Behind the Brush: “Supported Froot, No. 1”
Gay art should always be a bit fruity.
i knew i wanted to paint that amber-colored glass bowl the first time i saw it.
Wandering the aisles of a local antiques shop, i was struck by the interesting shape of this vessel on the shelf.
i loved the way its delicate-looking stand twisted and curled beneath a bulbous bowl that looked like an upside down umbrella, complete with small, inverted droplets on the spires, falling upward into space.
Interesting and dramatic forms grab me — and i’m especially captivated by glass, a physical paradox all around us all the time.
That trip to the antique shop was years ago, and that beautiful bowl has waited patiently for its moment atop a skinny, tall locker in my studio space.
Finding the fun in symbolic still life.
i have a deep passion and love of still life paintings. i love that they can convey so much about humanity without a single human on the canvas.
So i set out to paint a still life focused on one of my favorite subjects: a classic BIKE jockstrap.
i knew i wanted to use a glass bowl and some fruit as a visual symbol of its, erm… supportive properties..
The amber bowl’s time had arrived.
i set up my photo lights, using a red gel behind the white backdrop to create the glowing red circle behind my setup; i covered a small stool with a blue weighted blanket; and i brought my funky dish down from its waiting space, arranging a couple apples and a banana just so.
The jock itself was tough to arrange. It fought me as i wrestled it into some kind of interesting position, and even then, it couldn’t be anything other than awkward in the composition — which honestly ended up just fine because it became a contrast with the established and formal fruit in a bowl look.
Several shots and angles later, i landed on something i liked, and the next day, i sketched it out on an 8” x 10” canvas board.
Learning gay art lessons.
i decided to start with an underpainting — a common technique i’d read a lot about but never done before. i chose to do it in a grayscale thinking it would mute the blues a bit and make a starker contrast with the warmer parts, highlighting that beautiful bowl, etc.
i ended up doing a second underpainting in a bit of yellow just under the bowl and fruit part, hoping to allow that yellowishness to come through the layers and provide even more contrast with the blue/gray backdrop, etc.
i loved doing the backdrop - working it back and forth between the red from the backlighting and the blue/gray of the fabric until it felt both flat and interesting.
The blanket cover was a different beast.
The fabric itself is velvet-like in texture. Trying to convey its lighting shifts was really difficult, and i don’t believe i fully achieved it. In the end, i had to leave it because i knew it was an inconsequential part of the composition and not worth getting hung up on.
i added some of the red shading into the jock and began building in some of the light and shadow of the bowl and fruit. Layer after layer, i worked in the colors. i loved how the bowl and fruit were looking, and i needed to start on the jock.
Then several things happened at once and everything stopped: i worked hard to get my first issues of “Quarteros Review” ready to be published in June; we had a busy summer of travel; and i had to really dig in and focus to finish my three “Tripdychead” canvases in time to submit them for an exhibition.
At the same time, i would stare at my unfinished canvas board, longing to finish what i’d started, but also afraid i would inevitably screw it up if i kept going.
Finally, i told myself it was time — that beautiful bowl deserved to be finished and have it’s moment.
So in late October, i forced myself to sit at my desk, roll up my sleeves, and finish the darn thing. Several hours later, Supported Froot No. 1 was complete.
i’m very happy with it. i learned a lot in the process — including more about the benefits and limitations of acrylic paint.
i have two other still life setups with a couple other glass dishes i love, so i think two more paintings will be forthcoming to complete the “Supported Froot” triptych cycle.
As they say these days: Watch this space.
The Frooty Materials
8” x 10” canvas board (Artist Loft)
White gesso (Liquitex Professional)
Pyrrole Red (Golden)
C.P. Cadmium Yellow Medium (Golden)
Ultramarine Blue (Golden)
Mars Black (Golden)
Titanium White (Golden)
GAC 100 (Golden)
Various brushes (sorry - didn’t keep track of them on this one)
