"Red and Green Study" oil 16 x 12

This study of reds, greens and silver is designed to draw the eye into and around the painting.  I considered standing the carnations in a vase or the samovar, but liked the angles created by laying them on the surface.  RAther than painting the reds next to one another, I painted the red shadows thinly first, then applied the red in light more thickly on top of it.  This technique keeps the shadows more flat, with less light, and the thicker paint in the light picks up some of the bouncing light and adds to the contrast.