Floral REVISITED

Spending these last few days looking over some of my paintings that have always seemed sooo dark and leaning toward that mid to dark - ONE VALUE..like the hollyhocks a few days ago.  In a room with not much light, these two got lost - they just didn't stand out at all.   This one is big - 18"x 24" - and it usually hides behind others because I have never liked looking at it. 

These past two days I have tackled it - and now I think it will be able to be out in front of some of the others.  I find it interesting that I always knew what these two needed, yet I didn't seem to care to stretch myself JUST a little more as I left them to dry. There are more like this.

Maybe there is some learning here - hope so. 

As I worked on this I was reminded of the quote I recently read ~

"Colour is the fruit of life." Guillaume Apollinaire

It is fun painting on really dry paint.  I like this enhancement (2nd photo here)!  Do you?

old one

updated one
I have lost that light hitting the red rose behind the left side purple tulip.
I will try to catch it soon,
the reds are pretty wet.

A Day of Fixin's

Painting 30 paintings in 30 days - was exciting and fun and now for some serious "tweaking" of three of them...one to finish the edges, one to readjust some features and colors and one to change the background..and naturally while I was at it, I found some more to do with the dachshund, as well.  A productive afternoon.  Felt good to be at the drawing table once again.  

Here are the additions to one and 'before and after' photos of two.

Remember "Snow Dog"?

Well, it is a deep canvas and needed it's edges painted - so if it hangs without a frame - which it can now..it is finished.

The other sides have snow continued on them - no biggie.

Then the kitten portrait needed much fixing...although small, it has lots of information in it.

BEFORE..

and AFTER...

it needed warming (color wise), the bottom cat wasn't right, the top cat needed some more work...but the owner said it's eyes were right, 

so I left them alone.

It was getting to the point where I said a big 'NO' 

every time I looked at it.

It just wasn't finished.  A day wasn't enough for many of my paintings I did.

And on a few of them I spilled into the next day.  

The next one is my own painting (NFS) - 

"Chaco-matic"

needed some serious change of the background.

BEFORE...

and AFTER...

worked the face some more..and what a difference 

the change of background made.  For some reason,

there is still something wrong with it..but I will stew over it in time.

Maybe the under the chin and neck needs a difference in 'highlight shine'.

I am not one to paint every little hair.

Did some major varnishing...also.  I did a test of one 

that was painted on the Arches oil painting paper to see

how the surface accepted the varnish.

Don't know if I need to varnish those or not, since I sealed them

underneath with my 'acrylic undertone'.

Maybe someone else who paints on this surface can share with

me what they do to finalize the surface..

"varnish or no varnish?" - 

that is the question.