July Oil Painting
Steak Still-life: Tri Tip
Folded Tri Tip in Cool Light, 2019. (Oil on Canvas, 18"x 24")
The next painting in the Steak study series, this is a traditionally presented still-life of a Tri-tip steak based off a photo taken in a slightly dim cutting room with two primary light sources.
The fold of the muscles are emphasized with shadow, and the presence of the steak in the space should feel heavy, after-all, it is over a kilo (two pounds) of meat. The texture and direction of the muscles are very unique and provide a good outlet for the brush strokes. These streaky bands of red muscle contrast well with the cool table in the background, and the splotchy fat cap on top of the tail of the Tri tip.
There is a clarity from a distance, but like the previous paintings, up close the brush strokes do not try to hide that is it paint. The color in each section has been translated into paint so that each stroke of paint is a color true in value, so that from afar the eye interprets the image as a unified form.
The textures follow patterns found in the reference image, but do not imitate the textures of the photograph. Some of the highlights were not painted, incorporating the stained canvas and it's texture exposed in places.
