From the Artist: After reading the project I wanted to try one out. This is my first submission.
From the Painting Guide: I'm glad the project prompted you to give still life a go -- that's one of the ideas behind them, to encourage people to try something new or different.
Things to Consider When Looking at This Painting:
Composition: While equal spacing between the three pieces of fruit would look too regimented, the way they're placed now feels awkward to me. The orange and lemon seem to have paired up, with the lime (which for some reason my mind keeps telling me is a gem squash) trying to get away from them.
If you consider just the orange, it's very dominant and quite centrally placed, which has the tendency to divide the canvas in two horizontally.
The plate is neatly positioned so it fits on the canvas, with almost the same distance from the three edges. This isn't wrong, it just creates a calm feeling; if it went off one edge, it would give a different dynamic to the painting. I would add some more blue tablecloth on the left-hand side of the painting, and cut some from the top. This would move the orange to the right, and give the arrangement a bit of breathing space (and somewhere for the lime to be looking into).
Shadows: I think the shadow under the plate is well painted -- soft, gentle, and the tone well judged. But I think the decorative upper edge needs a suggestion of shadow on it though, on each segment. Also, set up the arrangement again and look at the shadow cast by the orange. Observe just how far to the left and right of the fruit the shadow falls. Also how much of a form shadow there is on the fruit itself. I suspect there's less of the former and a bit more of the latter.
From the Painting Guide: I'm glad the project prompted you to give still life a go -- that's one of the ideas behind them, to encourage people to try something new or different.
Things to Consider When Looking at This Painting:
Composition: While equal spacing between the three pieces of fruit would look too regimented, the way they're placed now feels awkward to me. The orange and lemon seem to have paired up, with the lime (which for some reason my mind keeps telling me is a gem squash) trying to get away from them.
If you consider just the orange, it's very dominant and quite centrally placed, which has the tendency to divide the canvas in two horizontally.
The plate is neatly positioned so it fits on the canvas, with almost the same distance from the three edges. This isn't wrong, it just creates a calm feeling; if it went off one edge, it would give a different dynamic to the painting. I would add some more blue tablecloth on the left-hand side of the painting, and cut some from the top. This would move the orange to the right, and give the arrangement a bit of breathing space (and somewhere for the lime to be looking into).
Shadows: I think the shadow under the plate is well painted -- soft, gentle, and the tone well judged. But I think the decorative upper edge needs a suggestion of shadow on it though, on each segment. Also, set up the arrangement again and look at the shadow cast by the orange. Observe just how far to the left and right of the fruit the shadow falls. Also how much of a form shadow there is on the fruit itself. I suspect there's less of the former and a bit more of the latter.