Tag: flower

Bee & Borage – First Colors

I did this first layer of colors in the gloom of the evening, after work.  I was tired but had played out some of the painting earlier in the day in between whatever I was doing.  I used a small brush and deliberately tried – and will continue to try – a delicate approach.  Both the bee and the borage have a lot of fine hairs which I want to express and preserve.  Looking at the scan shows a need for contrast in the center of the flower, along with on the bee’s back, behind the eyes.  In these areas, I will be working on glazes to create better contrast, and I hope a better sense of depth.  As it stands now, the whole painting is rather flat and nondimensional to my eye.

 

Yellow

I have no idea what kind of flower this is, but it is strange to see in a field of dried grasses and weeds. Its luxuriant and big – large, fuzzy green leaves and flowers that are about 5 inches across. It’s a viney-like critter.

Camera here is the small and mighty Olympus XA4, Fuji Pro 400H film, and home-scanned using a Pakon 135 NonPlus. Some post.

Columbine

I bought an Olympus OM-1n with the standard kit lens, a 50mm f1.8 OM mount, a few weeks ago.  As with every camera, it has to be tested – especially if listed in “excellent” condition.  As always, KEH comes through with quality used photography equipment!

The 50mm lens is really nice – it does a good job with bokeh and sharpness of detail   Here it is demonstrated on a red columbine at the local botanical garden, using UltraMax 400 and scanned with my Pakon.

I can see why a lot of people like this camera.  It was a total pleasure to use – easy, lightweight, compact, and a perfect fit for my hands.