Olaf Schneider
My Inspiration
This delicate floral setting inspired me during an evening alone with my wife. We had just finished a lovely dinner when I gave her this bouquet of “just because” flowers. It makes Tracey so happy to receive them. Creating and arranging them in such a way to look their best, required different objects. Everything about everything is an inspiration. Texture, mood, line and colour makes for a happy painting that represents love. Once my eyes were pleased with the design, the spoon was added in the foreground for balance.
My Design Strategy
With composition, nothing is in the center, I like to use the rule of thirds and create a oil, 40 x 40" flow for the viewer to look at the painting. Using interesting objects are key, and they are usually something vintage or unique. The setup came as a happy surprise. I work next to a north-facing window and wanted my design to light up. The daylight was overcast, creating shadow on the right side of the flowers. I used a small table lamp to warm up the whole right side, creating a warm glow. I like to squint to find balance. The red was exaggerated on the bible to pull the viewer in counter – clockwise, around through the lamp, and across to the flowers.
My Working Process
Painting big has its advantages. Whenever there is a dark background, I like to use a variation of red. Draping the cloth helped with the flow of the design. The flowers were at their peak, so I embellished the red in the seeds. I like to use glass in still life work, it is challenging. I used tracing paper to create the symmetry of the ellipsis on the glass vase and lantern. My mentor says to look for the details in the details. I want to always make the painting better than the setup and photo references.
Finalist
Contact Details
Email: olaf_artist@mac.com
Website: www.olaf.ca