While setting up a still life tonight was getting a bit disgusted with how contrived it was. I shouldn’t have to setup a pretty still life to paint. There are wonderful still life paintings all over anyone’s home, all I have to do is point my gaze towards them and see. So that is exactly what I did, and there is nothing contrived about a well used desk.
One thing that I think all artists should be aware of is their own subconscious and its tendency to gravitate towards subject matter that is simple and unchallenged. I do it all the time, without even thinking I don’t paint certain subjects because in the back of my head I know they will be to hard or too much work. But, we don’t grow by taking the easy path all the time.
