The Bells, 3 pieces

15 cm x 15 cm, canvas panel, oil painted from life


What you see here on top is the latest of bells, made in May 2022.

The bells are always the same subject, painted from life with the intent the finish it within the day and if possible under a few hours. It became my checkpoint test to my skills over the two years. I might change the nature of the test when I try skills such as layered flemish method that inherently relies on multiple layers. For which I believe I will limit the total time spent instead of trying to put it within a work day.

Why the bells?

It has a recognizable man-made form that can incorporate perspective & draftsmanship basics. The form of it reveals mistakes plainly. It has a slightly shiny but still rough metallic texture combined with the twine texture. The colors of it are subtle and easy to muddy while working on the texture. All in all, it tests multiple skills at once.

But why paint the bells repeatedly and fast? As a painter, I have the tendency to test and judge myself from my largest, most meticulous, terribly labor-intensive works. I believe most of us do. But that isn’t sustainable. We don’t live off of our masterpieces and we often don’t even produce them continually. What truly represents us is our low effort quality. What we can make without hours of refinement and corrections. I think the bells represent my skill level better than the works I spend a month or more on. They also showcase the maximum outcome of my minimum effort. Which is what I believe a painter should focus on early in their career if they want to live off their work:

Maximize the quality of your minimum effort.

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Claesz Study #1

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Rubens Study #1