Keeping it fresh
As Helen Tarr demonstrates, careful preparation and pre-mixing the colours are the keys to creating a lively painting of roses in oils
As Helen Tarr demonstrates, careful preparation and pre-mixing of the colours are the keys to creating a lively painting of roses in oils
Ihave been painting the flowers from my garden, along with various pots, jars and vases, since the first coronavirus lockdown forced me to look closer to home for subjects to paint from direct observation. Roses in particular have long been my artistic nemesis, so of course I choose to paint them frequently!
I had one simple objective with this work: that it should be a lively response to the subject. I know from bitter experience that it is too easy to take a promising painting and inadvertently wreck it, and that I have to exercise enormous self-control to retain the light touch and relaxed look to my work that I strive for. Lots of squinting and thinking in more abstract terms helps too (this is a pale pink oval, that is a dark area, etc).
Setting up
I set up the still life so that, from an oblique angle, I was able to see the back of the flowers reflected in the mirror, bringing depth and interest to the composition. I always set up my equipment and palette in the same way so that I can easily find what I need as I paint. I lay brushes that are in use on the pochade box with my palette pots and tuck a large cloth into the belt of my apron for dabbing brushes as I work. My palette is usually held in my left hand.
I chose to work on a premium cotton board from Jackson’s Art, which I underpainted with pale umber acrylic paint. The 8310in board is the perfect size for a painting that can be largely completed within a couple of hours before the light changes drastically.
The warm grey underpainting becomes a useful ground and allows me to work briskly as there are no ‘empty’ white gaps to cover up.
Preparing to paint
My first step was to pre-mix the key colours. I have discovered that this initial focus on colour and palette saves time and effort while painting. Knowing that you already have the right colours (checked by holding the mix
on a palette knife in front of the subject and squinting at it with one eye) allows a level of freedom and generosity with the paint that I find harder to create by mixing as I go. There is still plenty of mixing to be done as the work develops but having this central scheme prepared in advance is a great way to keep the palette cohesive and disciplined. I often find that this process gives me such a quantity of beautiful, bespoke colours that I can quickly paint a second version of the subject, too.
STAGE ONE
I began by sketching out the composition using a No. 4 pointed round brush and the dark blue-brown mix diluted with Sansodor. I then roughly blocked in the darkest areas – this involved some intense squinting to simplify the subject and reveal the overall shapes and tonal values. Through this process I was able to identify where the ‘lost’ edges would be, in particular where the jug handle and the leaves were in shadow and the transparent glass vase merged with the light background. This is usually a good moment to assess the composition – ideally it should look exciting, balanced and strong.
STAGE TWO
I added the bright lime greens in the background using a No. 6 long filbert; this made the pale umber underpainting into a mid-tone, and gave me a strong colour context for the other colours to react with. It also created an exciting foil for the pinks, blues, mauves and reds that were to follow. I also dashed in some thinned titanium white to suggest the white, cellophane-wrapped drawing standing behind the vases to lighten the value of the space around the agapanthus flowers
STAGE THREE
I focused on the darkest tones next, bringing rich greens to the rose leaves, deepening the shadows behind the jug and adding the deep red of the heart on the candle holder and card using a mix of magenta and burnt sienna. The rich dark pinks on the roses helped to define their positions and the turn of their heads
STAGE FOUR
I lightened the deep blue that I had used on the jug with unbleached titanium and titanium white and took this pale blue-grey across the shaded side of the candle holder and vase, and the mid-toned shadows cast onto the mantel shelf. I added pale pink to the roses and fallen petals to bring them forwards and develop their shape. Mid-tone blues were added to the jug, then lightened and carried through the composition in the shadows on the shelf and reflections on the glassware. The narrow No. 4 egbert was used to flick in the elongated flowers of the agapanthus using the deep purple mix. I added titanium white to the mix and used the same brush to dash in highlights, creating shape and movement, and used the No. 4 rigger to suggest the dark green stalks. Then the pot, dark leaf and stems of the orchid were added and created a frame on the left-hand side
STAGE FIVE
The painting was coming into its own and I needed enormous self-control to resist fiddling. The palest pinks were added to define the lightest petals and streaks of light were dashed onto the jug and glassware. At this point I wondered if the painting was complete and stopped work for the day. So far, I had spent one hour and forty minutes on the piece
FINISHED PAINTING
Roses in a Cornish Jug, oil on board, 8310in (20.5325.5cm). The next day I decided to throw caution to the wind and develop it further. I had kept my palette covered overnight and had plenty of mixed colours left. The roses were a beautiful, delicate pink and I knew that a little more time spent on them would enhance them as the focal point of the composition. I was able to paint with a light touch and avoid over-working them. I added more of the mid-toned pink to the petals, and touched in deeper pinks to define the petals and enhance the silhouetted roses reflected in the mirror.
A little titanium white added to the lime green was used to soften and simplify the background, obliterating the distracting edge of the white orchid pot on the left. I also added more petals to the agapanthus and pale neutral greys were used throughout the objects on the mantelpiece to reduce the tonal range a little and create a more unified effect. I brightened the blue stripes on the jug with cobalt blue and titanium white and warmed the cream stripes with a mix of unbleached titanium and titanium white, which I also added to the front edge of the mantelpiece. Finally a touch of warm white was used for highlights on the shelf and fallen petals. At this point I put down my brushes, feeling that I had done justice to this gorgeous subject without losing the freshness and immediacy of my initial marks