Tuesday, October 24, 2006

On Painting Glass

I painted this Café Flore watercolor a year ago and I wish I could remember how I did that glass. I'd love to paint just glass for a month. Reflective objects fascinate me. We painted a ton of glass objects over the years in David Dewey's watercolor class.

He used to tell us:
  • You have 5-6 lines to create the essential patterns of a glass.
  • Leave open areas..paint the light.
  • The negative shapes hold everything together like a glove.
  • Your reflections always want to reflect the outward shapes and the inside pattern.
  • Change the character of the edges as you paint your shapes.
  • Where are your patterns? Do they they touch, butt, overlap or form new shapes? I think I took more notes than painted.
Here are 3 terrific "daily painters" who have glass nailed down beautifully. Darren Maurer is a master at glass painting.

Jeff Hayes is always painting glass and I love his loose approach.
Peter Yesis has a fine command of the quotidienne (everyday) object, like this pickle jar and his painting stories are always amusing. I'm going to really look at glass in Paris, and who know's..that's all you may see from me for a while... Qui sait

25 comments:

  1. I love your painting and the one by Jeff Hayes, beautiful...Nel

    ReplyDelete
  2. Anonymous4:12 AM

    Thanks Nel,
    They're all very, very good glass painters. I just bought a glass teapot in Paris to get me going on my "glass project".On verra bien (we shall see :)
    Carolg

    ReplyDelete
  3. Anonymous5:02 AM

    Dear Carol,
    maybe going to Place St.Sulpice and try to paint the fragile glass of Anick Goutal's Perfumes in their"vitrine"would be a good practice.Maybe you could go to Gallerie Vivienne and paint its skylights(je ne sais pas le mot exact en anglais,en français c'est"lucarne")also you could find the special effects of candles into glass in Dypthique(Bd.St.Germain).Last but not least,maybe you could paint in your"superbe"watercolours the reflection of sunlight on the fenêtres of the Place des Vosges red buildings.
    Je attends tes nouvelles.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Anonymous6:25 AM

    Glass teapot! Que de plaisir en vue!

    ReplyDelete
  5. I always get inspired when I come here.
    Looking forward to your glass painting and I just might have to give it a try myself.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Anonymous7:27 AM

    beautiful paintings! such nice choices! i love to look at those, thank you for posting!!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Painting glass is like seeing inside out, I think ... it takes a shifting of the mind (or at least MY mind!!) ... and I LOVE your glass and these posted -- and thank you for the articulation of how to LOOK at glass for painting ... inside out, I say ....

    ReplyDelete
  8. Anonymous8:46 AM

    Smila I've seen those beautiful glass parfum bottles but I need to have one hang around by my window to paint it properly. I think I also need a sugar daddy to paint up some of these deluxe requests.
    Still it's fun to dream about...
    Carolg in Paris

    ReplyDelete
  9. Carol-
    Thank you so much for including me with yourself, Darren and Jeff in your post today. All three of you have such expressive ways of capturing glass. One of the things I love about your work is not just the glass, but the colors and all the treats that surround them.

    It's a good thing I can't absorb calories from looking at your blog. I'd be a thousand pounds by now.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Carol

    The captured light that these paintings reflect is like looking at fire in a diamond!

    Aren't you amazingly generous to share as much as you do with us!!

    ReplyDelete
  11. Lovely, lovely stuff!

    ReplyDelete
  12. Anonymous4:12 PM

    Carol, todaays glass painting are wonderful. So much that I think I'll study what you have done and follow your lead. Going to start my own glass days.
    Have a wonderful time and cant wait for more posts.
    Linda

    ReplyDelete
  13. Anonymous6:50 PM

    I love Maurer's Kerr jar. The lid looks and glass of the jar look so real!! Thanks for sharing. These are very interesting paintings. You're making me wish I could paint!

    ReplyDelete
  14. Anonymous12:38 AM

    It's good to check back in here to see what I wrote about painting glass..I'm struggling with painting all kinds:a bistro glass, a Pierre Herme "Emotion" glass full of mysterious green & pink ingredients (the ingredients have mysteriously disappeared - only the empty glass is left :) and just my hotel water glass. AND my new glass teapot. So everybody get cracking and we'll do a group crit when I get back.
    Since I bought a parapluie (umbrella) on Tuesday, it refuses to rain :(
    I'm trying to paint as much as possible, because of Paris' wonderful water (perfect for watercolor IMO) but I'm also trying to run around as much as possible!
    My toes are complaining!
    Also I'm eating too much of my still lifes :(
    Irresistable macarons and tarte citrons...
    Bad girl having a GREAT time :)
    Later,
    Carolg in Paris

    ReplyDelete
  15. I look forward to seeing your impressions of more glass!Darren's marbles in glass jar I love but YOUR
    *cafe' flore* such skill.. perfection for me!
    Artists and musicians...delight our senses!Thank YOU!
    another request*paint my **sunflower!**

    ReplyDelete
  16. Anonymous7:47 AM

    Dear Carol,
    So it´s a good idea as giving yourself a pre-Christma's present :)
    I don´t know if when you've been to Italy you went to Venice...in Rialto you can find a little boutique with Murano hand-made jewelery,I bought some necklaces and I wonder how beautiful paintings you could do with the light reflections through them.
    I read something about the colours you found in Spanish wines...Have you ever come to Spain?(I use"come"'cause I´m Spanish)Would you like to?What are your favourite painters/paintings?
    Thank you for your comment,it was a nice surprise!!
    Smila.

    ReplyDelete
  17. Now glass looks to be a challenge.

    I remember seeing a painting by an 18th century Spanish painter in an art museum. In the painting was a woman wearing a thin translucent red scarf and you could see her clothing through it. I often think about that because it fascinated me that he could paint something which seemed impossible to convey that way.

    ReplyDelete
  18. Anonymous11:31 AM

    Glass seems to be a perfect subject for watercolor and your work is exquisite. It prompts me to pick up my old watercolor brushes and try again (though fairly certain I wll be devastatingly disappointed in the result). I prefer to paint oil/acrylic on huge canvases ... but the delicacy of your work is intriguing and lovely. I hope you keep eating your still lifes in Paris ... why not?!

    ReplyDelete
  19. Anonymous1:10 PM

    You make me want to get out my watercolors and paint, though I'm afraid beginning with glass would only prove frustrating. Your blog is inspiring.
    While living in Avignon, I met the painter Stephane Dufraisse (he lives just across the river in Villeneuve lez Avignon). I think you would admire his talent for painting glass and everything else, for that matter! You feel as if you could lift an object from his still life paintings off of the canvas, they're so real. And what's even more interesting is that he only has the full use of one eye.

    ReplyDelete
  20. Anonymous1:10 PM

    You make me want to get out my watercolors and paint, though I'm afraid beginning with glass would only prove frustrating. Your blog is inspiring.
    While living in Avignon, I met the painter Stephane Dufraisse (he lives just across the river in Villeneuve lez Avignon). I think you would admire his talent for painting glass and everything else, for that matter! You feel as if you could lift an object from his still life paintings off of the canvas, they're so real. And what's even more interesting is that he only has the full use of one eye.

    ReplyDelete
  21. Anonymous1:14 PM

    oops, afraid i'm not too blog-savvy. sorry i posted twice.

    ReplyDelete
  22. Anonymous1:22 PM

    Becca I had a macaron attack last night and then again this afternoon :( They are waiting in every doorway enticing me..It's not fair here.

    Carolg in Paris
    Anonymous Everyone should get out their paintbrush and paint in any medium. It can be fun!

    Shannon that painting sounds intriguing..I'veno idea who the artist could be..?

    Naturgirl I've got lots of glass set ups in the works. Practice makes perfect or frustration or both :)
    We shall see..Thanks

    ReplyDelete
  23. I wish I could remember. I couldn't even tell you whether I was in high school or college when I saw it or even which museum. It'll come to me all of a sudden while looking at grapes in the supermarket or something, LOL.

    ReplyDelete
  24. Anonymous5:07 PM

    I love all your work!!! Your such a talented artist.

    I have to say that the "Marble Jar" is one of my favorites. It is like I want to reach out into the painting and pour all those marbles out onto the table and play!!!

    ReplyDelete
  25. Beautiful paintings. I especially like the one by Jeff Hayes. Makes me realize how much I still have to learn.

    ReplyDelete

Love hearing from you