The ”Keys” of an Exciting Still Life

In May, I treated myself to a 3-week, online class taught by the amazing artist, Daniel J. Keys. I have admired his loose brushstrokes and his ability to make a simple subject come to life with his interesting paint handling and unique compositions.

Daniel’s online class consisted of wonderful videos on a variety of topics such as observation, lighting, composition, accurate drawing, values, along with thoughtful video critiques with photoshop changes to show you enhancements to your painting and his thought process. I highly recommend taking one of his online classes.

Week one consisted of watching the video, My Favorite Roses and creating a master copy of his work while viewing his reference photo. This was a great experience and taught me how to start a painting a little looser while still being accurate and incorporating a sense of play with interesting brushstrokes into a painting. Value and edges are so important! Below is my poor man’s Keys master copy (shown on the top) and Daniel’s beautiful painting (shown on the bottom.)

Master copy of Daniel’s yellow roses by Jill Brabant. My transitions in the yellow roses in the shadow areas need to be more gradual to capture the soft form. In my attempt to create loose brushstrokes I lost some of the form of the roses. There is a fine line between a sense of play and knowing when to describe the form with a harder edge. Daniel’s more neutral background (less blue) makes the yellow sing in the roses. His leaves show better value transitions without creating every detail.

Yellow Roses by master painter, Daniel J. Keys