Still life: essence of art

Subject I love: still life

I have painted numerous still life paintings over years. It was not my most favorite subject when I was young, but I fall in love with this subject as time passed by. This genre usually works well for me: set up some things which can be found in the garden or fridge, find some cups, bowls and add a few flowers or leaves in absence of flowers. As you know, whenever possible I do not use photos because camera always distorts the image to some extent and the image is never what human eye can see.

Still life tells a story

Still life always tells a story, and this story can be read quite easily if and when the viewer wants to. It is by far not only shapes and color; it is much more than contrast between live and organic shapes and handmade items. Still life reflects my current opinions and my current emotions. It can express everything we are willing to disclose.

I started this particular still life 5 years ago. I had everything I need to set up something quite attractive. I did a rough value sketch in the actual size which is 22 x 30 inches or full sheet of Arches watercolor paper. I transferred the drawing onto watercolor paper and moved to first washes, just like always working from the back to the front.

Still life: art that tells story
This is how far I got in 2015., drawing from a setup in my studio
Still life: setup
I only created a few washes and left the painting alone for practically 5 years

Restarting the process

I suppose, I got busy afterwards and the items of my still life simply went bad. I did not have time for about 5 years until recently.

After I moved into my new Ajax place, I had to sort out all numerous art folders. I found a few started paintings, all on large size Arches watercolor paper, and I decided to do something about at least a few of them. It took me about 3 days to bring the painting to its final stages.

Close-up of still life top part

Lack of reference should not stop us

The sad thing is that I could only reference the rough sketch. I obviously used my memory and imagination, otherwise it did not work. Working from life results in more vivid and lifelike painting. However, if there is huge interruption in the process, completing such painting can be challenging. It is not only because I do not have the same setup, but also because we change over time. Our perception changes, our color preferences change and, finally, the way we work changes. Therefore, it can be tricky to pick up the process where it was left so many years ago.

Still life with fruit and flowers, watercolor

I took the risk, and I think the result is great. It is a very large painting. It took the entire table length to somehow accommodate it. I also had quite hard time taking pictures with iPhone because of the size.

Still life with fruit and flowers

Masterclass: new way to learn art this fall

This fall I am starting master-classes which will take place once a month. These will be classes for people with experience and they will be designed to elaborate a particular subject and master-class will also include extensive demo and explanations.

I would like to give art classes that genuinely teach somebody, so, that they have artistic freedom creating their own art. I find that most art classes teach students nothing. It is mostly just some design which is executed with paints. Learning is a great way to stay young and keep our brain flexible.

Sign up for FALL SEMESTER art classes

See more of my still life and other paintings on FAA:

28 Replies to “Still life: essence of art”

    1. I would love to finish up more paintings because there are so many. Well, I will just have to take my time and do it.

    2. Well, it’s all on the website. I sort of cannot make videos because my works are most often very large and they take enormous time.

    3. Thank you! I believe I was born with this talent since nobody in my family paints or draws and nobody ever taught me either. I just started drawing at a very young age and got it right away 3-dimensional. I have really spent enormous time with pencil and brushes. And so for almost 60 years.

    4. Any art is great, especially drawing. I went to professional art many years ago.

    5. They are large, I mean 60 x 70 cm or even larger. Some are 18 x 24 inches which is about 46 cm x 63 cm. I do mostly value drawings for paintings. All drawings are on website. Look for tag “drawing” and they come up.

    6. My advice and everything what I have discovered about drawing and painting is on this website. I’ve been writing it for some 8 years.

    1. Thanks! I was unsatisfied with pictures and it was kind of difficult to get the entire painting in a picture because it is very large, but I think what I got is fairly acceptable. Thanks for stopping by!

    1. Thank you! I will be trying to get better pictures. I-phone is not probably the right thing to use, but I sort of didn’t have to bother with the real camera, it needed to be charged, etc. I am glad, the viewer can still feel what I tried to show.

  1. We really do change so much over time and I love how you worded this:

    “working from life is more vivid and emotionally charged painting”

    And I like the different photos you shared of your finished piece – gives us a feel for different elements – like the tablecloth stands out in one and the pear (upper left) has a different feel (for me) in a couple.

    😉

    1. Thanks!
      Even when a photo is edited and adjusted, it does not compare to real things we can paint and draw from life. There are other components, too, ambient atmosphere, temperature, smells and light that changes frequently and we can touch our subject, as well if it is a still life, flower or close-up nature scene. That contributes to telling a better story.
      Perfectionism and hyperrealism have deep roots. I do not feel like I should re-create a photography.
      The slight problem with this piece of art was that I started it long time ago, to be exact 5 years. That is the reason I do not finish all paintings from that far back. I have most often moved on. I also did not have a good reference any longer. I used imagination and my quite rough sketches. That sometimes works well and sometimes doesn’t. It is kind of difficult to predict how the final thing comes out. I like this still life. I am flattening it right now to get rid of small wrinkles and bumps on paper. That means, I will have better pictures, too.
      Thanks for stopping by and taking your time to comment!

    1. Thanks Cynthia! I’ve been busy recently. I’m not sure how far away from South Ajax you are, but I’d love to invite you to my show and sale of small art and Thanksgiving gifts on October 12 if you are in town. I will post something on Facebook, too. That’s the problem: when I paint and do crafts, there is no time for posting anything. Well, I’m just one person for everything. Thanks for stopping by and commenting!

    2. Yes, there certainly is. Prioritizing helps, but it doesn’t stretch the day longer.

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