Foreground, centred object, background. Round within rectangle (think Josef Albers and his homage to the square). Observational detail and intense natural colour offset by abstract colour fields. Idiosyncratic title.

These are the bones of my still life painting.

For me there is no hierarchy of subject (I’ve gone as ‘low’ as studio floor sweepings and toilet rolls). The point is the painting. If there’s an ounce of originality then something transformational happens and the subject becomes less important - more of a triggering point than fait accompli: Manet’s ‘Asparagus’; a glass of water by Chardin; frying eggs by Velazquez.

I think of the objects in my still life work as performers on a stage. More statue than still but animated by their own construction to the point where they begin to tell a story beyond themselves.

(Craig Wylie. Jan. 2025)