other delight, which is painting fabrics. When I was in art school, I was pressured to go into textile design, which I vigorously resisted. Now I understand that the instructors must have observed a natural tendency I have toward textile design.”
One painting that ingeniously combines both interests is Southwest Callas (above). With a clear vision of what she wanted to capture, Oliver recalls, “I had to be careful that the rug didn’t overpower the beauty of the flowers, so I started with darker transparent washes in the rug and a warm Indian yellow under the callas.”
To avoid edges that looked pasted on, Oliver painted the rug around the flowers in tandem. This proved to be a challenge. “With realism your faults are there for everyone to see. At one stage in Southwest Callas, I thought I’d taken on more than I could do. Tweaking here and there, however, I adjusted the values and, once the callas were done, building the rug’s pattern was pure fun.”
Southwest Callas (above; oil, 11x14) and The Tin Plate (opposite; oil, 24x24)
■ Winsor & Newton cadmium yellow light or lemon, cadmium orange, permanent alizarin, ivory black
■ ultramarine blue deep (any brand)
■ Gamblin titanium white
Oliver mixes reds, greens, ochres and purples from the basic six, making slight adjustments as she goes. Accent colors include Winsor & Newton’s cerulean blue and Indian yellow and Holbein’s viridian.
■ Louise B. Hafesh is an award-winning writer and artist. You can see examples of her work at www.artworks-site.com.
November 2008 ■ www.artistsmagazine.com
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