Tangerine Dream

This painting is still available.  Click this link to view the auction.

The glass bowl in this painting is another garage sale find. I have a storage shelf filled with glass bowls, vases, and other interesting objects that I can incorporate into my still life paintings.

I recently watched an episode of American Pickers and they were visiting the studio of a professional photographer. His studio was the size of a warehouse and it was packed with a variety of props and antique objects that he would use in his photographs.

If I'm not careful, I may end up with a large collection of props like this guy! One way that I avoid accumulating too many props is to donate them to charity when I'm done with them. Of course, if I'm photographing food, I can eat the props when I'm done.

I don't think most people realize the behind the scenes work that goes into a still life painting or photograph. Of course, you can use the objects in your house to create still life paintings. However, at some point you're going to need to expand beyond what you already have on hand.