I’ve seen a few people on EDM struggling with being in a slump. I guess it is my turn. I can’t seem to get a hold on inspiration.
There is a whole wide world out there to paint, to draw and I can’t find anything. I have the pencil and brush in my hand, like a knife and fork, waiting for the perfect meal to come from the kitchen. Unfortunately I am the “cook” in the kitchen….so I literally took my pencil and brush to the kitchen and tried to cook up something…I painted the first things my eyes fell on. Just earlier today I bought fresh produce which were on the table and so here are my carrots and aubergines…interestingly, the striped one is called a Graffiti. I struggled through 6 sketches, going from bad to worse. So I threw away the rest and kept the first attempts.
Both these sketches were done in WC on Fabriano HP.
- alteredtome said…
- I just love your painterly style! So direct and fresh.
- Betty said…
- aahhhhhhh! I am very envious of your slump 🙂 This is so lovely, as always.
- hfm said…
- And they are so fresh and natural!
- martín said…
- Wow! These are so well done. The combination of colours and the touches with the brush on the paper. Two masterpieces!
- mARTa said…
- Ronell my favorite is the second one. Upon close inspection (hehehe)I have found numerous ‘jewels’ in this lively watercolor. I have several ‘favorite’ areas…the white veggie has lovely colour in it and a great blend of hard and soft edges. The contrast between the deep purple and blue is electrifying and the splashes of colour in the shadow areas keep the watercolor from vibrating too much. This is by far a most successful painting and the slump is offically over. have a great kitchen and painting day!!!
- caseytoussaint said…
- These are just beautiful!
- juj said…
- I never get tired of your style Ronell. LOVE those carrots.
- Robyn said…
- What Marta said followed by what Casey said. And I bet you cooked them as beautifully as you painted them!
- Lin said…
- GORGEOUS!! SO JUICY AND PAINTERLY!!!!
- brian nelson said…
- Very nice, indeed!
- Dave said…
- Wonderful; I love to see watercolours that look like watercolours! They are both lovely, the carrots are very striking, and the second one has some great touches, like the purple reflection in the blue one.
- mARTa said…
- Now my critic of the carrots. I do think this one was successful as well but i have one area that bothers me. The dark shadow under the leaves just stares at me. I think I am entranced by the subtle colour in the other shadow areas but don’t see any here. The variation of the red/orange color of the carrots has my eyes traveling and so it carries me throughout the sketch. Both of these are successful also in that you’ve allowed the colors to mix themselves on the paper and for me that is always so hard to do!
- Teri C said…
- These look good enough to eat. Except they are too beautifully colored-so fresh and bright.
- Deborah said…
- Ohhhh, these make me want to eat some veggies. Beautiful!
- Africantapestry said…
- Thank you for all the comments..I appreciate them.
Yes Marta, you’re spot on with the carrots. My shading is not at all successfull…under the leaves it looks like something standing on it’s own and it really does hurt the eye. I also threw in unnecessary shadings under the tips of the carrots, which does the same thing…and that v-shaped shadow which is supposed to follow the little tie around the carrots.. This is of course due to my uncontrollable habit of not leaving things alone! I had finished and then I thought I could maybe have them look a bit better and so the fiddling started! Thank you for noticing it and saying it…I really appreciate it….without positive critique I can’t grow!!
Ronell - biteyourowntail said…
- Lush aubergines Ronell – I’m in love with those colours.I actually like to draw and paint veg – they’re such satisfying shapes – not to mention colours.
- Carole said…
- Well done for clambering out of your slump and painting. I love both of these.Rather than throw away the ones you are less happy with, you could cut out the bits that do work (there are usually bits that do) and collage them, just for fun.
- Regula Scheifele said…
- Slump? – if you say so… though the paintings surely don’t show it.
I love the second one, the colour of the aubergines is perfect (I’ve tried painting aubergines as well, didn’t really get the colour the way I wanted it….).
Beautiful! - andrea joseph’s sketchblog said…
- Ronell I couldn’t agre more. These are brilliant brilliant brilliant.
- Lindsay said…
- Ronell, I’ve been there! Slumps can feel really aweful. The last time I was in one, I took myself on a date to and did some really relaxing and beautiful things. Sometimes, all you need are a few naps and a couple of low pressure outings for just yourself.
The carots are lovely!Take good care! - Cathy (Kate) Johnson said…
- Gorgeous, Ronell! I love the fresh, splashy look…
- Irene said…
- Very nice. Fresh and watery (is that a word?)
- Sandy said…
- Oh My God, there is nothing left to say – I love every bit of them!!! I may hate you 😉
- Sandy said…
- I like both of the pictures. So glad you updated. I come here almost every day just waiting, LOL..silently waiting…these are gorgeous Ronell.sandy
- Emma Pod said…
- Hi Ronell, these are beautiful vegetables! Great colors. I also like your frog from an earlier post!
- Linda said…
- bsolutely gorgeous! The carrots, especially, are just so ALIVE.
- good with color said…
- “sigh”Your paintings are so beautiful, it makes me feel happy and relaxed to look at them. especially those eggplants. I bought some today, to make ratatouille (sp?) but yours are so much nicer! Bunnies everywhere are longing for your carrots, I’ll bet.
- laserone said…
- Hey, that’s really good work for somebody who is uninspired! I especially love the aubergines, I just love blues and purples. 🙂
- Africantapestry said…
- Thanks for the comments, they are all so inspiring.
I alos found Diahn’s article on Wet canvas, very inspiring – makes me want to just get back into doing “small things”, but things that give pleasure. See Diahn at http://artbydiahn.blogspot.com/
Thanks again to everybody. - platitudinal said…
- Ronell, I love how you described holding the pencil and the brush in your hands like eating utensils, and you were waiting for the “perfect meal.”The vegetables looked so beautiful. I love the carrots (even though I don’t really like eating carrots). The orange and the yellow compliment each other so nicely, they’re such a delight to the eyes.
- Claudia said…
- W o n d e r f u l colours, Ronell! Keep up the good work! I always love to see more of it!
…And thank you for your nice words “whatever you chose to do, do it to the fullest!”
Kind regards from
Claudia - Tonniece said…
- I enjoy your art so much Ronell, whether in a slump or in perfect form, you always get it right.
- Laureline said…
- Wow!!!!!!!!Just amazingly gorgeous, Ronell!!! They’re so loose and colorful and watery—PERFECT!!
- Anita said…
- Ronell you turn everything into an uplifting rainbow, these are beautiful!!!
- Sandy said…
- just waving hello…looking for updates..no pressure…but looking for updates..LOL…gosh everytime I come here I get inspired…I love your stuff. By the way you have great links too…
- Pequete said…
- Well, if this is a slump… I just wish I had some of these myself! Both sketches are lovely, but I especially like the carrots one, so painterly and light.
- wagonized said…
- What a great approach. When i hit a drawing funk, even my favorite subjects are uninviting — that’s probably because i am less willing to “surprise” myself. These are gorgeous — just what you managed to do by pushing yourself into the kitchen is amazing. And i love the fact you chose to juxtapose the orange of the carrots with the purple underneath. Excellent.
- phthaloblu said…
- These are great sketches. Sorry to hear about your slump. Just keep ‘doing’ and hopefully you won’t be slumping for long. Your work is beautiful and so loose and I love looking at it. Good thought for you!
- Bill said…
- hy an I always hungry after visiting your blog?Beautiful!
- CrumpledPaperbirds said…
- These are gorgeous!!!
Lovely colors, and love the two pics next to each other…food for eyes.
Africantapestry 
