Studio notes
The table by the north window
Studio notes · · 1 min
One oak table, one window, and why still life painters care so much about which way a room faces.
The net loft has one window that faces north. When I took the studio, I moved the oak table under it on the first day, and it has not moved since.
Why north
North light does not change much between ten and three. No sun comes in, so there are no hard shadows that crawl across the table while you paint. For a still life that takes two weeks, that matters more than anything.
The market and the clock
I buy fruit at the Saturday market. The first week I paint fast, while it is firm. The second week I paint slowly, while it goes soft. The soft fruit always makes the better painting, and the studio smells of it for a month.
- Peaches: about nine days
- Grapes: about twelve days
- A cut melon: one day, so paint it first