Title and Medium
Dry Mandarin Leaf. Water-mixedable oil on canvas board. 24 cm x 19 cm.
Artist's Statement
I didn’t know exactly why, but I desired to paint green. While, at dead of night, I was savoring a Spanish mandarin, I suddenly found its leaf very impressive on the white surface of my table!
I took my palette, brushes and colors. Prussian blue, yellow cadmium lemon and zinc white were used to make greens. Regarding the shadows in the leaf, I used emerald green, violet purple, and burnt sienna. Titanium white has been used for the background. Lastly, I tried to translate the circulation of the sap following a vertical line sharing the leaf and surrounded by the two main parallels (green fork and upper outline of the leaf), building impressive geometric shapes and lines.
What I'd Do Differently
- I have been very interested in the oblique slightly distorted fork, which surges from the left side, in order to compel the sight of the viewer to turn in the counterclockwise direction. This leaf looked like a flame, pushed by a virtual light breeze towards the upper right corner. That’s the reason why I like it.
- I have hesitated whether to cut the left side of the canvas board by the green fork.
