Glass Jars with Roots September 2022 12" X 18" Media: Acrylic paint over graphite sketch on watercolor paper My intention for this artwork was to display the relationship between the reflective glass and the plant roots inside which created an array of lines that I wanted to represent with streaks of varying color and value.
The photograph I used as a reference is actually focused on the reflection of 3 jars containing plants in a small mirror that was placed on the ground facing the sky. I started by sketching out the main highlights and shadows and the main lines of the roots that I wanted to include. Then I started my underpainting with washes of greens, blues, and browns. After that I built up the shadows, focusing on the middle jar and allowing the side jars to be streaks of color that still had form. Then I added the highlights and darkened the shadows as needed, finishing with the brightest white highlights.