Cooking time again
 

The open studio tutor took out the chef's hat once again, we had three session, there was time to do more than one work.
The head is on board, I want to take out all the doodling with color in his shadow
Ilaria

Detail

Ilaria,

I love it, keep on cooking. Such a fine balance between values and colors.

These are really, really good, Ilaria! Wow! I am most impressed!

I really like the colour in the shadows of the first one. It is the thing that make the painting more than just a copy of reality. It makes it very interesting as a created image - that and its unusual format. This is real leap forward.

Ilaria,

Wow, I really love these! The colors in both are exciting. It could have been a monochromatic painting, with the chef sitting there against a white wall dressed in white. Instead it's a polychrome treat. You found all those colors and made them work, made them stay where they belong. I think a lot of people don't realize how hard that is to do.

I also like the composition of the first one, the horizontal format and the way the shadows balance the figure and relate to him and the shape of his hat. There are just enough deeper shadows to add richness but not heaviness.

I really liked it! that's beautiful and original.

Allan, Claudemir, thank you !
and Thomasin, Alex, I am so unsure about those colours in the shadow, I think that as they are they make very little sense! I could see the definite hue shifts in the shadow, but ... I don't know, I want to rework that area a little, maybe making it less dark, though still chromatic, and taking out contours completely.
I promise I won't spoil it
I.

Geez. Give me a spoon and I'll eat this stuff:)

Everything, from the pose to the format, composition; to the execution and handling of colours is so masterfully done. The seasoning in you is really showing, Ilaria.
Congratulations! (so well drawn, also!)

Wow, thanks ! I now have this hat, I think I will put in a still life painting, I like its shape.
I have been invited to show a few works in a very posh patisserie in Milan, I think the little head is "in theme"!
Ilaria

I trust you implicitly to know what to do and when to stop.

Ilaria,

A common thread I notice throughout your body of work (that I've seen at least) seems to be your bold use of color to describe shapes that to my eyes, mostly just look "dark". And I just love how you do that. Thanks for sharing these!

Ilaria, this is excellent work. I really enjoy to see your procedure, first the drawing and proportion and then the color/value as you perceive it.
This is excellent work and example of what we should look for when in the position to work from life.

Thank you! You are ever so kind to share these with us. Your sincerity Is much appreciated.

Julie, this is one of the things I work on: it's working against my naturally italian tendency to tonal paint and try to have colours describe the form instead of tone. Reintroducing black on my palette this year has paradoxically helped me: it makes it easier for me to control the color mixing, greying down (reducing chroma) with black rather than with the complementary makes my colours cleaner and with a more defined hue.
Mischa: thank you ! Exposing my struggles and my doubts is also a way for me to assess my work
Ilaria