The shoe painting continues. This is not so much one painting as each shoe is a painting in itself. Whilst this shoe is silver, its interior is black with a silver streak delineating the sole inner from the side. The sandal next to that is white which, because I never use white paint, has to be rendered by leaving the white paper and adding subtle washes to indicate form.

This was one of my favourite shoes to paint. I like the colours and the textures which resemble snake skin but very unlike snakeskin in colour. This is in contrast to the shoe to the left shown from the back, yet to be painted.

I have added the shadow on the pink shoe and made a start on the next one by adding the inside colour colour. I shall build up the texture on the outside of this shoe in stages but the sole will give a clue as to the colours i will use.

The top pink shoe is well under way. This shoe has two tones of pink, one with a blue bias on the     in sole and a warmer pink on the body of the shoe. One of the colours, of course, would not be visible when worn. I like to combination of the pinks with the orange shades of the cork platform sole. The shoe next to it will provide the greatest challenge to me. It is a shoe in purples and blues with a few traces of pink in a snake skin pattern with reflected highlights of light. It golden yellow sections on the inside and outside of the shoe. Of course the designers will have been aware that little traces of the complementary colour to purple make for a pleasing combination.

I have added the suggestion of a male figure in the top right corner background but you may need to enlarge the picture to see it.  There may be other suggestions of figures, as it adds to the 'human' element of the work. There is no point in having a retail display with no customers! (Though the customers are not important in this case!)
I will not paint more today, as I have been asked to officially open an exhibition by three artists at the Percolator Gallery in Paddington, Brisbane this evening. The exhibition is called 'Obsession" which is quite apt, as most artists have an 'obsession' with their subjects.

When I start a new row of shoes, I need to think about the whole row and how the colours, shapes and the position of the shoes are in relation to the composition. I want to paint while I am thinking, so have started the first shoe by painting the cork platform sole. I am not yet ready to paint the shoe, so I have added some more of the background. Whilst I 'suffer' when I'm painting, that is I am sometimes a bit tense about colour choice etc, this painting is still exciting for me to do. It is so different a subject than my usual topic of flora and fauna it is a tonic.

I decided to change the last shoe on the bottom row to a black sandal similar to the brown one above.
I had intended to paint another orange coloured shoe but felt that the shoe would not have been the best balance for the composition. I think that the original shoe lead the composition off to the left and I wanted it to 'arrest' the eye of the viewer and bring it back across the painting.

The latest addition to the shoe rack is a strapped sandal with silver straps. Painting these to make them look reflective is to paint the reflections. The colours from the surrounding and the shadows are all reflected in the shoes.

This sandal/thong is 'pink' and obviously the same style as the blue ones in the rack above. Having multiple copies of a style reflects the 20/21st. century consumerism and manufacturing. Shoes in past times would have been more for function and less for ornamentation. It would be interesting to research the development of shoes in society but that is for another time I think!

Turquoise is not an easy colour to mix with watercolour paint. This shoe is similar to the patterned blue ones is structure but is not neatly on the rack. Part of what I find interesting is the haphazard placement of the shoes. Neat rows of all the same shoes would not have been as stimulating.

This is a detail with the contrast added to the shoe on the left. In the close up photo the texture of the paper and the paint treatment makes it more obvious that it is a painting. I have noticed that more distant photographs of the work which are uploaded to electronic media tend to look more photographic than the actual painting. Whilst I try to achieve a 'photographic' image in much of my watercolour work , I still want it to look like a painting which, when seen in actuality, it does.

The texture to the shoe in progress, is different from what I have done before. It is reminiscent of animal skin with flecks of metallic material. Shadows and increased contrast will make the shoe more dimensional.

The bottom row of shoes is now getting fuller which has the effect of giving the painting 'gravity'.

The small bits of plastic/bone on this sandal add a bit of variety to the texture of the work. The leather of each sandal that is not dyed with a colour still differ in tone,  some being a rich ochre and some being a pale sandy hue. A little to do on the orange shoe and then I shall continue with its yellow 'cousin'.

The orange shoe has a yellow companion. The 'gold' tip to the orange shoe is not a visible as I have decided that the tops of the shoes from there will not protrude over the edge of the 'frame'. The shelf bars are deliberately not horizontal as I feel that it would have not been as interesting a composition. I want some shoes to feel that they could almost fall out.

More contrast and shelf shadows give the dimension I am looking for. The tip of the orange shoe is a gold metallic finish and a highly reflective surface. I shall attempt that next, but I am aware that, once on, the paint can not be completely removed, so this will be a big test for me.

The addition of the complementary orange colour breaks up the blue dominance of the larger images of shoes. It is important to get the shadows correct to give the shoes form. There is more contrast to be added yet and the challenge of creating the 'gold' toe of the orange shoe.

This is the result of my session since my earlier post. I will add the sole to the blue shoe and the top to the related design in pink next.

There is little done since the last post, just the end tips to the bow on the latest blue shoe. I shall work today on the    companion shoe with the related pink one.

 Detail

It is interesting completing the fabric of these shoes. The shoe just completed is almost 'batik' in appearance and works well with this design. Bringing it out of the composition whilst putting the one to the right of it, (as the viewer looks) behind, brings forward that section of the composition.

the bottom corner shoe is complete and I have now taken my attention to the canvas shoe to the left of it. There are two of these shoes and I shall work on them simultaneously so that the paint colour will be uniform. There is another of the shoes of the same material and design but in a different colour. Two in blue tones and one in warm red tones.

 Detail

Work on the lower frame has begun. The shoes need something to 'sit' on to provide gravity to the work. The lower right hand shoe is slightly different in style as a thong type shoe and also the colour of the leather is more 'suede like'.

The pale blue thong was more of a challenge than I anticipated. It has a metallic lustre in reality but I found it almost impossible to replicate it in paint. In spite of that, I am quite happy with the result. The dark blue thong was so much in shadow that, in spite of my decision to omit labels of shoes, needed the circular label to give id dimensional reality. My next task is to add the details of the shelf/ledges on which the shoes are resting and then my decision is to start the lowest shelf of shoes beginning whit the lower part of the shelf.

The floral canvas shoe is a welcome contrast of colour and style among the other shoes.

The addition of blue was stimulating and the colour is close, but not exactly what I was trying for. I have come to the conclusion that some pigments used to colour shoes, are not easily reproduced using artists paint. I have to say that this will not stop me from trying. I have decided to work next on the shoe to the left that has a floral design woven in warm tones. It will be a small challenge for me to paint flowers with little detail as is usual in floral designs.

I have added the beginnings of the blue shoe and the pair of dark blue thongs which have one on top of the other. The canvas-like material of the shoe is folded in contrast to the smooth black shoes which adds some interest to the work. The painting is as much about the materials as it is about the subject.

A quick update on the completed shoe from my short session today. The shoes to the left and right of this shoe are made from a canvas-like material. I don't know if I will be successful in creating this effect, but will enjoy the challenge. The other shoes (thong type) are of a coloured metallic finish in various shades of blue. The shoe five from the left will be in warm pink and yellow tones which are reflected in the side of the black shoe next to it.

I was unwell last evening and so was not able to blog my progression. Feeling a little better today so here is the update. I hope to get a little more done later today.
I and aware of the fact that glossy shoes will reflect the colour of the shoes beside them and have indicated this on the sides of the shoe. The shoe lace still to be done.
  Detail

The ladies shoes on this shelf are quite robust and ordinary in contrast to the high heels and platforms on other shelves, but they are interesting materials to paint. Shiny black leather, metallic finishes and the natural tanned leather of the sandal just completed.

 Detail

The 'silver' shoes complete, next I shall work on the leather sandal but need to consider the tone of the tan leather and the buckles which have a brass appearance. For the leather I shall use          Magnesium brown, Alizarin crimson for the warm tones with touches of Chromium yellow. For the buckles and studs, I shall use Transparent yellow tinged using indigo. The darks on the leather will have some indigo to darken the colours. These shoes almost look masculine but this will change as I progress.