This week was all about still life. If you know me, you know that still life is not usually my thing. I always want deeper meaning and a sense of intimacy in my work. Traditional still life setups can feel a little empty to me.
So I gave myself a plan. This spring I am creating an Alice in Wonderland tea party and I have been building props and collecting odd little treasures for it. Instead of forcing myself to paint random objects, I themed every assignment around Wonderland. Classic Alice, Disney Alice, the Queen of Hearts, and the Mad Hatter. Suddenly I was excited to walk into the studio each day.
Alla Prima Still Life: Primary Palette
The first painting was a primary palette alla prima piece using only eight colors. Everything had to be done wet on wet in two hours. I chose a Queen of Hearts setup because the red and white theme fit perfectly within the palette limits. I knew the intricate lines on the card would be the hardest part, but it was a fun challenge. Staging and lighting were the easy part because I already had props ready to go.
Charcoal Still Life: Mad Hatter
Next was a charcoal drawing on 16 by 20 paper using willow sticks, compressed charcoal, and blending tools. I picked my Mad Hatter props because I wanted to draw something I designed myself. The textures on the teapot were tricky in the time we were given, but I loved the process. It felt playful, even with the strict value work.
Primary Palette Still Life Number 2: Adding Two Colors
For the second oil assignment we expanded to twelve colors. At first I put way too many objects into the composition. Reality set in at about the half hour mark. There was no way I could finish that many items in two hours. So I edited on the fly and pulled things out as I went. It was a good lesson in making choices quickly and letting the painting breathe.
Charcoal Still Life From a Photo: Tea Cups
We were also asked to complete a charcoal drawing from a provided reference photo. I searched through the images until I found one that fit my Wonderland theme. The teacups had extreme value shifts that took a lot of blending. I snapped several willow sticks while trying to get the gradients smooth enough. There were also odd little tangents in the source image that felt wrong but were actually correct when measured. It kept me on my toes.
Primary Palette Still Life Number 3: Sixteen Colors
The final painting used sixteen colors and my own handmade props. The funny part is that the objects looked fake, but they were real. I sculpted them for the party, so they have a slightly cartoon feel. Painting them in a realistic still life style felt surreal but also very Wonderland.
The Challenge of Time
The biggest challenge this week was deciding which details to include and which ones to let go of. Two hours is not long when you are juggling composition, color, edges, and storytelling. But it forced me to trust my instincts and make quick decisions.
Final Thoughts
What surprised me most is that I really did enjoy still life this week. Giving myself permission to bring my Wonderland theme into every setup changed the experience completely. Instead of seeing objects, I saw a story. And that made all the difference.
