Category Archives: Traditional Oil Painting

Sunflowers in Checkered Pitcher

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11×14 Oil Painting

Sunflowers in Checkered Pitcher Oil Painting by Winifred Whitfield

Without a doubt, this is one of my favorite sunflower paintings to date. It absolutely brings a smile. I love the black and white enamel pitcher.  I resisted painting it for months now, thinking I didn’t want to paint all the checks but it was not so difficult to do. 

Below –  Oil on 11×17 panel.

Sunflowers Oil Painting on Checkered Table Cloth by Winifred Whitfield

I guess, I’d already commenced my “checkered” journey a couple weeks before with the tablecloth the painting above – from imagination.  That’s probably why I felt I could at least paint checks looking at them.   I love the looseness of these flowers and the colors. Hope you enjoy both. 

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Five Sunflowers

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11×14  Sunflower Oil Painting on Panel

Sunflower Bouquet by Winifred Whitfield

  I often try this sort of unstructured colorful painting between portrait paintings.  Although my first love is portrait paintings, they are so tedious and exacting, they exhaust me.  Painting playful and colorful florals is how I recover.  I’ve recently completed a couple of portraits I am very proud of – but I can’t show you yet!

 

I hope you are having a wonderful Easter or Passover – or just a relaxing Sunday in any way you choose.

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Portrait Redo

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Portrait Redo – 9×12 Portrait Oil Painting on Linen Panel

Revised Painting of Young Mexican Girl by Winifred Whitfield

A few weeks ago, I posted the “first painting” of this young girl as labled.  It has some cuteness about it, but it is in my home and I saw it daily and it irritated me more and more each day.

 It is not unusual for me to make little changes to a painting as I see the need – “seeing” a process unto itself. For this painting, however, my concerns were major and required major repainting, which upon conclusion, I consider a major accomplishment. I even created/modified a brush just to add the curls to her hair.   Well, it’s done – at least for now!! What do you think?

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Portrait Slight Smile

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Slight Smile – Oil Painting 9×12 Traditional Oil on Panel

Slight Smile – Oil Painting Portrait by Winifred

Did I ever tell you how difficult it is to paint portraits with accuracy of image likeness. Well, it really is difficult. There are so many nuances of tonal values, of color, techniques designed to tell you what moves forward and what’s in back and how the planes of the face turn. Spending 40 to 50 hours on a portrait is the usual.  It is intricate and the detail can be tedious – if the portrait is in anyway realistic.  At the same time I marvel when one is complete and I know I have done my very best.  With each painting there is something I learn and can take into the next painting.  No matter how difficult, I always look forward to the next.

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WW Haitian Girl Winifred Whitfield Still life WW Red Tree WW Fall Maple WW mom-child WW Portrait S ww-portrait-A

Portrait Highlights Patterns

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Portrait Highlights Patterns – 9×12 Oil Painting on Linen Panel

Portrait Oil Painting by Winifred

When I noticed the patterns of highlights on her face, I was inspired to paint this face.  I hesitated for a moment wondering if I could capture such an intricate design – but that’s why tiny brushes are made! It was  quite unusual for me to set up lighting in my studio this way but I’m so glad I did.

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WW Haitian Girl Winifred Whitfield Still life WW Red Tree WW Fall Maple WW mom-child WW Portrait S ww-portrait-A

Colorful Bouquet

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Colorful Bouquet Still Life Oil Painting by Winifred

Colorful Bouquet Still Life 11×12 x in Gessoed Panel

I painted this bouquet a few months ago but have never posted it anywhere.  Do you think there is such a thing as too much color!  I did and planed never to share it. Combining both the color and the paint texture, this painting has the appearance of candy. It is super saturated and shiny. It’s a lot to take in.  It would have been perfect to have posted it on Valentine’s Day. But we’re not too far off and we are upon yet another holiday to celebrate. So, whether I love it or not – here it is. Hope you’ve enjoyed both holidays this week – and also this very colorful painting.

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WW Haitian Girl Winifred Whitfield Still life WW Red Tree WW Fall Maple WW mom-child WW Portrait S ww-portrait-A

Portrait of Despair

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Portrait of Despair

12 x16  Oil painting Portrait onTextured Gessoed Panel

Portrait of a Woman in Despair – 12×16 Oil Painting by Winifred Whitfield

It’s been a tough year of hurricanes, wild fires, flooding, mass murder, racial and other interest group violence and political hostility. Despair, hopelessness, loss seem but a heartbeat away and often central to the fabric of our lives. 

I painted this portrait depicting anguish and despair because I wanted to document this emotion. On some level,  at one time or another, to one extent or another, we have all known loss, agony, distress, grief, heartbreak, anxiety, worry, discouragement, and or despondency. I see such stories posted on Facebook and in the news – now it seems all the time.  And – because we are so interconnected, there is no escaping from the shared pain. The specific reasons for this emotion in the photo are not important and will not be discussed.  However, I think it might be of value to take a moment to connect with your particular sadness through this  image, and then breathe back into your strength and courage to move forward.

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Brass Against Red Backdrop

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Brass Teapot Against Red Backdrop – 12×16 Oil on Linen Panel

Brass Teapot on Red – Oil Painting by Winifred

In June, I set up and photographed many still lifes.  This was one I knew I would paint at some point – and finally, the day came.  Painting the textures of the various articles was challenging and fun.The colors are luscious. To make this painting easier, I opened the photograph in Photoshop, and used the dropper, to select individual hues and values to make color swatches. I printed these color samples on high gloss paper and took them into my “wet” studio to mix my paints to match the precise oil colors for the painting. Very effective! Hope you enjoy. Winifred

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