In period of about 27 days, I have 24 paintings to show for the project. Somehow I have 27 photos, and cannot figure out which is the repeat. I am very impressed with the series of paintings I have created. They are on various surfaces, though the vast majority is stretched canvas. I have 3 on gessoed water color paper, and 3 on canvas board. I painted 4 different apples in various pairings. They are mostly rectangle, but there are a few square; most are cropped appropriately. The largest is about 9 x 7 - I really don't like painting this big. The majority is 4 x 6 and smaller. I have said this before, but I am convinced this is an intimacy thing for me.
For the most part, my process and approach to the paintings was almost identical. I would start by sketching the apples, usually at the base of each apple. Then I would fill in some color, usually the medium and dark red. Sometimes one of the apples would get some reflective light too. Then I would feel compelled to complete the background and the shadow. I would then go about completing all the subtle color shifts. I also noticed an increased awareness of color and form, and my translation of them on canvas. All but two paintings have cast shadows that touch. I like that they touch. I intentionally painted it that way, even if they didn't touch in my observation (which was usually the case). My favorite part about each one was the whitish reflection on the apples. I could go on and on about the process, but you really need to see the paintings in person to appreciate a lot of my observations. I miss crits.
I really enjoyed the time I spent painting everyday - time with my apples. It would be anywhere from 20 minutes to 3 hours, depending on how many I did in a day - no, I did not paint everyday. Close to it though. It was meditation time every time I painted. I don't consider myself to be a disciplined or organized person at all, but this project helped me find a rhythm. Being out of school has been the hardest thing I've done in the past four years. I really needed this to ump start my studio practice again, and I am thankful to Cait for coming to us with it.
