Roses Still Life Demo-Trevena Style Class

Here's my 15x15 demo from today's class in the Shirley Trevena style. Of course my work can never compare to her masterpieces but was fun reading her 2 books, setting up still life, and having several artists come to paint all day. These roses were my own, posed in clear glass vases in front of my black lacquer French settee, on a little black coffee table with movie stars photos in it.

Drawn in colored pencil, a white candle was also used for making resist marks, while watercolor was put on dry paper partially coated with texture medium. The Indian pillows with their sequined patchwork help frame the roses and zinnias. Ignoring perspective is Shirley's hallmark style along with very vibrant hues. Colored pencils were sanded into wet paint for texture, and oil pastels added at the end for highlights and additional accents. The coffee table is upright while one vase comes off the page. My favorite part is the photo of Clark Gable upper right of the coffee table.

It was a difficult technique for most of us who are so accustomed to realism to paint a bit looser and not worry so much about the outcome.