Skull II

You will likely see this skull in other paintings because I love it so much. It lay partially buried in red Oklahoma clay for a long time and there is still clay packed in its nooks and cranies. The staining from the soil as well as weathering have given this skull a sense of time long past and a mysterious, almost spiritual aura. The staining along with all the internal folds and slopes make it difficult to paint the subtle changes of color. The internal shadows change the color ever so slightly, requiring a new mix of paint.

Yesterday's pelvis and today's skull relate to my earlier postings of red fruits on red backgrounds. I really enjoy trying to blend the object into the background at the right point so that the differentiation almost - but not quite - disappears. I'm curious now to paint a white skull on a bright or dark background to learn how that affects the way I see and apply color.

This painting is oil on a 16x20 linen canvas.