From the Artist, Rene Ghirardi: I believe photos are a reference. I set up a still life, for instance, shoot my own photo(s) and then work in Photoshop with cropping, etc. The result becomes my 'guide' to transfer to the canvas.
Then I paint from the actual still-life setup and the viewpoint from which I shot the photo. Occasionally I'll reference the photo for some close-up details that are easier to see in a photo than sticking my nose an inch from the actual setup.
Here you can see two different paintings in which I used both the still-life setup and a photograph. With the second painting (bottom right), I departed further from the actual setup and photo although I still referenced both.
Then I paint from the actual still-life setup and the viewpoint from which I shot the photo. Occasionally I'll reference the photo for some close-up details that are easier to see in a photo than sticking my nose an inch from the actual setup.
Here you can see two different paintings in which I used both the still-life setup and a photograph. With the second painting (bottom right), I departed further from the actual setup and photo although I still referenced both.
