! :D

Elizabeth

[Li'l Brown]

Celeste, that sounds like a workshop worth attending! I have been increasingly mindful of my brushstrokes, and thinking "What will I achieve with this stroke?" instead of dabbing furiously at the canvas, to little effect, as is my natural inclination.

[C_Line]

Thanks Elizabeth - I'd love to have you in the class! It would be mutually educational.

Thank you too Jesslyn - I have to remind myself to stop all the time and analyze.

[oramasha]

Oh, thank you for sharing your tips about how you achieve soft edges with acrylics. I was sooo wondering that but didn't ask.

I looked through your recent past posts and they all have a wonderful edge and color quality. I have a feeling you'll be a good teacher!

[Margaret 59]

So elegant and beautiful, Celeste.
I'm sure your teaching class will go fine as I remember your WIPs and was impressed even then. :thumbsup:

[C_Line]

Glad to help. I've been concentrating a lot of edge work these last couple of years - as well as learning more about colors and how different colors react together. Learning how to create appealing neutrals with acrylics is exciting and beneficial. Of late, one of my favorite mixes is cad red light with cerulean. Oh what gorgeous warm greys are produced! I never used to care too much for cerulean - it's really a different blue - but I love it now. It's very soft.

[Mz_Sketch_Pad]

i love it -it has an oil painting feel

[nithya_swamy]

Great piece Celeste, with all your tips. Will try adding gesso to mixing white, sounds interesting! If you ever hold an online class, I'd be the first to sign up! So that's an idea for you, to think in that direction..:-D

[IanArt]

gorgeous as always. Great work.

Ian

[LavenderFrost]

Lovely!

[msmac]

Re: Remembering Grandma - Acrylic
Celeste:
Very much liked your painting - the soft edges - the use of colors - that "oil painting" look. Was it done "alla prima", or a series of glazes?
I have a difficult time with "dark" colors, such as the table and backround you executed so well. Any suggestions?
It is your style of painting (using acrylics) that I wish to emulate.
MsMac (Maria)

[Galloping Carrot]

A real quality painting well done and the mood and feeling is exquisite!

[rmc]

Hiya Celeste!!
I absolutely love this - you have captured a fabulous mood as well as the lovely porcelain colours
It is stunning art!

I adore hydrangeas too.... love their smell freshly cut..fortunately we have heaps in our garden!

[C_Line]

Thank you each and everyone so much. I'll try to post some more tips on how this was executed later.

[susme48]

Celeste, this is so lovely!!! I agree with wishing Mississippi was closer to Oklahoma...sigh!!

[OkeeKat]

WOW Celeste!
This is just gorgeous!!
I realy love the way you have painted this loose and just right colors to show the china and floweer!!
love your stlye! surely makes me want to practice more loosely!

[C_Line]

Thank you Susan and Kathie. Painting loosely is something I have to remind myself to do. Some tid bits from the class - know your subject, practice drawing first and then you'll feel more confident to loosen up and be freer because you know your subject.