Harmonizing Objects in a Painting
In the course of a making a painting like this, I spend a lot of time deciding what goes well with what, and then trying to understand why.
Although I have at least a thousand props in my studio – things that could be used in a painting – there is a handful of objects that have been used over and over, some appearing in more than 20 paintings.
This porcelain creamer is one of those. I haven’t counted, but I’m sure I’ve painted it at least 2 dozen times, maybe 3 dozen.
I think the reason I keep reaching for it is that it’s interesting… without being too interesting.
Because it doesn’t draw all the attention to itself, it harmonizes well with the other elements of the composition, contributing to the calm, silent atmosphere I’m almost always trying to create.
It’s simple yet beautiful, and elegant without being ostentatious, which is exactly the note I want to want to hit with these paintings.
Far from being bored of it, I actually can’t wait to paint it again.