The Fat Lady Sings

63 x 52 cms  1997

$950 Sold

I have great problems with painting white. I was, in fact,  taught at college that one should never use pure white. (Nor, for that matter, should one ever use black paint.) But, whatever one should or should not do, it can be extremely difficult to balance highly lit areas within a composition, and I tend to push the tonal levels further and further down until I end up with a murky grey.

This still life was intended to be an exercise in observing and painting white. Unfortunately, though, the china cherubs, although perfect in every other respect,  were a dirty cream colour so I had to make it up anyway.

It's hard to remember now the angst with which I hunted for that copper frame, the silver vase and the plastic rose. I still have them all, the vase and rose being on top of my air conditioner. The pig was a birthday present.