Lighting up the Stage

6x6

oil on gessoed board

DPW

I'm squeezing all that I can out of this licorice theme:-)  I think it's a good idea to paint several pieces on a subject or paint with a theme.  I don't always do that, but I believe it's a good practice.   It forces me to keep going beyond perhaps the obvious.   I remember hearing somewhere that it takes about 7 attempts before we move beyond the images we have already seen, to get to something more original/my own interpretation.  How many different ways can I find to paint licorice - use this subject to play with values, light and composition?  Here's a little step by step of the painting above, which by the way is attempt #3 on licorice:

Pink under painting with my light colors started.

adding shadows and defining some edges.

Almost finished after adding the light ground.  I then went in and softened some of the edges on the shadows and then lightened them as they move away .