This still life was inspired by the incredible skills and arrangements of the Dutch Golden Age painters. I have been in awe of their richness and detail and am already a little concerned that the perfectionist in me will struggle with making this picture become realistic without looking cartoony.
I initially enjoyed working on the fabric but ended up spending all my time on it. I had to move away from it. I was struggling with the making the tones looked realistic and accurate. I realise that I have probably made work for myself in making the painting up by referencing and observing only parts at a time.
As I have progressed through this piece, I think what I would do differently. A more cropped version is a possibility.
In the feedback given to Assignment 1 I made noisy brushstrokes on the stool holding the flower pot. I remember thinking I liked the effect as it was a rough wooden trunk. Looking at it, it seems that it was a noisy effect across the whole picture. I thought this was a more relaxed, fluid approach that some artists have, with brushstrokes being visible. Maybe it was the texture of the paper making the noise. I think I have avoided that in Assignment 2 with smooth working and texture across the most part.
Looking back over the process of this painting, I see I have lost myself in each element and although I think I have flowed from one to the other in my composition, it feels disjointed to me. I could work on several aspects differently if I were to try this again. For a start, I would relax more. This took some time as I was constantly observing my still life elements in parts. Looking at the photograph of my painting I see that I need to add more shading on the flowers, leaves and the lantern and mountain shadow on the beach. I need to work on the glass vase as well. The perspective on the window stones is glaring at me. I think I could have made the window aperture bigger. With an infinite amount of time I could work on this continuously to amend and perfect. I will spend one more session amending and will call it a day.
I added a dark translucent wash over the blue sky as well as the beach.
Tea and Doodles 