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One of my favourite still life’s by one of the masters is Apples and Oranges by Cezanne from 1899. Now that’s a still life with longevity. I loved the colours he used and even though it has a lot of dark colour, it feels fresh. I have always been drawn to still life’s when looking for art in my home. So it’s a natural that I enjoy painting them. 

Since we have been forced to be at home more due to the pandemic, it’s been noticed that still life’s have had a surge in popularity.  It makes sense as they are usually gentle, make you feel good and they are subjects that resonate with us especially since we are homebound. 

Also think about what people often post on Instagram.  Often it’s what they eat or drink or something they’ve cooked, eg. how many loaves of sourdough have you seen posted this year? These are all still life’s of sorts.  We’ve been looking at our everyday objects with fresh eyes. For some of us we see the beauty in them perhaps because we’ve been forced to slow down. For others it’s because of the stresses of the pandemic we seek comfort in these small things. 

I’m sure I’ve been influenced by all of the above. To see the beauty in something that is beautifully simple, is simply beautiful. Did I lose you there? I hope not. I will continue to look for the small treasures in life that need to be savoured and held onto by painting them! 

This week I did a small painting of some snowdrops I picked from my yard. A real cold snap was in the forecast and they had just started blooming. I’m sure they’d of survived but I wanted to paint them just in case. I put them on a dark stool and the light from my lamp cast a warm glow on the little drops and through the vase. It’s a challenge to paint from life, especially at night, but it created an effect I wouldn’t of had during the day. One of those late night painting sessions. I hope you enjoy it. 

Are you drawn to still life’s?