MY SHIFT TO OILS INVITE A PATIENT DANCE
The shift to oil has been a revelation in my still life work. Where acrylics demanded swift decisions, oils invite a patient dance.
Setting up the arrangement – the weight of the fruit, the curve of the vase – now feels like the first breath of a long, considered sigh onto the canvas. The initial block-in, no longer a race against the drying clock, unfolds with a deliberate rhythm; but the true joy lies in the blending. Watching two distinct hues merge into a seamless gradient, a soft blush on a pear or the subtle shadow beneath a leaf, is like witnessing a small miracle.
Each stroke is a conversation, the slow push and pull of pigment allowing for nuances I never could have achieved before. There’s a tactile pleasure in the buttery smoothness, a deeper connection to the material itself. It demands patience, yes, but the reward is a richness and luminosity that breathes life into the stillness, making the practice itself a deeply satisfying exploration.
