Another still life

The Red Pot
12 x 16
pastel on board









Here is the second still life that I painted recently. This one is a pot by Liz Lescault (also in my gallery), which normally sits on my living room table.

In doing these still life paintings, I've asked myself why it is that I'm usually not very interesting in the genre, while these have been so much fun. I think what I dislike is the obviously arranged groupings of pots and vegetables and who knows what else (skulls seem to be in fashion). They seem articifial and dull to me. Thus, I prefer to paint a single object, perhaps as one might come across it. By limiting the objects, I can also think about the background in terms of design elements.

I also have no desire to paint it perfectly, but instead want it to be painterly and exciting. Perhaps I want my still life to be less still? Using my textured boards and the acrylic underpainting allows for more depth and vibrancy.

For me, the master of still life (and painting in general) has always been Richard Schmid (http://www.richardschmid.com/). Yes, his objects and flowers are arranged on a table top, but they tend to be haphazardly placed with objects and flower petals moving every which way. Many artists have followed his example and there are now many examples of this form of still life. So I don't want to copy them (nor do I have Schmid's skill, needless to say). But I love his approach to beautifully crafted form, mixed with loose brush strokes and disappearing edges.

Among pastel artists, I really admire the work of Deborah Beys (www.abendgallery.com/html_artists/bays_deborah/bays.htm) who uses rich darks and lights in her work.

I want my pieces to have excitement and interesting color and design. Aside from that, I'm not sure. But it will be fun to explore.