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Three Fish; casein tempera on panel; 10" x 8" |
You don't see the threads - or washers - or rod in the painting. But in real life they were necessary to keep the plastic-toy fish steady and in one place. And you can see a few of the bubbles but certainly not all of them. It's important to remember what the painting is about and not paint all that you see.
The two refracted images of the fish plus its shadow make up the title. I didn't think about Dr. Seuss's "One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish" when I was painting this. Instead, I concentrated on the strong light and dark shape harmony, the repeated ellipses and the orange/turquoise color complements. The rectangle in the upper right represents wood-slat blinds. It seemed unnecessary and distracting to render that beyond an outline and color. The focus is the fish and, as painted, the blinds echo its color without stealing the show.
This is a February painting - done under lamp light in the evening. It was done standing at my field easel - in preparation for painting outside soon. My summer calendar months are filling up with plein air contest possibilities. I've been writing quite a few of the organizers of these events asking if casein will be allowed. So far all have been very welcoming. The saying, "It's better to ask forgiveness than permission," does not apply in this case. It would be a shame to make all of the arrangements, haul my gear to an event and find out casein paintings will not be included. Luckily, it's easy to ask via email - and fortunately, all the responses have been positive. I'm getting excited for spring!