"Nice cabbage!"...said my oil painting instructor this evening, when he had a peek at my work in progress.
Today's session had us doing transcription - replicating another painting to train in the artist's use of brushstroke and colour. Intimidated by the possiblity of dabbling in a master's technique, I leant for a safe bet, selecting a picture with, well, more fruit and veg - comfort zone.
The selected work was by Cotan, Still life with Quinice, Cabbage, Melon and Cucumber (c. 1600). Cotan, a pioneer in realism, is best known for developing a still life style called 'bodegon', characterized by dead game, uncooked veg, dim lighthing and dark backgrounds, lending a surrealist feel to the work. Curiously, he has a thing for 'hanging' things - in this case, the cabbage and quince are strung and hanging in the left frame.
Bizarre, but I gave it a go, on Stephen's recommendation. Nailed the quince in no time (small, round, orange-tinted fruit are my new expertise...), but the leafy cabbage, with its blue-greens, yellow-greens and deep green shadows proved a challenge, and took up most of my time. It was a relaxing exericise, however, and good training in blending colour. Tip of the day: vermillion + crimson red = a deep purply nearly black background. Never use black.
