April Blooms - Structured

[mcassatt]

MY IMAGE(S):



GENERAL INFORMATION:
Title: April Blooms - Structured
Year Created:
Medium: Oil
Surface: Canvas
Dimension: 16x20
Allow digital alterations?: Yes!

MY COMMENTS:
pushing to get this done before my lilies fade.

MY QUESTIONS FOR THE GROUP:
Does this look done? What can I do to make it better. Looking for any c&c's. Does the pot look dimentional, are the leaves looking as should?what about bg, and table? Thanks. Appreciate any suggestions/comments.

[mcassatt]

Updated version:

[mcassatt]

And another update:

[JoyJoyJoy]

You have used some lovely impressionistic brush strokes in the leaves, and beautiful, rich colors in the pot. I can see you have been working very hard on this piece.

You might ask yourself what is it you want to the viewer's eye to go to first. My eye first goes to the left side of the pot, both because of the sharp contrast (dark and light) there and the hard edge of the pot's side against the background. I would suggest you decrease this contrast and soften the side of the pot so it visually rolls backwards.

The other question you might ask is "Where is the light coming from?" When painting, we are not really painting an object, but rather the patterns of light and shadow. I have offered one suggestion below, by changing the background to a dark violet, with the light hitting the plant from the left. But, there are many ways to handle this. Generally, it is much easier to paint if you have one strong source of light.

Keep creating!


PS... I am having trouble loading the pic I adjusted for you. I will try again tomorrow.
Joy

[JoyJoyJoy]

One suggestion:

[mcassatt]

Wow, Joy, what a difference. It really adds some punch. Thanks so much for viewing and responding, etc.(great critique w/visual) and I will remember your words on painting(so true).

[song_bird]

Wow, that really brings your painting to life! I hope you will be incorporating the suggestion and show us.

[mcassatt]

You know, song bird, I have and here it is:

[song_bird]

I like the more dramatic coloring. Especially the left flower, so luminous! Thanks for showing the changes

[mcassatt]

My pleasure, song bird. Thanks so much for all your praise.
grace

[henrik]

Tip 1: Do a google search for Gregg Kreutz images with floral paintings - see how he harmonizes the background color / ambiance of the room with the flowers.

Tip 2: His book "Problem Solving for Oil Painters" is a book filled with advice for these types of paintings.

As an example, here are some flowers in a purple vase, purple background painted by one of his students.