Dear Subscribers,


Greetings!

The newsletter has just reached 500 Subscribers! The very first issue
was sent April 26, 2009 to a small handful of people. Thank you all for
reading! The painting that was featured in that issue was a small figure
titled "Rest". Here it is:
 
 

The still life that was previewed last week is now finished.
The setup:

 
 

 

First stage:

 
 

Feeling out the size and position of the elements.

 

Next stage:

 
 

Establishing some darks and points of purest color.

 

Next stage:

 
 

Getting that background started. Light washing from left to right.

 

Next stage:

 
 

 

Next stage:

 
 

 

Next stage:

 
 

At this point I decide that the strong yellow of the apple is
distracting and in competition with the reds that I want to be dominant.
I kill the yellow.

 

And the finished painting, "Iron & Spirits"
  (12x24):

 

  

 

(Click through the image above to get to the Facebook "Like" button!)

 

Close-ups:

 

 

 

Night figure class at Safehouse Atelier continues:

 

progress after Monday night:

 
 

 

Progress after Wednesday night:

 
 

 

I'm realizing that the Leffel workshop
  had a larger impact
than I'd felt at first. It's made me re-commit myself to making
brushstrokes and using lots of paint. To that end I'd decided to only
use bristle brushes on this figure, which has resulted in the fastest
progress I've ever made on a figure from life. (latest image is after 3
night sessions)

 

For those in the Baltimore area:

I'll have a mini on sale in the Zoll Studio Exhibit
 , this Friday - Sunday.

 
 

 

And 3 paintings at the Schuler School
  Holiday Exhibition, which I
think opens the first weekend in December.

 

 

 

 
 

 

More wisdom from Pressfield:

 

RESISTANCE AND LOVE

         Resistance is directly proportional to love. If you're feeling
massive Resistance, the good news is, it means there's tremendous love
there too. If you didn't love the project that is terrifying you, you
wouldn't feel anything. The opposite of love isn't hate; it's
indifference.

         The more Resistance you experience, the more important your
unmanifested art/project/enterprise is to you--and the more
gratification you will feel when you finally do it.

 

RESISTANCE PLAYS FOR KEEPS

         Resistance's goal is not to wound or disable. Resistance aims
to kill. Its target is the epicenter of our being: our genius, our soul,
the unique and priceless gift we were put on earth to give and that no
one else has but us. Resistance means business. When we fight it, we are
in a war to the death.




-Stephen Pressfield, "The War of Art" p.42, p.15


 

For details about my oil still-life lessons (in Palo Alto, California)
starting this January, email me.

 

Until next week,

 

David A. N. Cheifetz
www.davidcheifetz.com

*If you have comments, questions, or feedback, feel free to shoot me an
email and we'll have a conversation.

*If you think a friend would enjoy my artwork, feel free to forward this
newsletter. They can subscribe by clicking on the Email Newsletter
button on my site.