Another Painting That Takes Advantage of Complementary Colors

My former boss gave me this vase and it is truly a work of art. I have always wanted to paint it. I love the color, the shape---everything about it. There are some silvery dots arranged symmetrically all around the piece and I left those out. I am not saying I will never paint the vase with all its beautiful and subtle variations but it wouldn't work for this painting because there are too many other things going on.

I pulled out something else that has been lying around on my shelf waiting to be painted for quite awhile: a small math primer from the 1800's. It's a book that has been well-used, from a time when books were harder to come by and were valued a bit more than they are now. A stopwatch, some grapes and voila--it was ready.

I've intentionally left the pocket watch suggested. I want it to be a bit puzzling and stop the eye as you try to figure out what it is. I'm learning that less is sometimes more when it comes to this style of painting. If everything is painted with the exact same level of accuracy and detail the focal point disappears. Although this piece is not perfect, it is interesting and very impressionistic, and I can see where I need to go in the future.

Old Primer with Vase

11"x 14"" oil on linen