Tuesday, November 11, 2008

PB & J


10" x 10" oil on canvas

I have to admit that the mixture still does not appeal to me! I just cannot imaging what peanut butter and jelly would taste like together - I know I now have the ingredients and could try it but I just can't bring myself to do it. I do love peanut butter and to me its best eaten straight out of the jar with a spoon! I try not to have peanut butter in the house because an open jar tends to be an empty jar and I am the only one thats eaten any of it. Already this jar is half empty and I only opened it this morning. I do prefer crunchy peanut butter over smooth, something about a little crunch amongst all that creamy smoothness. Nothing like piece of hot buttered toast dripping with butter and a thick layer of peanut butter. Everyone seems to be painting PB&J so here is mine.

Slightly thrown mid-painting to discover that what I thought was turps (ok it smelled a little strange) was something completely different and it had removed all the varnish off my paint brush handles! Horrible gooey mess! I'm trying to loosen up more but I'm still not quite there though using larger brushes is definitely helping - I just need to lock the little skinny ones up so I can't get hold of them.

One thing that I have realised that I am not doing and that I am sure would make an enormous difference is putting into practice what Michael has taught me of really looking at colours and assessing the warmth or coolness of them. I wonder at what point you can be spontaneous with your paint and still manage to capture those values in your work.

Something else that is challenging me is how to do an underpainting in umber and still get clean colours when you paint over the underpainting. It seems to be very hard to get anything other than various shades of mud.

7 comments:

Lisa Lorenz said...

Hi Anita, OH I love PB too....Its not bad with jelly but I would say strawberry jam woudl go better then welchs grape jelly..LOL.
This is fantastic...very loose - so different from your other works. Skippy is my fav peanut butter too...:) have a great day
Lisa

Jeanette Jobson said...

This is very effective, Love the colour combo, it really works well.

It reminded me of childhood. I haven't had PB & J since then, when it was a staple. Of course when I lived in the UK, it wasn't popular so my kids never had PB I don't think and don't like it much now. I have a jar in the cupboard....hmmmm, that and a dollop of strawberry jam might be a good subject for a painting.

Stacy said...

Mmmm, sweet and salty a great combination! But if you are going to try it, I recommend homemade jelly if you can find some. I really like the colors here against a neutral background.

Mary said...

Anita, I'm so glad for you to see that you are back with the art work and I know how much you love painting and color. I understand your feelings so well about the large paint brushes and the advice given to us by Michael. Just today we were talking about the little different strokes of bits of different color. It sounds so easy when he says it.:)

Anita said...

Lisa - I will get some strawberry jam and see if that works! Are you happily settled back home?

Jeanette - Its funny how somethings just don't cross the pond to UK and vice versa. We had PB but not with J!

Stacy - now that you come to mention it I have a jar of Mayberry Jelly (its not homemade but as good as - came from a peach place in Georgia) and I have been wondering what to try it with. Its the most amazing colour - OOOOH a Mayberry Jelly painting!

Mary - when Michael talks you think well yes, of course! And pick up the brushes and they just don't do what he says they are going to do! Happy Birthday, Amiga!!!!

Michael Newberry said...

"One thing that I have realised that I am not doing and that I am sure would make an enormous difference is putting into practice what Michael has taught me of really looking at colours and assessing the warmth or coolness of them. I wonder at what point you can be spontaneous with your paint and still manage to capture those values in your work.

Something else that is challenging me is how to do an underpainting in umber and still get clean colours when you paint over the underpainting. It seems to be very hard to get anything other than various shades of mud."

Ahem...cough, cough. Umber is fantastic for long term studio paintings, in which you can let them dry--then paint over with clean color. Plein air, or wet on wet, doesn't allow for that and you get mud if you use umber--may I suggest?... .... .... Is that a "yes" I hear??? May I suggest visiting my tutorial on plein air painting, and I discuss just this problem--http://newberryworkshop.com/Tutorial/plein/plein1.html

BTW, were is your Americana spirit if you haven't tried peanut butter and jelly on white bread--where are moving too? North Carolina? I think they live on that there in them neck of the woods.

M

Anita said...

Michael! What a surprise! Please suggest away - I am all ears (not literally you understand!)- I really enjoyed your tutorial on plein aire and took it all in - which is one reason I tried the underpainting.
As to my Americana spirit, I don't think I've been one long enough to have sunk to PB&J! No its not North Carolina - its Georgia (peaches, pecans and yes, peanuts!

all artwork is copyright of Anita Murphy 2006/2007/2008/2009