Jousting for Light

Jousting for Light

Still Life

Series #3

Painted on Location

8 x 8

Oil on Panel

Randall Cogburn

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Lots of sunlight beaming in through the window today. Painting today a stuffed Elephant. At first I thought I didn't have enough time and it was to late and missed my chance for the day, bummer. I pondered a bit on doing one anyway without the magnificent light show that I've been seeing this month and almost decided to move on and do something else. 

Oh wait, what's this, sure enough it showed up with a vengeance. I literally had to set up in under a couple minutes trying to fully think ahead, grabbing my easel, a panel, my tripod for my pochade box setup on my right. Grabbed my scraper since I found out I forgot to scrap the palette, grabbed the brush container, oh paper towels, add more white and blue to the palette, walnut oil set out to make my paint flow like butter, positioned the panel so it was pretty much next to the scene, gloves on, standing and ready to do battle. I commenced to sketch out the form using a pale purple mix and noting where the highlights were going to stay, oh it's a rush!! Filled in the shadows and color in the form, chair seat, highlight on the form some minor attempts to get the hat correct, was not easy. By now it's about 15-20 minutes into the painting, no time to think about time, not even on my radar, everything is oblivious to me at this point. The light of course has dramatically shifted by now as well as all values, glad I locked it in at the first. Oh wait a minute, I had laid in the banding on the chair cushion that ran from bottom right to left and up the left side to the middle of the panel. I thought it would add a nice touch but quickly decided it didn't add to the composition so I knocked it out, and signed bottom left, "Kirby". A much simpler composition that looked great. Now you see the completed painting, "Jousting for Light" in under 25 minutes I'm guessing.