A few weeks ago, I started my second oil painting with a still life of objects gathered from my house. Each object brings different textures, shapes, and subtle colors that are challenging to paint. As I go along, I sometimes question why I set up such a complicated still life, but that seems to be the best way to learn. If I just repeated what I already know how to do, I would be stuck. At least, that’s what I tell myself.

The orange has provided unique difficulties, mostly associated with the fact that real fruit (or flowers) rot over time so I have to either recreate the peeled orange repeatedly or work from a photograph for that piece of the still life. I might write a separate post about the “Orange Problem.”

The drawing went well and the first daubs of color were mostly okay. The trick is to not “lose the drawing” as the paint goes on top of the drawing. So far the problems are, or will be: the orange, losing the drawing, and later, I’m sure, the reflections from the silver and who knows what else at this point? What sadist set up this still life? Right. Me.

I just finished my first oil painting after using acrylics for almost two years. The two mediums can look similar on canvas, but the feel of the paints is very different. Oils seem more like soft butter versus the stiffer feel of quick-drying acrylics. I can’t think of a good analogy for acrylics. It’s just more difficult to push them around the canvas than it is with oils. There are probably tomes written on the pros and cons of each medium, so I won’t go into that discussion here. For now, I’m learning how to use oil paints. Here is my first work in oils: The Glass Bottles.