Dear Subscribers,

In the previous newsletter I showed you a few paintings that were painted from imagination. The process of painting without reference continues to fascinate me. Is it a tool to be used occasionally in order to improve my skill and versatility while painting with reference? Or a tool to reinvigorate my creative drive? Or is it a path by itself to be explored for years and something that will change the nature of my painting practice? My guess is all of the above, but who knows.

I'm actually planning to teach a workshop on painting still life from imagination. I'm still thinking it through, and questioning/exploring the value that is has, not only for me, but for students who may want to learn from me. Can it be taught? Yes, I think it can. Regardless of the level of painting skill (or memory of how light falls on things), we all have vast imaginations and experiences to draw from.

For this new mini, instead of posting to social media first, newsletter subscribers get first dibs. Details below.

Here is my starting point. A 5x5inch panel with remnants of a scraped painting:

I add some fresh tone--I need to simplify what I'm seeing, and I want to work wet-into-wet:

I'm not thinking specifics here. I'm trying a new approach. I'm only concerned with massing a pattern of color and value that I think is interesting. At this point, I have no idea what objects I'll be painting from imagination. My focus here is the singular pink blob, with multiple and complimentary blues and greens as supporting elements:

I decide a big pink vessel of some sort will be nice here. I will have a big surface that is facing the light. I decide on the direction of light (from front right) which I think will be good for leading up to the pink vessel. The shadow from the objects on the right will lead into it. Because the pink vessel will be opaque, I go for a contrasting translucency in the blue blobs. I make them a pitcher and cup. The green blobs already looks vaguely pear shaped, and the color is appropriate, so I make them pears:

I add some neutral-ish table surface and background color:

Tightening things up and getting more specific, but I still haven't addressed the cast shadow from the blue pitcher:

There it is. Given my chosen location of highlight on the pink vessel and the corresponding shape of shadow, I decide that the implied angle of light justifies a nice long shadow from the pitcher that can fall over a portion of the rear pear. I like how it leads into that grouping. I decide to "bleed" the pink color into the background. I don't think it is necessarily needed, but I like the balance it brings to the composition: