(6x8 Oil on art board covered in canvas)




I started this still life as acrylic and then got really frustrated as I've been trying to do 'Alla Prima' following Carol Marine's technique...the only problem being acrylic doesn't behave in the same way as oil. I knew this, but still the white's of acrylic are so thin and transparent. So I switched to oils after a spending spree down the shops. As the week rolled by, I felt increasingly bad that I hadn't been keeping up the painting a day so - it is a big relief today to have accomplished this piece.

I feel some sense of accomplishment - I had to scrape a couple of sections off as things got a bit muddy. I do feel more satisfaction with the richness of the colours and how the paint works. BUT....I still have plenty of work to do to get this right. I didn't block this out as I should have done and I need to consider the order of painting more. The composition is a bit off, feels comfortable and objects too close the edge.

I struggle to remember the last time I actually did oils - it could well be more than twenty years ago which is just an appalling length of time. Practice makes perfect...hopefully!