As an artist who owns and sells at Skaneateles Artisans I find it necessary sometimes to paint items that are small and easily affordable. I said previous posts that I like to make original art, on functional pieces as small as a coffee cup coaster. However, big pieces percolate in my head and often take many months, to a year, to come to fruition. A member once brought in an antique Stevens Decoy that was valued at $4000. That became the impetus to create a still life around the decoy. I visited antique shops looking for period pieces that can be put into the decoy still life. I laid out lots of "set ups" and took multiple photographs. Staying with the functional piece of my painting philosophy I decided to paint this still life on the insert to a drop leaf "card table" that I had built for me by a cabinet maker. Finally last night after months of starts and stutters I brought the painting to fruition. It was a study of textures. The biggest challenge was how to add a plaid hunting shirt and then paint it. Flannel plaid presented a difficult challenge with the folds and multiple weaves in the fabric. Hopefully in looking at the painting one "feels" the duck hunter in the period of the "Stevens Decoy" who has just come in or is going out, with his dog, on an early morning to hunt. Only the insert is done and is pictured here sitting on my easel. But that was the hard part. I have painted the frame of the table (that holds the insert) as "faux" leather. Layers of varnish and rubbing come next but by summer I hope to have it in the shop to entice someone to purchase it for their camp, family room or library.
