![]() I was dissatisfied with the right edge of the pitcher, where the dust on it caught very strong light. Graham walnut alkyd medium because I was impatient to finish and I wanted these last stages to dry quickly. ![]() I drew the scissors with blue-gray paint thinned with M. The plastic handles have a dynamic, subtle design, as if the designer had been looking at Brancusi or Noguchi. My initial plan, to make a simple design emphasizing two forms on the table, gave way to my persistent need for complication: I added a piece of rope.Ī rope needs scissors! Not everything in a still life has to fit together thematically, but this juxtaposition is one I often enjoy painting. I described, too, the wall surface in greater detail. I decided that the composition would benefit from including the shadow on the right part of the back wall. I began to wonder if I was crazy to try to paint the scene! What you see here, the scene in the reflection, is the result of many tries. The reflection of Danville’s Main Street in the pitcher was so clear that it was like watching a little movie. I worked up the table and the pitcher in greater detail. The flat, blocked-in pitcher became a three-dimensional object and acquired a shadow to attach it to the table plane. I allowed the light to flood across the edge of the pitcher to avoid building up thick paint at the boundary of the object. I applied the green paint of the background wall generously then blended it to a flat surface using large, soft, badger brushes. Eventually, I did, but here I was thinking that the table and objects should be suffused with light. ![]() Still undecided about how to handle the light coming in from the window, I wondered whether I should include the shadow cast on the wall by the window wall. I wanted to see the character of the gourd clearly before I progressed to other areas. I worked up the gourd in greater detail I added its shadow and developed the background around it. At this point, I wouldn’t use mineral spirits in the paint because mineral spirits can dissolve the binder. If the paint doesn’t flow easily enough, I add a drop of M. For this piece, I made some of the edges on the table with a ruler other edges, like those on the gourd, I kept soft. This is just a first pass, so I avoid getting too detailed. I choose one area, usually a key object in the composition and, using bristle brushes, add detail to it. If the paint doesn’t flow easily, I add a drop of mineral spirits. I use a hog bristle bright brush to scrub in a thin, flat layer of color. I brush transparent red oxide thinly over the transferred lines and let them dry. I usually begin with a drawing (not shown here), which I transfer, using Saral transfer paper, to the primed aluminum laminate panel. Here, he gives instruction on the elements of a still life painting. With theatrical splendor, Sheldon Tapley celebrates excess, reinventing the still life tradition by incorporating the figure and complicating the design. Dust (oil on aluminum laminate panel, 16×20) by Sheldon Tapley
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