Setting the Stage

Some of the top still life painters working today break down their processes for creating powerful compositions  

- Alyssa M. Tidwell

Still life painting, among many things, is about elevating the allure of everyday objects. It's a simple scene distilled down to its most poignant elements, a result of stellar composition and artful combinations of arrangement and lighting. Through these deliberate choices, artists can make a still life feel clean and refreshing, or bold and enrapturing.

All at once, static scenes become dynamic and full of life.

"The spark for a still life idea can come at any time. It often begins with an object to build a story around," says Todd M. Casey, artist, teacher and author of books like The Art of Still Life: A Contemporary Guide to Classical Techniques, Composition, and Painting in Oil and Cocktails, A Still Life. "An object or idea can come either from an experience, seeing paintings in a museum, serendipitously, or by another art form such as reading or music. Once I have my idea, I try to take as much time to build the story and make an interesting composition. A good painting can come together quickly if you have the right props to tell the story, but sometimes they take a long time."

For still life painter Natalia Karpman, who lives in Italy, inspiration can strike during moments of ordinary, everyday life. "Since I mostly paint fruits and vegetables, my [ideas] start each time I go grocery shopping," she says. "If I see something painting worthy, like a couple of gorgeous tomatoes, I get them and forbid my family members to touch them until I'm done photographing them. Because of how light in my studio is arranged, it's not always comfortable to paint from life, so I prefer taking a lot of photos of the setup and then pick one as a reference photo for the painting." Sometimes, Karpman adds, she'll find a good composition right away, but more often it takes time-rearranging objects, adjusting the light, adding or removing items.