Wax Paper I
Monday, July 7, 2008 at 10:45PM 
Wax Paper I11 x 14 inches
oil on panel
I began with a detailed contour drawing the same size as the final painting, and then transferred the drawing to the panel:
It was so much easier to do the underpainting having solved many of the drawing issues already. I used brown and black, and just used paint thinner to lift the paint off again for the lights and whites:
Stage 2 of the underpainting, still using just brown and black and thinner:
A first pass of basic color. I was worried at this point that I wouldn't be able to capture the feel of the wax paper's transparency, but I felt better when I refined the lower right corner of the wax paper shape and started getting a feel for it:
This is where I missed photographing a few stages. I worked especially hard on the ellipse shape of the rim of the dish, it's so easy to make a painted rim look distorted:
Now that the pitcher and dish were complete, I spent the last several days of work just focused on the wax paper, moving from lower right up to the top:
The completed painting:
NEWS: Two July Shows
I currently have 18 paintings on display right now. Nine are at my eye doctor's office, Dr Marcus, who likes to show a rotating series of art on his waiting room walls. My work will be on display through July and August, and the office is located at:
512 Westline Drive in Alameda, CA
My second show is at Frank Bette Gallery, also in Alameda, and there will be an opening with wine and refreshments this Friday July 11. I'm honored to have had all 9 paintings I submitted accepted to their group show "Still, Life". Frank Bette is located at
1601 Paru Street at Lincoln Ave, Alameda, CA
Oh and an update on the Stow Lake landscape I started last month.... due to the fog and also the smoke from forest fires, there hasn't been a clear sunny day in San Francisco for a month! Even when it is mainly sunny the light has a disturbing filtered feel to it, like we are living in air the color of weak tea. I'd like to paint outside again, but summer in San Francisco may not be the season. We usually have our nicest days in September, oddly enough.
Reader Comments (14)
Sadie,
This beautiful painting is, from what I can see, the culmination of years of work. Congratulations. Wonderful stuff.
Oh my gosh, Sadie, that's so exquisite! Congratulations. I must ask, is it for sale? I'm eyeing it greedily...
Sadly, we won't be able to make it to your opening on Fri, but will make a point of coming to see the show (how long is it up?)
What beautiful work.
Gorgeous!! Yesss!!!
Congrats on the shows...
Cheers!
whoa - this is fantastic, Sadie. and well done on the shows - I wish I could see them!
Sadie, I am completely blown away! All the hard work has paid off, I am truely impressed. Great job!
Chuck
it's unforgettable, beautiful work, many kudos for it!
-christy
Bill Sharp mentioned you in his last post on his blog. I'm glad he did, your work is excellent.
Sadie, what a beautiful painting! I was so excited to see this post---congrats on this work and the shows! (Liz from ADL)
hi, this still life is really well done. congratulations
Beautiful!! Thank you so much for sharing the process. Also, congratulations.
~MaryAnn
I just came across your blog today and found this beautiful painting. It is just wonderful and it is seeing works like this that inspire me to keep painting and aspire to creating something so special. - Melissa
Thank you so much everyone for all your kind comments! I'm working on a new wax-paper painting but I probably won't be done for a couple weeks.
beautifully painted. thanks for sharing the steps too :D