For The Love No. 2
“Smugs”
5” x 5” acrylic on wood
2020
There’s just something about the contrast of this composition that my eye loves. Maybe it's the luscious petals against the nearly black background, or the refraction of the mason jar, the condensation of the metal water pitcher... so much good stuff going on! Little did I know when I picked up my brush to start, each of these components is a challenge to paint and I would struggle with each one.
The inspiration came from a photo taken while brunching at the Smugglers Cove Pub in the Cadboro Bay Village, circa 2015. Affectionately know as "Smugs", was high in the dining out rotation while I lived in the area. My favourite table was located upstairs on the balcony, this photo was take at the server station. The fair is mainly pub food, but I remember they trialed a weekend brunch during that summer. The waffles were my go-to.
I learned so much from painting this. And honestly, with all the repainting I did I’ve probably painted this 10 times over. It taught me the art of letting go, and to not allow any one part to become precious to the detriment of the piece as a whole.
Athletes talk about “putting in the miles” and I find the same thing applies to painting. I need to paint something over and over again to figure it out. These paintings are my miles.
I worked each component separately, the flowers, the pitcher, the jar, the menu, the background and I found that once I was happy with one area, the last thing I painted no longer worked. I’ve learned to build up a painting to the same level of detail at the same time. This results in less redoing and painting over lovely details.
