It's too hot to be talking about chocolat chaud... But I want to post about an Xmas party. David Dewey was my watercolor Prof for 12+ year at NAD, Parsons and summers at his Maine workshop. Annually David ran a Christmas dessert class that we all looked forward to. We'd bring in outrageous desserts and DD would set up a crazy, wild still life. We'd paint for 2 hours and finally eat the desserts and drink champagne to celebrate!
This is an old Xmas demo of David's from 1996. Painting CHOCOLATE is no piece of cake...We were not supposed to use any "brown" colors. Instead we had to mix the chocolate color out of Indian Red + Pthalo Blue for example.
I painted this at the 2000 dessert party. Pencil notes are all over it - overheard comments by David: "Frustration is healthy...you can always throw it away..continuity & change...what keeps you going - maintain interest.
trust the medium...be loose"
I did color swatches last week using Fancy Food Show choco bits. The trick is not to let the BROWNS go dead.
I did color swatches last week using Fancy Food Show choco bits. The trick is not to let the BROWNS go dead.
Go for a "chocolatie" feeling. "Organic paint" is when "pigments are allowed to mingle naturally on the palette or on paper wet-on-wet to describe three-dimensional form".
Taken from David's book, THE WATERCOLOR BOOK, one of the best.
Some of my fellow classmates dessert paintings:Pam Fenwick did this painting last December.
From Ruth J. Baron
Vivian Troy's painting.
Last May David announced he was going off to Maine to paint full-time and he left our gang of 20 Tuesday-night-devotées. Since then I've been painting chocolate and desserts 24/7!
Some of my fellow classmates dessert paintings:Pam Fenwick did this painting last December.
From Ruth J. Baron
Vivian Troy's painting.Last May David announced he was going off to Maine to paint full-time and he left our gang of 20 Tuesday-night-devotées. Since then I've been painting chocolate and desserts 24/7!
What will I do next XMAS ?
Indeed! So you all get together for painting parties with all these yuumies? Beats nude models!
ReplyDeleteN-B
Way better than nude models N-B ! Now if only we did this EVERY week!
ReplyDeleteOk 1 time a month...
indeed.. tho if you all eat all these goodies at the party it might be best to not have it so often (tho I would love that!)
ReplyDeleteN-B
The Dewey chocolate is marv. Just got back from a wonderful choc desert at MOMA cafe 5. Your blog site is really a wonderful dialogue on painting and color.
ReplyDeleteGP
Set up your OWN party! Carol, this is a really fun post, but I am now SO craving chocolate! I have a feeling that 'meeting' you will not be good for my figure--or my wallet.
ReplyDeleteYummy, yummy-looking things here.
I must say Miss Mole this is your best post. I love the fact that you have included work by others in your class and it's nice to see the similarities and differences between your work and theirs. I love the idea of the Xmas party/class. It's very inspiring when instructors come up with new exhiting ways of teaching.
ReplyDeleteluis
OH Laura! Please come and rescue me from a drawer full of choco samples I got at the Fancy Food Show! Usually I lose weight in the summer-who doesn't? I just MUST finish the chocolate post and then out it goes or to the landlady. I love the idea of setting up my own dessert painting party TANKS :)
ReplyDeleteMmmmm, chocolate looks so good in watercolors. It looks pretty good in real life too. :)
ReplyDeletej.lo interesting point..I don't think the watercolor choco cakes will get you salavating the way a photo will, much less the real thing. It's more like an aide-memoire...My prof is always saying, lose the subject matter, forget it, yet he surely does a swell job of interpretation. Go figure that one out.
ReplyDeleteAre you going to give us more Paris tales..?
Bravo Carol! Looks great.
ReplyDeleteYou really did a bang-up job.
Now gonna try Indian Red + Pthalo Blue for chocolate.
Viv
Thanks Lynda, How delightful :)
ReplyDeleteThe watercolours are lovely. And deliciously tempting.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the link to your instructor's book. I'm always looking for books to help me out on my own watercolours.
I really need to find a class. Your post has reminded me that that's what can make a subject really come alive.
BTW: thanks for the bbc link.
Hi Jennc :)
ReplyDeleteI want to know what you think of the ending of BASIL..? I'll check back.
David's WC book is very challenging-way more food for thought than most WC books out there. Every inch of it is instructional. Also you might want to look at www.handprint.com for tons of inspiring WC info. Classes do help to keep you going-why it's so annoying that DD left us :( But I use this blog as my motivator now-the results vary but it keeps me painting :)
Ruby R - Thank you for your comments and stopping by. Not being from Boston I'm not up on those creme pies-I'll check out Google though :)
OMG. that Handprint site is a treasure. thank you. Unfortunately WC paints are all wrong.... Helas... :) Hooray. I love shopping for art supplies!
ReplyDeleteBasil is getting better and better! How will he extricate himself from the whole mess?
Agree that blog is good motivator. I forgot that for awhile, but I'm getting back into the groove.
"Unfortunately WC paints are all wrong"
ReplyDeleteOOps.
I meant MY WC paints are all wrong, not his reviews of them. They're ALL RIGHT!
jennc - what's wrong with YOUR watercolors..? you only need 2 colors as Sargent used Fr. Blue & Bt.Sienna & you can go to town. Basil is a shocker
ReplyDeleteOhh... apparently, my "White Nights" watercolours (I admit, I didn't know that I would love watercolouring when I bought them) are not the best...
ReplyDeleteBut that's ok. I think I've gotten some useful paintings out of them.
You are killing me with the Basil thing.
Tonight. I read.
You need not worry about painting too much before xmas, because, I am going to jump in here and eat up all this chocolate!
ReplyDeletebasil.
ReplyDeletegot lucky.