Hippeastrum for Bradley

This post is dedicated to Bradley Will of Learn to blog.com who was crazy enough to set up the 30 day blog challenge, and so incredibly generous with his time and energy to follow it through!

Hippeastrum Lily and Otto (or Hippeastrum for Bradley) - oil on linen - 12 x 16in

Final, I think. Taking photos of painting progress is a double edge sword. On the one hand, quite useful, but on the other it also shows where one should have stopped painting...usually a few stages before... difficult to go backwards.

Refining most always means taking out the rough edges... and sometimes that means the painting may lose some of its spontaneity. C'est la vie1

I've changed the 'darker grey' family tone of the left wall to a lighter mid tone, which means I may have added a fifth set of tonal values, whereas in the beginning I was aiming for four sets of tonal values. In so doing, it has reduced a little of the painting's original 'punch'.

The tonal value of the Otto Dix postcard has been darkened to join with the 'darker grey' group. 

I think now is definitely the time to stop the 'finishing it' process and let it sit for a while to settle.

On the whole, I am quite please with the results. The rather odd straight intersecting lines throughout the painting seem to work in firmly placing the motif or object solidly within the frame.

I like the way the taller leaf, the shadow of the glass and the postcard overlapping the edge of the painting also serve to help with the structure as well as unite all areas of the work.

In the meantime, the lily being painted has died off, but the two small buds behind have flowered. Interestingly enough, the red accents which were so vivid on the main flower, has almost disappeared on the 2 younger buds. I suspect that is what happens when cut the flower before the flower was able to develop or take the necessary nutrition from the ground to paint that magnificent red.