3.11.10 Doin’ Laundry

Before I start Doin’ Laundry I have to tell you how excited I am that spring has finally arrived here in our little part of Texas. We saw the first bluebonnets on our property this morning. YIPPEE! It won’t be long before the hillside below our home will be covered in a field of blue.

Well, time to come inside and start painting. Last night Jack and I were talking and he mentioned I hadn’t done any laundry lately. I gave him a glare, asking “Are you out of clean socks?” He laughed and replied, “No honey, Paintings! You haven’t done any laundry Paintings lately.”

Seguret is a delightful little village in Provence, France that overlooks the Rhone Valley vineyards. On a sunny spring day someone was Doin’ Laundry, washing the whites in this picturesque corner. There are so many hidden nooks and crannies in Seguret, what a treat to find this one.

I begin by painting the distant building, making the rock wall cool. Moving to the main building (see above) I make the mixtures warmer to bring it forward. The shutters and door on the foreground building are a brighter and more intense blue than the shutters in the distance. The addition of a draping vine helps to separate the two buildings and also provides a dark to accentuate the wash fluttering in the breeze.

To paint the white laundry hanging on the line I begin with the shadows, using blues and purples to block them in. My brushstrokes are pretty loose so as to suggest the fabric moving in the wind.Above you can see where the white has been added. I use White ALKYD Oil Paint to apply the highlights which allows me to make thick brushstrokes without having to worry about drying time. One of my readers asked why I just didn’t use Liquin to speed drying? Mixing Liquin in regular White Oil Paint makes it thin. I can’t get the thickness and texture in my brushwork that White ALKYD Oil Paint allows. Adding some ribbons to the bottoms of a couple of the dresses gives a finishing touch.

Doin' Laundry Original Oil Painting 14" x 11"

The wall and vines in the left foreground give a dark mass for the light to spill out from. This is another technique to give the feeling of depth in a painting. The viewer’s eye travels across the dark foreground (Threshold) and into the light. The flowers are complete and I can’t think of a prettier place to be Doin’ Laundry.

Thank you for visiting. Hugs, Mikki Senkarik

Website: http://www.senkarik.com  Email: senkarik@senkarik.com