"Vanguard" (8x10 oil on panel) painting process

Greetings Steemians and Artists,

I just finished this new still life. It was painted completely from imagination, which is an interesting challenge. It really makes me think about what I do or don't know--or think I know--about light and shapes and materials. I'm going to do start doing this more often. It will remind me to more keenly observe (and remember) when I'm painting from a real setup.

detail

First stage. Block in with umber. My primary goal is to create focus on an interesting dark vessel against light background:

Next stage. I start painting directly with the knife, covering ground quickly to get a feel for the primary relationship of dark against light:

Next stage. I'm creating different grays with a balance of ultramarine blue, raw umber, ivory black, titanium white:

Next stage. I am most concerned with color in the focal vessel, and so for the time being I am ignoring any possible color in the supporting elements:

Next stage. Now that the panel is totally covered with paint, I'm starting to get a feel for the composition:

Next stage. I've pushed the cool colors in the vessel, so I begin to place restrained complimentary warm colors as a common thread in the fruit:

Next stage:

Next stage. The freedom of painting from imagination. I want a heavy, solid, and interesting base for the objects. I begin to explore this, adding some interest and balance to the painting:

Next stage. Refining and adding details:

And the finished painting, "Vanguard" (8x10 oil on panel):

Thanks for reading! -David

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