This series of paintings in oil on paper are done in single sessions working from life in natural light. I am using contre-jour, a French term that means back lighting the subject. The literal translation is “against the day.” I first learned about contre-jour lighting in painting class in 1990 and immediately felt drawn to it. There is a warm under-painting in burnt sienna. The color cast shifts to cooler color on a rainy day in the third painting.
ABOVE: Still-life with Limes, oil on paper, 6.75 × 9.25 in (17 x 23.5 cm), 10/16/2009
Still-life Bird with Clementines, oil on paper, 9 × 10.25 in (23 x 26 cm), 10/20/2009
Still-life with Dolphin Vase, oil on paper, 9 × 10 in (23 x 25 cm), 10/21/2009