"Amber Decanter and Grapes" (oil; 12" x 9")

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12 x 9"
oil on Belgian linen
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Still life setup

I was wondering when it would happen.  It finally did last Thursday night.  John Murray, my still life teacher at the Art League School, got delayed in a terrible traffic and came to the class an hour late.  The Washington DC metropolitan area has the second worst traffic in the nation, so this sort of thing was bound to happen.  Poor guy!  He called someone in class to let us know that he was safe but would be late.  He urged us to set up our own arrangements and start painting without him. 

There were two art receptions going on downstairs at the Torpedo Factory.  We could have join them for free food and wine.  As most students in the class came from work, all pooped out, some could have packed their stuff and called it quits for the day.  We didn't.  We immediately got to work in two groups, looking for objects for our own setups. 

My group found the decanter with a most extraordinary shade of amber, a fabulous conch shell (!), and a lovely yellow striped kitchen towel.  I "stole" some grapes and cookies from downstairs to complete the arrangement.  The amber decanter captivated me, so I cropped out the conch to give it the star treatment.  I have never painted grapes, but oh boy, they turned out great! 

We learned how difficult it was to come up with a good still life setup.  I guess that's one of the reasons why we need John!