Painting a Commission Still Life
‘it’s so great to finish and to have invented a scenario that feels as if it might have existed, but is merely a sleight of hand.’
Figuring out which objects to include – mapping out the painting
In the autumn I visited a friend. She likes my work and wondered if I could paint a still life using objects from her life. This way of working is something I am doing more, and more often. The way I do it is to take lots of pictures of things in the commissioner’s home. I think about light and choose a place to photograph individual objects and groups of objects. I think about what is behind the objects, my point of view. Sometimes I just get photos from the commissioner.
Setting up a still life that will be the basis and a stand-in for the commissioner’s objects.
We talk about why an object might be important and I try to get a sense of an appropriate colour palette. I like the challenge of the process. It takes longer than working directly from a set-up but my brain works differently and instead of simply responding, I must think hard. I guess I ike that.
Reference material taken onsite at the commissioner’s house that I substitute in for what I am looking at.
How I work
I set up a tableau and substitute what I am looking at with these other things. I use the light I am looking at to inform my understanding. I change colours, sometimes scale. I use some of my own objects to make the composition work. I am not copying a photograph. I am trying to paint a still life of someone else’s life.
Building layers
All paintings have highs and lows. These commissions are pretty much always complicated and I can never really relax, but it’s so great to finish and to have invented a scenario that feels as if it might have existed but is merely a sleight of hand.
When my world and the commissioner’s world come together..
Adventures Abroad, egg tempera on panel, 30 x 30 cm, October, 2025