Blue and Orange #2 - Original Still Life in Oils

After the last painting, I was left with quite a bit of blues on my palette. So I had to paint the vases again, at least one of them. This one too is painted just using the palette knife, with the sides painted too. It doesn't need a frame and can be displayed as it is.

Blue and Orange #2
Oil on Canvas, 6 by 12 inches
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Blue and Orange - Original Still Life in Oils

When I got out of bed this morning, I woke up with this urge to paint something large. Specifically, a large still life using the palette knife. I could even say I woke up with an image in my mind and all I had to do was put it together with the things in my studio. It's been ages since I have painted large, this one is 16 by 16 inches and is my largest canvas in the last few years. 

I bought this set of three turquoise vases in Ikea long ago. I had earlier painted only the smallest of them, the other two were patiently awaiting their turn. They looked great together with a couple of oranges thrown in. 

Blue and Orange
Oil on Canvas, 16 by 16 inches
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Made for each other! - A Complementary Colored arrangement!

This painting was done yesterday for this week's challenge at the Daily Paintworks is the Color Challenge. Carol Marine had asked the participants to choose a color scheme - triadic, complementary or split complementary and then come up with a painting with that color scheme. I opted in for a complementary scheme of Blue and Orange, which is one of my favorite schemes. 

I set up this still life at home and painted it from life. Last time I used the same vase and some oranges for my paintings Blue and Orange and Blue and Orange #2. Both of those were done with the limitation of using one color per stroke, completely out of my comfort zone. So I went it for a set up as simple as possible. This time however, I wanted to have orange as a dominant color, so brought in some orange fabric as well. Been a long time since I painted fabric and boy do I love it!

Made for Each Other
Oil on Deep Cradled Panel - 8 by 16 inches
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Instead of making it completely blue and orange, I thought I would bring in a wee bit of yellow-orange and red-orange, the split complements of Blue in the regular color wheel. Hence that little yellow flower in the middle and some reddish touches in the cloth. 

This painting is my first attempt with a deep cradled panel and I must say it is fantastic! There is no worry of warping of the wood and stuff, all I did was one coat of gesso and it could be painted! Awesome! And what more, it can be hung as it is with natural wood colored sides and without a frame. Easy peasy! I even managed a photo hanging it on my wall, though in this photo the colors are not so accurate I must warn you!

Made for Each Other
Oil on Deep cradled panel, 8 by 16 inches

Would you like to see my set up from which this was painted? I have had many people ask me to write more about the process, my tools and stuff. Well I would have never thought an artist's work behind the scenes would interest others, but now I know that it does interest people and indeed makes them curious. So here it is, a juxtaposed image of the set up and my painting in the same frame. :) Enjoy! I took a similar picture after my plein air last week, and then it struck me today, why not when the life session is at home!? So here!

Made for Each Other
The painting and the set up :)

How do you like this one? Write to me with all your feedback and anything else! I love to hear from you.