Thinking about lobsters....
The advent of warmer weather always makes me think about lobster, and living on the New England coast one is never far from the offer of a wicked good lobstah roll. This thought has led me to remember a painting from many years ago. Rummaging through my archive, I've found a photo.
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| Donald Jurney, Lobsters, 1989 |
The tricky part, of course, was painting uncooked lobsters. But I very much wanted the wonderful oranges and blue-blacks. A bit of advice: if it's a warm day, and the lobsters are under studio lights, paint fast.
Oh my God, I was looking for the painting, and thought this was a picture. It makes my mouth water! I see what you mean about the importance of the darks having color to give them life. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteLove the mordant harmonies in this. Can I ask if you have any kind of working method for relating background to subject in your still life paintings? I see that the neutral gray here is composed of colors related to the little flecks of red, blue, etc that appear in the subject. I think much hesitation is occasioned by uncertainty regarding the object's background. At least, I think this is the case for me..
ReplyDeleteChris--- Not sure about 'mordant', despite the painting being part of the Tod und die zerlassene Butter series. As for the background/setting, you have touched on an important consideration, one that is, in fact, equally applicable to landscape. Look for a post about Best Supporting Actors, coming soon. In the meantime, always try to infuse the setting with some rumors of the main subject's colors. But they should be just that----rumors. For the viewer they should be almost more felt than seen.
ReplyDelete..."always try to infuse the setting with some rumors of the main subject's colors."..Thats painting wisdom gold rite there! Thank you.
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