From the Artist: This was painted from life and, although it looks odd, there really wasn't a reflection on the middle glass portion of the lamp although there was a reflection on the metal part of the lamp.
From the Painting Guide: There's something wonderfully meditative yet compulsive about watching a lava lamp... as many, many people have discovered since they were invented in the early 1960s. About.com's Guide to Inventors has the history of the lava lamp, while the Guide to Chemistry has instructions on how to make a lava lamp. If chemistry's not your thing, how about a lava lamp cocktail?
Things to Consider When Looking at This Painting:
Observation vs Imagination: A crucial part of painting realistically is close observation, of truly seeing what's in front of you and not allowing your brain's auto-pilot to override it with a "I know what it looks like" reaction. And that's also why it's important to paint a still life from a real set-up, not from your imagination, so you can see what's truly happening with the reflections and shadows, as you experienced.
From the Painting Guide: There's something wonderfully meditative yet compulsive about watching a lava lamp... as many, many people have discovered since they were invented in the early 1960s. About.com's Guide to Inventors has the history of the lava lamp, while the Guide to Chemistry has instructions on how to make a lava lamp. If chemistry's not your thing, how about a lava lamp cocktail?
Things to Consider When Looking at This Painting:
Observation vs Imagination: A crucial part of painting realistically is close observation, of truly seeing what's in front of you and not allowing your brain's auto-pilot to override it with a "I know what it looks like" reaction. And that's also why it's important to paint a still life from a real set-up, not from your imagination, so you can see what's truly happening with the reflections and shadows, as you experienced.