Joanne Scoles Cherry Still life Painting

Student Statement

I take two painting classes, one in portraiture, one of them stiil-life or painting whatever you want using a picture. I decided on still-life and was attracted to metal objects. My instructor was fine, but I always loved Hall Groat’s paintings on the daily painters’ website. I seem to gravitate to realism type painting. So I ordered DVD’s on metals, glass, and fabric techniques. Very helpful! Especially with color, something I struggle with a great deal. So I combined what I learned from the DVD’s with my class instructor and I felt I achieved much more that way. I am grateful to have found Hall Groat’s instructional DVD ‘s.

Halls Critique

Thanks for posting this beautiful composition of cherries Joanne.  Your handling of the reflective nature of the silver is terrific! In future still life pieces, you might consider slightly varying the value and temperature of the table top in order to enhance the sense of depth.  For example, introducing a subtle nuance of gray-violet or tray-blue to the ochre.  In this piece the rear edge may be commanding a bit too much attention.  By varying this edge through softening or shared value, the focus could be placed more on the cherries and central metallic form. Also,  consider softening or slightly diffusing the edges of forms (i.e. cherries) that merge into cast shadows.  The edges on the shadow sides of the cherries are a bit overstated and too similar in quality, which causes them to appear a little static.