Sex and the Still Life

Here is a painting I started 17 years ago before I was married, it was a line sketch taken form a gravure from Nicholson's Mathematics. I wear glasses now, I did not then. I wondered how Norman Rockwell wore glasses and achieved a finite line. I'm guessing he didn't wear glasses in his earlier years.  The earlier whites I had painted months ago to see if I would enjoy what I used to dream of only doing with a Frazetta Nude, have yellowed. I hence have repainted the whites with a non yellow Zinc White or Titanium white. The greys are a charcoal Grey so with two colors I am attempting a Monochrome.  I have made tonal mistakes early on and with just two brushes and some mineral oil have managed to get this far.  Whenever I read How To or other Oil and Paint magazines I always wondered what the artists studio looked like, where the light came from how many brushes how much paint.  All I can offer at this time is I scanned this ancient 1800 book and posted the actual size page right and left for reference, I blew up a look on top. I have changed the perspective size of some of the objects as they appeared to be wrong in comparison to the original.  I thought I only did this with portaits changing the size of the head to match the size of an eye keeping all within proportion.  With portraits I would use a grid, with this painting at the time of the original sketch I didn't need a grid as the perspective lent itself to proportions easily enough.

 I am believing that overachieving can be a way of life, and maybe the only way to surviving the onslaught of my mid 50's.  At 53 I am returning to writing and painting and athletics all at once, I don't think I will die of a heart attack but I do think that the positive attitude about accomplishment will see me through to a better life.  I am midstream in my Short Story Fairy Tale, I have begun to find time to pick up the brush and put down the brush with accomplishment. I use to not want to paint because I didn't have 8 Hours straight to do it.  In college I would draw for 8 Hours non stop at a time and enjoy every minute.

This is a large canvas 4 foot wide by 3 foot high, I'm sure by the end I will have learned a great deal in technique.  There are mistakes as I have said in tonal balances in which I am aware and will correct..

The light I use is not placed correctly, my first easel has assuredly turned out to be a dud, in which I will give it to my daughter to be used for her High School Projects.  I can not afford a better easel yet. I recently bought a Lawn Vacuum at an incredible high price, don't tell my wife. The Vacuum allows me to have more time in the Studio because I finish the yard work in 1/5th  the time, what used to take an afternoon and 5 Hours takes barely an hour.

 I still want to add more to my overachieving like not only finishing a short Fairy Tale starting two more of which I have the ideas for begin a collaboration of a multicultural Feature script.  Of which I have two cultures in Mind.

So in answer to Punk Chopsticks questions why do men still go to Strip Clubs because Sex and eating food can both be Orgasmic.  That's Obvious, you can be on a diet and still look at the menu. Salad anyone... or a still life.