old olive pot - final version

Hi Marjorie, I think you have made a really good job of this still life. You asked people to be honest, well the only thing that disturbed me a little, was when first looking at the painting and one's eye travels around the image, the bread in the basket (at first glance) looked like a face mask and I had to look twice to see it was bread. Hope you don't misunderstand my well meant comments Marjorie. I think it is excellent.

Well Norman, you made me giggle! - and I see what you mean - now I look I can see a face too. Oh well I'm off to correct that - seems like this painting won't lie down! Thanks for looking though.

Good painting. A couple of little gripes... The composition would have been better, in my opinion, if you had moved everything closer together. It is a bit fragmented. You're right on losing the focal point. The China and the jar seem to be floating just above the table. The textures are good. The jar is obviously earthenware. The china is delicate and the glass is very glasslike. Du pain, du vin, du fromage. What more does anyone want? I'm peckish now!

This final version is a definite improvement on the first one (which was already good). I like the way the composition suggests that a rather nice meal has been laid out and is just waiting for the famished hordes to decend on it. I think you have made a really good job of all the different textures and hats off to you for choosing to tackle so many at once. I don't really find the composition fragmented, but then Alan knows more about these things than I do. My eye is drawn immediately to the glass of wine, probably because of the sharp edges which contrast with the background, so for me that is the focal point, not because it is the most important thing on the table, but more because the way you have painted it. The pot has much softer edges and so attracts less attention. This is a very nice still life, very well painted.

I love this painting, am drawn to wine glass maybe because of its placement or colour and I might leave out the jug and glass at edge as I love the fabric.

A labour of love - sounds like most of my stuff. Love the pot and the red wine glass (great light in the glass). The cloth is very well done also, nice creases. I think the grapes are very well painted but seem like an addition (not anchored to the table). Such a large painting - what a task it must have been!

Marvellous painting. Well done!

Thankyou all for your very honest comments - they are helpful. As I said, I approached this in all the wrong ways but pushed on to get something out of it. The biggest mistake I made was in the setting up of the subject, I didn't take enough time to do this properly and some of the elements were from my imagination( the cheese ). Next time I hope to learn from these lessons. Thanks again for your useful critiques.

I honestly think you have done a good job. You have many items in this still life and you have tackled them very well.

Wow!

Thank you for your comment on &#39;Time and Tide&#39;! <br />My feeling about this still life is that the individual objects are well painted, but that their arrangement has missed a trick. If there had been more overlapping, you would have had interesting shadows cast from one object onto another, helping to describe their shape. If the lighting had perhaps been more directional these shadows would have been stronger, adding drama - perhaps though this is not what you wanted.

Lovely painting Marjorie. There is so much in it. I thought the bread looked just like crusty bread. To me the pot and the glass were the focal point because you have cleverly made a contrast of light against darkon the wall in that area. worth all the struggle....Syd

Well thank you Syd. However did you see this? It&#39;s quite hidden away!

I'm seeing this as a great excercise in painting all sorts of shapes, textures, materials and light and shade. As such Marjorie, it's very, very good. Well done.

Jim, I don't know if you know but I've changed this a lot. Recently on the forum I wrote about apps being useful to &quot;change&quot; a painting before you actually do it with paint. I imported this painting into an art app and painted out the grapes, the blue pot and the glass to see whether I could improve it. I've since actually done this b and I showed it on the forum. I haven't done any more yet, other things have got in the way.