Progression of a Still Life

This is my long-at-last post of a painting progression that I wanted to share. I just wanted to show at least some of the steps of how this painting came to be. It is always fascinating (to me anyways) to see a work of art come to life. If you are a creator of any kind, you may have experienced working on some matter for a while, when at some magical moment, your work has come to life. So for those of you who are still trekking in their work-in-progress, here is some free encouragement of a project that has reached the finish line. This painting, “Remnants of a Birthday Tea,” took me three months to complete due to a busy schedule. If you are here to just enjoy art, welcome!

I first began with a photo my dad took. I did a sketch of the picture directly on the paper. I don’t remember when I painted the chair, but I started with the rose, then the leaves, then the vase, and then the teapot.

Next came the trivet/coaster the teapot was on, the shadows, and the background.

The outside vs. the inside! Here’s a room! Lee Boynton taught me to generalize leafy/grassy backgrounds in the one introductory class I took from him.

I did not sketch the tablecloth pattern beforehand. I was a bit nervous, but I went for it.

See my signature?

I intend to get back to blogging once a week on November 7th. In the meantime and beyond, I will keep working on writing the second book as well as preparing to start an Etsy shop as an outlet to share prints of my paintings. Until then, happy creating!