Color and apples

[Timothy C. Tyler]

There are some composition things going on here in regards to color and value. I very much wanted to have the apples make since as they passed around the figure-the arch and flow of them. I wanted even the direction of them to be obviuos from the hands. I also wanted the one red apple in the air to be near the red of the face, shirt and hands. The green apples were used elsewhere to make them less important and less distracting. I painted the apples' color and value very accurately then I adjusted the sky color so that it was the same value exactly as the green apples-again to make these less important.

I consider the figure to be the most important, then the secondary stuff (the apples) then lastly the background which was used to help the other stuff. Even the placement and shapes of the clouds was very much done to help the design.

If one draws lines from apple to apple (cross-wise)-you'll find these lines all intersect in the face. I place one additinal red apple in the lap so it would not be an orphan. The gold trim, especially at the very bottom is an essential part of the composition. If you cover it up the work is less balance and less interesting.I'll post a detail of that portion below.

[Timothy C. Tyler]

Apples etc...

[Enzie Shahmiri]

Dear Tim,

First off I want you to know that I admire your technical skill, everything is beautifully handled and the colors could not be any richer. I am curious about this painting and before I pose my questions, I want to make sure that you do not view my inquiry as any type of critique of your skills. I am really only curious about the choices you have made in regards to posing this youth.

To me the boy seems disassociated with the action he is performing. It

[Timothy C. Tyler]

By the way Enzie, you need not be so careful or generous - it's fine really to speak openly. I don't mind. I did, as you suggest, do this on purpose. This is for two main reasons: 1. If you actually juggle (and you can try this at home) you do not and cannot look at any one apple. You simply look at them all in a blur - see them all at once and out of the corners of your eyes. Focus on one and they will fall. Secondly and more importantly, I wanted to create tension and a contradiction between the very relaxed casual look of the boy and the stress one would expect from the chore of attending to the apples. Making him look stressed or overly attentive would be rather less captivating, methinks.

As a third and minor point, I wanted to paint something akin to or feeling vaguely like, an old religous painting in feel and environment yet with an ironic, unexpected twist to it.

[Valerie Gudorf]

I find this image stunning and almost surreal, like a image from a dream. The effect is haunting and seemingly fraught with symbolism. Can you further explain the thinking behind your design decisions, Tim? I am particularly fascinated with the use of the cloak, which seems almost regal with its elaborate gold braiding (extremely well rendered, by the way). The wonderful use of rich compliments in the
boy's dress, repeated also in the apples, is a treat to the eyes. The boy's flesh tones are beautiful and the expression on his face, enigmatic. The grey sky is brooding and just shy of tempestuous. Why did you choose this atmosphere, as apposed to a blue sky backed by fair weather clouds?

Just the nuts and bolts technical aspects of pulling off such a painting fills me with questions. For instance: Did your model actually juggle the apples? Did you paint from life, from photos, or a combination of the two. Where did you find such sumptuous costuming? Did you paint the backdrop from your imagination, or did you pose him in front of an actual physical backdrop? What about that rather impressive boulder the child sits on?
Little details like this can be daunting to us beginners.

One could make up an entire story from this painting. Who is this boy? What are his magical powers (surely, he must have some sort of magical powers!)? Might he be a magician's apprentice? Pauper turned prince? It absolutely ignites the imagination.

Fine work, Tim. Bravo!

[Sharon Knettell]

Tim,

Congratulations on your site on ARC, it is nice to see that your talent and hard work have been rewarded.

This is such a lovely and imaginative piece. Is this the same boy who is on your website in various states of finish? He is so handsome.

Sincerely,

[Timothy C. Tyler]

Thanks Sharon, he was called pretty recently and didn't much like that - handsome, I'm sure, is better.

Valerie, boy those are good questions and the kind I like to answer. I'll ramble on here a bit. Yes, he did juggle them so I could observe. It's hard to juggle long or well sitting down (one more tension suggestion). The robe was meant to aid in the timeless nature of the pose. The detail of the gold was really time consuming. I drew it very carefully (its uniform and repeats); it's also symmetrical, so drawing was a killer. Then I painted it pretty thickly on the bright spots so it would sparkle at least in person. The rocks were sister rocks from my yard that were very aged (exposed and had a patina) I rolled them around until I found the surfaces that best served this pose. I try make everything serve the face and the figure -reate reaction or serve as a foil.

I determined where the apples would be and then built dowels the right length and placed them on the dowels so the light would fall corectly upon each. I rotated them to avoid redundancies.

Leaving a painting open for interpretation is fun and tricky. There must be enough in the work to gently nudge viewers in a direction yet not too much. Making something somewhat timeless is another real challenge.

I've painted a lot of skies and made lots of field sketches-I just drew from those years of experience. I painted the sky at least three times. It's very thick and chewy and the apples are thinly painted-so that which is nearest is thinnest and that which recedes the most is thickest; rather the opposite of what would seem normal, yet this again adds to the contradictions and tension (I hope).