FALL CHAOS PAINTING

a Blue Monday Still Life

Q: What to does an Artist do on a Blue Monday when her Still Life Group is Cancelled? 
A: Set up her own 'Chaos' Still Life at Home

One of my favorite Art Instructors does this at her workshops -creates a Still Life in Chaos! She gathers a garbage bag full of leaves, sticks, and rocks and dumps them on a table! Sometimes she has dirt at the bottom too! Add a pumpkin and some apples and you have a wonderful Still Life paint challenge. I call it the Chaos Challenge! At the workshop all artists gather round the table and focus on one area to paint. It is a good challenge and an artist can always find these materials and recreate the challenge at home.

My leaves were a little wet, so I placed parchment paper on top of the table before I dumped the rocks, leaves, acorns and sticks on top! Dump!  Then I placed the pumpkin and apples and then randomly dropped more leaves and sticks on top. I put my black presentation board up and then placed my stand light to left. I wanted the pumpkin to be the focus. I went back in and adjusted the stick in the back and the stick arching behind the apple. See setup below:

The Setup!

An Up Close Pic of the Chaos!

Getting placement/composition onto canvas.

Mid Tone Colors and darks in...

Fall Beauties: Final Painting! (A little blue because the day was grey).

Chaos painting is always a challenge as it is hard to focus; there is so much going on! I do not want every leaf or thing to gain importance.

For detail I tried to focus on the apple, pumpkin and the leaves in front of the pumpkin. The pumpkin shadows are purple-ish and orange-ish. The leaves were all wonderful Yellow Ochre, Bright Green, Orangy-Red and Pink/Purple, an amalgam of Fall Fantastic!I filled in the colorful shapes and tried to determine the light areas (without using too much white). I like the Radiant Pink and Naples Yellow on the leaves as highlights.

 I love color (and Fall) and this was a fun happy painting on a dreary rainy cold Monday! Please share your 'Chaos' Still Life setups and paintings, I know you will enjoy it!