"Write it on your heart that every day is the best day in the year."
Ralph Waldo Emerson

Tuesday, May 29, 2012

Pears on Parade

I have been trying to finish some of the paintings I have had sitting around my studio for several years. This painting was started 3 years ago in a class I was teaching at Riverside Arts Center in Wapakoneta, Ohio. I always have 2 paintings when teaching - one I do ahead as an example and the other I do along with the students demonstrating techniques. This was the one I did along with the students - it was unfinished and sitting along the wall in my studio. I worked on it yesterday and for a while this afternoon and now declare it finished! The finished size is 11" x 14" and is painted on a piece of watercolor paper which was covered with thick gesso and then stamped with rubberized shelf paper to give it texture - which you can see in the picture. Of course, the watercolor does not soak into the gesso and lays on the top and in the textural areas. It gives the watercolors a totally different effect and it has to be sprayed with acrylic spray to make the colors permanent.

By the way - you may wonder if the paintings are identical - the answer is absolutely not - it is impossible to do 2 paintings the same - even if you use the same drawing... I am still trying to convince the students to do their own drawings and sometimes I am successful - sometimes not!

6 comments:

renate said...

Hello Barbra:) I like them very much. The colors are great and the dark lines under the pears are very nice!

irinasztukowski said...

What a great Trio, Barb! Very earthy colors and nice curbs. Pears are so human like, aren't they :0)
Thank you,
Irina

Autumn Leaves said...

I don't even like pears but I sure want to pull one from the screen and bite right in. Perfect pears and I love the bit of texture you've added.

Donna Pierce-Clark said...

I love this painting!!
Well, I love all of your paintings!!!!!!

Lovely pears!!!

Love you, Donna

jgr said...

HI Barb,
These pears are wonderful and I love the idea of textured shelf paper over the gesso!

Barb Sailor said...

Renate,Sherry,Irina and Donna - thanks so much for your nice comments on the pears. Irina - I think pears are very "human-like!"