Lucky Red 2

Lucky Red 2 – final. 18 x 24, oil on canvas, Kit Miracle

In keeping with the red and good luck symbols, I created this still life after the first one.  There are a couple of common elements to Lucky Red the first, such as, the bamboo plant and the small fish glass paperweight.

Here you see a large jade dragon signifying the year of the Dragon and a jade/silver/gold bracelet with the I-Ch’ing symbolizing Ta Yu or number 14.  Unfortunately the bracelet wasn’t so lucky as it was damaged in a bike wreck.  Humph!  I also have a sleeping cat from Provence suggesting my name – and the cat sleeps with one eye open.  The gold cup is from my mother and the tea is Yogi brand (Detox).  I always like to incorporate a sense of humor or irony in my work if I can do it very subtly.  The seashell doesn’t represent anything in particular; I just like it.  And the red cloths for the background – one a kind of orangey-red batik and the other a medium dark red.

Lucky Red 2 – initial still life set up. Notice the peach gel to diffuse the light.

Lucky Red 2, initial drawing on the canvas

Lucky Red 2 – first washes

Lucky Red 2 – more blocking in major colors

Lucky Red 2 – adding more colors

Lucky Red 2 – step 6, adding more details, color corrections

Lucky Red 2 – adding more details. This is the 85% mark when all that is left is to tweak the details.

A view of the painting with the still life set up behind it.

Lucky Red 2 – cup detail. Notice how abstractly this gold cup is painted.

Lucky Red 2 – detail of shell. Notice how loose the brush strokes are. It is a real accomplishment to get the effect with just one pass.

Lucky Red 2 – detail, sleeping cat

Lucky Red 2 – final. 18 x 24, oil on canvas, Kit Miracle