DR-Clementines

Add a Comment

Comment by Dorothy Ruckdeschel on April 30, 2012 at 12:31

Thanks all, for your kind comments.  I am trying hard to loosen it up.  Looking forward to seeing you all again in the next workshop......Dorothy

Comment by Dorian Aronson on April 28, 2012 at 20:40

Dorothy I just read Richard critique and now I can really see your beautiful painting.   Happy painting to you and smiles coming your way..........dor:))

Comment by Ningning Li on April 28, 2012 at 9:41

Dorothy, it is chaming. After I read Richard's critique, I understand better of the beauty of it. nice work. Li

Comment by Richard Robinson on April 27, 2012 at 9:24

Design
Wow - not your first painting then!? Love the freedom of this Dorothy - great to see. It's well designed with the dancing leaves balancing the formality of the other objects. Lightening the background as you have has added to the sense of fun and freedom in the painting but at the same time you've lost some of that overall dark to light structure which was holding the whole thing together so now I get a feeling that the top half is a little lost in translation, particularly because in changing the lighting behind the jar you've had to invent a lot of that glass which has detracted from its realism.

Colour
The play of colour against gray is nicely done. If you really want to push through into the impressionist colour I'd like to see some more hue variations being woven into the background and major masses as well, tying the whole thing together, although that would be easier on a larger canvas. Some areas got a little muddied like the plum on the left and some if the interior of the glass and I would have liked to see a little stronger colour and value in the orange on the left to give it more form, but overall it's very good.

Brushwork
You've achieved a real symphony of varied brushwork there on a small canvas - a real treat and something many of us aspire to. It seems a shame you lost the drawing in the top of the glass because up until then you had balanced keen drawing with loose brushwork, which is difficult to achieve. Personally I'd redo that bit because you're onto a winner. I'm really impressed with how far you're pushing your lost and found edges and most if the time you're right on with what needs to be sharp and what can be obscured - just keep thinking about those as you do them.

Realism
With a little more focus applied here and there in building form and careful drawing you will have fully bridged that gap between well observed realism and joyously applied paintwork. Great work!

Comment by Joseph Byrd (Joe) on April 26, 2012 at 0:20

Dorothy, I really like this