Into the paint

I'm working on a series of drawings, but for a break I needed
to get into the paint. The kitchen at the moment is just
at its best and was graced the other day by a wonderful
young woman who works for me sometimes when she's
back from university. She's heading out to England soon
to study, so I have been delighted to see her again, and
inspired by the sight of her sitting working at the kitchen
table in a setting of spectacular roses, and behind her a row
of tulips in pots and large glass bowls of fruit.

So I started a little painting to rest my hands from drawing,
and today from teaching too.

First I painted a 12 x 12 inch canvas
with a peachy ground




Then I did a light sketch in charcoal
It shows up here as red,
but is really black on the colour shown above



Then I began putting in some colour
I started with the darks,
because the roses are a light peach colour
and so is the model's face



Here I started putting in some of the lighter
colour. It could all be underpainting at this point.
And that's as far as it's gone.

Rationale? I started with a peachy pink ground, because the darker colour
in the roses will be that colour. So will the shadow on the face perhaps.
I wanted that warm colour to infuse the painting. Plus it feels spring like.

Speaking of spring -today when I started for home at 5:30 the sun was just
setting. The light is really returning. My heart lifted again. When I left for the
Christmas break, I'd leave my last class and walk to my car under
the stars and the moon, and today the light was the colour of
this canvas ground.

It's time for bed now. I have a whole roster of new young people
to teach, lots of work to do, and today felt all day like one of
the luckiest people on the planet. I guess that's true isn't it.

Have a reading-the-signs day.