Beets Doing the Tango

Beets Doing the Tango

March 13, 2020 by · 3 Comments

Although the focus of my work is native plants, which are for the most part delicate, ephemeral and many shades of green with touches of color, sometimes I just want to do something bright and bold. The farmer’s market is my place to go for colorful subjects–carrots, kohlrabi, tomatoes peppers…and those are just the beginning of possibilities. Since vegetables are a classic subject used in still lifes by the likes of Renoir and Van Gogh, as well as many contemporary botanical artists, the challenge is to come up with a fresh composition.

Colorful flowers and veggies at the Farmer’s Market.

On a visit to the Farmer’s market in 2017, I gathered up an armful of veggies, chosen not for their succulent flavor but for their possibilities as subjects in a painting. I was especially drawn to the beets–beautiful round shapes, gorgeous deep colors and, best of all, some of the root hairs were intact. Because I wanted a fresh composition, a different way of looking at beets, I tried them every which way…and finally gave up. Nothing sparked my interest or gave my heart that little leap of joy that I look for in a composition. Resignedly, I put the beets in a casserole dish to prepare them for the oven and viola…my composition appeared! I loved the way their long roots swirled around one another. Suddenly they seemed to have lively personalities…and I began to draw!

Beet drawing with a few notes about under painting ideas.
I use my first washes to establish the undertones and basic shape of the subject. I considered using New Gamboge as a first layer because of its orange cast, but decided on the clear yellow of Transparent Yellow. I love Quinacridone Violet for shading reds, oranges and some yellows, so that was an easy choice for the yellow (top) and orange (right) beet, and worked for the body of the purple beet. I used Phthalo Blue Red Shade for the shadows in the purple beet and later on for the deepest shadows and dark details of the other two beets.
When I want bright clear color, I go for the Quinacridones every time, particularly for the red and purple hues. The ‘Quins’ are a newer family of pigments that greatly surpass the traditional Alizarin and Madder pigments for color fastness, clarity and brightness. I used mostly Quin Red, Quin Pink. Quin Lilac and Quin Violet on the top beet and Permanent Orange, Winsor Orange Red Shade, Scarlet Lake and New Gamboge on the right beet. The purple beet (left) is mostly Quin Violet with layers of the reds where the light hits it, and Phthalo Blue Red Shade for the darkest areas.
When I am almost finished, I set the painting up on my mantle, where I can step back 10-15 feet to make sure the shapes have good 3-D form and the color is strong enough. After adjusting the shading, I start my close up exam under a magnifying glass. I go over every inch to make sure my edges are crisp and the tiny details are clear and shaded appropriately. This may sound tedious but actually it is one of my favorite parts of the process! I find that the crisp edges really make the image pop off the page!
Have you ever seen beets doing the Tango? If you peek in the frig really fast…who knows?
Going around the circle from the left, bull’s blood beet, chioggia beet, and golden beet. These are all heirloom varieties.

I am going to miss painting this now that I am done. It seems to have its own lively personality that lifted my spirits whenever I saw it. It became a sort of companion. This painting is part of a series of three vegetables, cabbage, peppers and beets. Prints will be available soon.

Vegetable series: Heirloom Beets, Savoy Cabbage, Jimmy Nardello Peppers
Filed Under: Botanical, Technique and materials, Works in Progress Tagged With: , , , , ,

Comments

  1. Angela Cox says
    March 14, 2020 at 7:51 am

    I love the painting of the beets, especially all the detail of the roots and shoots.

    Reply
  2. Angela Cox says
    March 14, 2020 at 7:52 am

    This is lovely! I particularly like the detail of the roots and shoots

    Reply
    • jswalkky says
      April 2, 2020 at 9:12 am

      Thanks, Angela! I was happy to find beets with some roots left on them at the Farmer’s Market–usually at the grocery store, they are all removed.

      Reply

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