Oil Painting Samples
The following paintings were all created in my Introduction to Painting class this past semester. During this class, we worked strictly in oil paints - a medium I had never used. Several of the paintings are still lifes from the class. In addition to learning how to control and manipulate the medium, we focused on created strong compositions and working with color theory to strengthen our pieces. For one project, we even learned how to create a frame and stretch canvas to create specific, personalized canvases.
"DJ Kelly" Oil on Canvas, 3' x 2.5'. For our final project, we had to complete a portrait. Pictured above is a friend of mine, a DJ for our college radio. I chose the colors to symbolize the mood of the room and contrast it with the vibrant and upbeat mood of the music she was playing.
"A Master's Copy" Oil on canvas - This project was inspired by Claude Monet, and the goal was to mimic the artist's work as closely as possible to learn more about his technique through experimentation.
"Speed Banana" Oil on Canvas, 11''x 9''. This project focused on the preparation of our palettes. Every student was given a banana and 3 hours to paint it on draped fabric. The real challenge was the fact that we had to mix all the paint for our palette before we could start, for we could not mix anymore or additional paint once our brush hit the canvas.
"Draped Fabric" Oil on canvas, 9''x 11''. This was an early class exercise to help us experiment with the consistency of the medium.
"Metallic Teapot" Oil on canvas. This project was based off a still life set up in class. We were to create our own compositions and highlight contrast in the piece (whether it was light/dark, or warm/cool).
Process Work
Below are some pictures that show the process from some of my paintings. Many started with a thin coating of a single color (a yellow of a burnt umber), after which I would wipe away the primary shapes to create an underpainting to follow later.
