Oranges - Oil on Linen 24” x 36”
This piece is a commission for a wonderful couple who have a property in California. When they purchased the property it had a painting of oranges that they loved which sadly did not come with the purchase. Having seen my small orange painting they asked if I would be interested in a commission for a much larger piece. All my current hyperrealistic pieces are considerably smaller. Which is why I loved the challenge presented to me.
The Beginning
My approach for this piece is a traditional one. I start out by freehand drawing my image directly on the linen and once I am happy with my layout I tone the surface with an earth colour that will be common in my colour mixtures throughout.
Then I rough in tone with thin paint of the same colour. This gives me a further indication of how the composition is working and a guideline for the next stage. Every stage in the process is designed to add more detail and colour allowing me to make the best decisions going forward.
This image also shows the start of the next stage which is called the “grisaille” which means greyscale. This tightens up the detail even more and gives a full tonal representation of the final composition. This also makes it much easier when applying colour to know that you are applying the correct value of the colour (lightness or darkness). Correct value is one of the most important aspects of a successful painting.
Completed Grisaille
I now have a full tonal representation of the final composition. At this point I’m not expecting the detail to be at the level it will be in the finished piece. I also am able to see things that need adjusting such as shapes and values.
I consider them to be fixable during the colour stage so I am going to keep moving forward. This process does add a lot of time to the final piece, however the benefits far outweigh the time spent.
Current Progress
With the entire grisaille complete I am now applying colour which is the final part of the process. As I go along I am constantly looking for what is working and what isn’t, and making adjustments as I go. I am also adjusting my approach and technique for each section based on what I feel would work best. I believe that technique should adjust based on what is presented before you at that particular moment. I think this out in advance of every painting session so that I can focus on being in the moment while painting. Currently the background is very light, however I’m not locking myself into that as a final decision.
When applying the colour I go for full detail. On a complicated image you can now see the benefit of my approach. Having a tonal semi-detail grisaille makes it considerably easier to achieve the level of detail I am going for.