New Challenge, New Painting

My newest challenge I set up for myself is a still life in watercolor that will have a large flower as a backdrop for the whole scenario. The poppy I'm placing behind the objects would be something like "scenery" for the other items to play against. The colors will replicate colors in the still life arrangement, but hopefully, will also act as a stage to frame and highlight the arrangement. I selected the poppy, since among the items is an Italian pitcher with great colors and graceful designs painted on it, and because the poppies cover the hillsides in Italy, which would be appropriate.

My interest in the italian pottery began with my painting trip to Italy a few years back. Part of the trip took me to the Isle of Elba where I enjoyed going to a street market, and seeing the unusual array of items that were arranged on the tables for sale. Several of my still life watercolor paintings were inspired directly from items I photographed there. Some of those are on this website on the "Still Life" page. Regarding the poppy, I took several closeup photos of the poppies in our front yard, some of which are red, toward the red-orange hue. I've included one of those photos above, although not the one I am using in my painting.

So I've been drawing for 2 or 3 days putting it all together. I'm savoring the possibilities of painting it soon, hoping to do so in the next two or three days. I always recall how cezanne at the age of 65, late in his career, felt he knew nothing. It seems so difficult to achieve what you thought you had in mind for a painting. There is an ideal in the mind of what perfection would be. That is the great motivator. It keeps the artist striving to achieve more with each painting. However, exactly what that "perfection" would be, is elusive.

"I could paint for a hundred years, a thousand years without stopping and I would still feel as though I knew nothing. "
Paul Cezanne

Painting is damned difficult - you always think you've got it, but you haven't.
Paul Cezanne