Mixed Media Still Life with Bottle
April 27, 2007
Our weekly painting. This one narrowly escaped the trash. It started out as an experiment with walnut stain on rough watercolor paper – pretty unsuccessful and resistant to rescue efforts with conté crayon. Then I applied pastel, but had a tough time with the texture. I washed that off, but some of it stuck, I tried watercolor (what did I have to lose at this point?) Dull, very dull.So I re-opened my pastel box, found a charcoal pencil and did what you see here. Then it started raining so I had to come in. Is the use of mixed media a confession of incompetence in one particular medium? Hmm, what do you think?
Have a look at Ronell’s interpretation of this theme at < http://rnllvanwyk.blogspot.com/>
16 Comments
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rue Manuel bis 
I think it is evidence of a creative (and VERY persistent) spirit…
Hooray for mixed media, I LIKE it! If you hadn’t confessed to your problems I’d have thought this was exactly what you were going for…NICE.
I actually do like it Casey. I wouldn’t have guessed all the efforts, like Kate says..if you hadn’t confessed it all. The whole painting has very nice depth and I love the bottle with its reflection! Nice work
Ronell
Casey,
I really, really like it – the charcoal makes it come alive. It is a testament to creativity through play! Now you start a mixed media series and see where it takes you.
I completely agree with Kate–this is wonderful. The textures and deep colors and bold contrasts are so successful. I would never have imagined that you weren’t satisfied with it. Something about it reminds me of an old Italian fresco.
I like it too. I like the pastel strokes all going in one direction, the reflections, the sketchy lines and the ‘smudgyness’ of it. It makes for an interesting painting.
Ditto Diahn. I think you are being very harsh on the finished painting, Casey. It has more life and energy than you seem to think.
Well I’m glad you didn’t throw this one out. The pastel really makes it. Gives it a lot of movement. It keeps your eye moving across the paper.
I love the rustic look of the drawing. The colors work well too. Lots of love from Susan in Australia
Hehe, talk about determination! I think it’s a great drawing, well worth the effort! 🙂
Thank you all so much- I’m still not sure about the finished product, but it was a learning experience.
Hey there Casey! So nice to find your new blog – where I can actually leave a comment! Wow, you were having a frustrating day, weren’t you? But I really like this kind of mixed media stuff – has so much more going on than a bog-standard watercolour. I love it!
Thanks for coming round to my blog and leaving all those lovely messages. I really appreciate them. Merci!
I think you really pulled this off and saved it. I like it a lot! Part of what makes it so enjoyable to view is the interesting composition. There’s a wonderful rhythm in the way the eye travels from shape to shape and the pastel adds exciting texture. Nice work. I’m a big believer in finishing things, even when they’re not going well. I think using mixed media is a sign of creativity not lack of skill!
I love the mixed media. Very exciting look. No confession necessary.!!
I love it Casey!! It is so freeing when we realize the painting is ruined so we can try all kinds of things without feeling guilty. You did a wonderful painting here and I thought it was all planned!!
I agree, it’s the sign of a creative mind, determined to make an image work – and mixed media has a much richer visual vocabulary to draw on 🙂