Choose Two

Qiang promised me that my "personal style" is already deep inside of me, that layer by layer I will work to uncover it.  With all due respect Qiang, this is a layer and I am certain it is not "me."  He does the most beautiful still lifes in direct application of oil paint.  I started this piece utilizing his method but I did not finish it that way.  It took several more sessions and a lot of glazing before I got anywhere close to being satisfied with the end result.  And while there is one more I shall share about his method later, I am closer to thinking that his style of painting is not my style.  I am finding that I actually enjoy the "push and pull" of dragging out the methodology so that (as a former teacher preaches) one can "let the magic happen."  Maybe someday I will be able to whip it out with the first application of the perfectly mixed color but until then I will continue to know that it won't be done right away.  And, as this still life was a group project and I did not choose the contents of it, I find that I am less committed to the end result.  When the objects have personal meaning I tend to get more excited about it.  Excuses, I know, but far better than the age old "dog ate my homework." 

Back to the easel.....

Cider Time a la Qiang

One more wanna-be from the workshop with Qiang Huang: Cider Time.  What took the "master" 2.5 hours and minimal strokes took me 4 hours to lay it in and a studio session to finish....with at least a million strokes.  My poor apples lost their "glow" at one point and it was no easy task trying to find it!

But that's why he is the teacher and I the humble grasshopper.  It was my sincerest intention to follow the workshop with several weeks of intense remedial work to practice all that we learned on still life painting.  Alas! I fell on my elbow and broke the funny bone clean off.  Even though I lucked out and damaged the left one (I am right handed) this "incident" did put a crimp in my oil painting.  I'll be posting graphite for a little bit....hoping to return to oil soon.

Channeling Qiang Huang

Qiang Huang is the most efficient painter I have ever observed.  He studies his set up, mixes a color, places one stroke and steps back.  Chances are very good that he will not touch that spot again!  Oh, for an eye that accurate!

All of the "wanna-bes" in his recent Melbourne workshop were astounded that he spent twice as much time looking as he did stroking...so of course we are inspired to try likewise.  After failing to capture a 3-stroke rose a la Qiang, I switched over to a pumpkin I had waiting to be made into pie.  Pumpkin posed, I channeled Qiang and, while I have miles more to go, I was slightly more satisfied with the results.

Ok, so now it is back to arrange another set up, light it and try again.  Bear with me...it's just like dancing: the experts make it look so easy and graceful while others of us contend with two left feet!