Shiny Metal

This week's subject at AVA was shiny metal objects. I chose to include a lovely copper skillet that I had recently bought on a day out, and an accompanying copper jug which I had bought from the internet. I added a handful of mixed fruit and that was all I needed to get started.

I did the drawing at home as I wanted to get well on with the painting before the end of the weekly session. I used Fabriano Artistico Extra White Rough 300g paper and my usual palette.

I started the painting by putting on a reasonably strong wash down the left hand side, using mainly Translucent Orange with some Pthalo Green, French Ultramarine Blue and Cobalt Teal Blue. I made sure the wash included the left hand edge of the copper pan to give some lost edges on that side.
As the subject was shiny metal objects, I painted the pan and jug first and worked the reflections as best I could. It was amazingly difficult as the light was changing and things in the room were moving, so altering the highlights.
I then painted the fruits, working across the sheet from left to right, getting lighter as I went. The fig was the last thing to be painted, as this was the only fruit that I had to paint from memory!
I also washed in paler and paler colours across the background to give me a very light top R H corner.

When all was dry, I gave the oranges a quick rub with sandpaper to texture their skin, and I think it is done.

Having had a look at the painting with eyes half closed, I am not sure that the top pear could realistically be in that position, but it is too late to try to remove it. Maybe nobody else will notice! I will live with it propped up in the studio for a few days before cutting a mount and framing it just to make sure nothing else wants tweaking!

                       
                                                            'Fruit In A Copper Pan'