A Bouquet

"Hydrangea, Facing West"
16 x 12, Oil on Linen
(c) Lesley Powell 2018
(SOLD)

Thank goodness that Trader Joe's carries beautiful white hydrangeas all year round! During a recent spell of wet, gloomy weather, I sought a pick-me-up by painting some fluffy hydrangea blossoms. The hydrangea can be intimidating to paint, because each blossom is composed of hundreds of separate little "flowerettes". That's a lot of detail that can really bog you down!

"Hydrangea. Threesome"
18 x 18, Oil on Canvas
(c) Lesley Powell 2018
(Available)

For me, the key to a strong painting is to see the big shapes of light and dark, and to avoid getting mired down in too much detail. To identify and simplify the big shapes--now that is the challenge! Meeting the challenge involves a lot of squinting, and using my peripheral vision. If I stare directly at

My French Kitchen

It's been a while since I posted about what I am working on in my studio, so I thought I would remedy that situation. Lately I have blended my love for fabrics with my love of cooking and vintage kitchenware (especially French wares!). The result is a new series that I am calling the "French Kitchen" series.

"French Kitchen with Hotel Silver"
Oil on Linen, 12 x 16
(c) Lesley Powell 2017

I have hauled a number of favorite  things to the studio: "torchons" (French dishtowels), hotel silver, antique pewter vessels, and a crusty old French cutting board, to name a few. Then the work begins--arranging and re-arranging, until finally there emerges a pleasing

The Color of Light

"Harmony, Yellow"
Oil on Linen, 16 x 20
(c) Lesley Powell

Most painters know that light has a color. It may be difficult to see at first, but with experience one starts to perceive the color of light, and to understand its effects. I have heard that one of the great impressionists (was it Cezanne? or maybe Monet?) used to throw a white handkerchief down on the ground before he started painting, and look at it to see what color the sunlight was at that moment. 

Why is this so important? Because the color of the light affects everything we see, and therefore everything we paint. It affects the color of the objects on which it falls, and it

The Gift of the Overcast Day

Some of you may remember reading about my struggles to control the light in my studio when I am painting still lifes. I paint using only natural light, and as the sun moves from east to west, the light through my window changes dramatically. I have resorted to various tricks to manage the light, but they all have certain disadvantages. So you can imagine my excitement during the recent spell of overcast days--not pretty days to be outside, but ideal for painting indoors!

"Overflowing"
Oil on Linen, 18 x 18
(c) Lesley Powell 2017

On high overcast days, the quality of the light stays very stable from morning through afternoon. That means that I don't have to rush to finish a painting before the light changes. It is such a luxury to know that the lighting will remain constant. I can stop for lunch, or  take

Shedding Some Light on the Subject

"White Roses, Glass Bowl"
13 x 15, Oil on Linen
(c) Lesley Powell 2016
SOLD

Faithful readers know that I have recently been painting roses. I typically do a great deal of still life painting in the winter, when it is too cold to paint outdoors on location. But the roses were an entirely new challenge. And every type of rose presented its own difficulties. White roses have color shifts so subtle that you need heightened "seeing skills" and ruthless paint mixing to get them right. Yellow roses---well, let's just say that dark yellows have always been one of the hardest colors for me to see and mix correctly. And don't even get me started on the pinks!

"Yellow Roses"
12 x 16, Oil on Board
(c) Lesley Powell 2016
Available

Adding to the challenge was the fact that the light seemed to change dramatically over the course of a painting session. I am used to shifting light when painting outdoors, but it is

More in the Garments Series

"Summer Dress"

16 x 8

SOLD

When I wrote earlier about my "Garment Series", I promised to post additional images from the series. The painting above, "Summer Dress", was the latest in the series. In the cold of a February day, I pulled this favorite summer frock out of my closet, and took it to the studio for inspiration. I could almost feel the warm summer breezes while I worked on it. I used a studio lamp to illuminate the dress and highlight the folds. It makes the colors warmer and really "ups" the contrasts. The painting below was painted in natural light, without any studio lighting.

"My Apron"

14 x 7

NFS

I have shown the image of my apron before, in my post about Reds. It is such a fun and personal image, that I wanted to include it when writing about the garment series. This is my painting apron, which is the first thing I reach for when I enter my studio, and the last thing I return to its place before I leave. Why red? I inherited several of these from my late aunt and uncle. They had the red aprons specially made to wear when serving Christmas meals at their company's holiday party. It seems that everything has a story...