Cola Crush

I can only apologise for the lateness of this blog but as the saying goes better late than ever. I've just been very busy using every spare hour I have to paint and sketch to meet a deadline for the replacement commissions and I'm happy to say I'm way ahead of my self.

Now I finished the piece "Cola Crush" a few weeks ago and boy did i have some problems with it,  usually I put a few coats of primer on the side to be painted and one coat on the back and sides, once dry I sign the back of the board, but for some reason with this board I signed the front not the back, I then sketched the cola cans without to much issue but when it came to painting I noticed that something wasn't right the paint wasn't taking to the board and it was sinking into the wood, I realised what I had done and had to go about fixing it, after sanding the paint away re-priming the whole board and re-sketching I was good to go.

I painted in the silver cola can that took alot longer than I had thought but I don't know why I was surprised with all the change in colour and tone in the reflective can and the sheer size of it I knew it was going to be challenging, I then hit problem number two.....the red paint.

My Cadmium red had ran out and I needed some more, not a problem I just ordered some more from my online art suppliers, but when it arrived I started to use it and realised it was VERY opaque some thing that's usually an option with paint,  but when I checked the website there was no option and basically you just got what you got. I called the company to ask why this was and was told that the type of paint id had previously had was no longer available!! I didn't have time to mess about sourcing a new supplier and setting up a new account and so I worked with a mix of the Cadmium medium, Cadmium deep and Alizarin crimson to make the paint work, and thankfully it worked.

"Cola Crush"

30" x 30"

Oil on wooden panel

SOLD

I'm really pleased with how it turned out despite all the problems, and I've now moved on to the next commission, the grolsch bottle & after thinking about what composition I wanted I decided that I really liked the original and so I'll be changing very little to it & the only thing I'm toying with is a change in the background as I've always been a little unsure of the green in the first piece.

I've also completed the first two boxing figurative pieces, & I'm now contemplating what to do with them, a gallery, competitions, a private buyer........I'm still undecided.