I titled this painting “Personal Hell” because of the many artist challenges I experienced in its making. Painted from life in many sessions, the varying light conditions made it difficult to accurately place the shadows and chose how crisp they should be. There was no “background” in the still life setup, so I went through many iterations to find the ideal way to frame these objects (as shown below in process pictures).

After many sessions and setbacks, I have chosen a smooth pale blue background to bring a sense of light to the piece while still contrasting objects in the foreground, drawing the viewer’s attention. Pure burnt sienna in the reflected light in the bone and on the shell contrast in color with the background, making these warm tones appear to “glow”. Fine details in the bone texture and glass reflections invite the viewer closer.