I am contemplating doing a series of still lives in the near future – if God grants me life. The way I paint still lives is a bit of a “mission” to put it lightly. I don’t know if other artists may feel the same way, but I need to be “psychologically” prepared; the logistics of staging the still life and getting everything ready may compare favourably to arranging “lift off”. I work from real objects, which is nothing new, but in this day of easy fixes, hunting for flower vases, bric-a-brac, vegetables and fruit is not that easy for me. Once I have arranged the collection to become worthy subject matter, I need about five to six hours of continuous observation to complete a work. I do not fix anything the following the day.
I think I would have enjoyed sitting with the Impressionists, because I understand the tension of completing it all in one day. (I think some of them obviously did not follow my compulsive method; they must have used more than one day for a few of those wonderful classical pieces, if you were to ask me.) I generally follow the “same-day” route because I feel the connection - I had with the work when I was “on the scene” - is lost the following day, which is a bit of a melodramatic stance I suppose. I admire other creatives who keep on working on a piece until it is absolutely perfect according to their standards.
Yesterday, I looked at a few chairs near me and I thought of all the famous still lives which have a chair as the central structure. I think I may have done at least ten still lives myself in which I placed the objects on a chair. A chair is a perfect stage for a still life because the objects are viewed slightly from above, which adds to the “drama”. There is always a chair nearby, let us sit on the one and arrange the still life tableau on the other. Be seated and paint a play.
Very informative. Thank you.