Title and Medium
First Still Life With Bottle and Fruit. Acrylics, done on 8 1/2" by 11" cardstock paper.
Artist's Statement
When I went to paint this still life I felt the whole composition and objects used were boring. I got excited by two shadows that appeared behind the bottle that connected the tomato with the bottle to form one very irregular shadow. I was very disappointed that when I photographed the set up no shadows showed up because of the flash and the light on the decanter showed up differently! I was painting what I was seeing but no picture I took showed that!
What I'd Do Differently
- I couldn't find any fruit in my house that was the right size to use with the bottle so I had to go out to my vegetable garden and pick an immature tomato that was green to use. In other words if you don't have the fruit just go buy it.
- I have listened to an an artist on the About.com Painting forum discuss "shifting shadows' or in my case "vanishing shadow".
- And of course learn how to paint better. I have only tried painting a glass object once before.
- I should have painted larger to allow for a different compositional set up.
My Website/Blog
http://cmypaintings.blogspot.com
Marion Boddy-Evans, Painting Guide, says:
Glass isn't easy to paint, with its transparent color, reflections, show-throughs, distortions... and if this is only your second attempt, well give yourself credit where it's very definitely due! Stop comparing how you saw the painting in your mind's eye to what your painting turned out like, and start looking at what's working in it. Don't be so hard on yourself! You've got gorgeous colors in the bottle, for starters, giving a sense of the transparency and solidity of the glass.
I like the background line being at an angle; it adds energy to the painting. I found myself wondering what the shadows would do if the bottle were aligned with this rather than the bottom edge of the canvas.
See if your camera has a flash over-ride button somewhere. You may end up with a blurry, shaky photo from a long exposure, but it'll give you a sense of the shadows. Or if not, put a piece of paper underneath/behind the bottles, draw the shadows in with a piece of charcoal, and then take the photo. Won't be perfect shadows, but again it'll give you a reminder.
Being fascinated by the patterns and shapes in still lifes, rather than the objects themselves, reminds me of an Italian artist, Giorgio Morandi. He created some striking abstracts using bottles as a starting point (see example painting). His drawings are probably the most abstract (he also painted in oils and watercolor, and etched).
