The Shapes of Memories

MEDIUM: Digital Painting | STYLE: Painterly Realism | SIZE: 11 x 14 | ORIENTATION: Landscape | TOOLS: Procreate, 13″ iPad Pro, Apple Pencil Pro | AVAILABILITY: Prints available.

Memories are important. Objects can carry us back to certain times, places, relationships, or occasions. This still life gathers pieces from my own life that hold happy memories: my favorite copper watering can, a teal canister hand-painted with birds, a plain pink ceramic canister from my very first apartment, a rustic honey pot from my mother’s table, and a pink-veined Fittonia — each with its own story, grouped together into one.

ARTIST’S PROCESS: The Shapes of Memories was painted in Procreate on a 13″ iPad Pro using the Apple Pencil Pro. This work was created using a Mood Board process, gathering personal photos and reference images of pieces I remember from my past that were special to me — like my Mom’s honey pot or the Fittonia plant. The arrangement was important, allowing each piece its own space while remaining part of the group. Color, texture, decoration, and shape were all considered in the Mood Board before painting began, to ensure the cohesiveness of the finished artwork.

CHALLENGE: The copper watering can was a specific challenge. Copper is a metal with a color and surface that is difficult to paint maintaining the look of true metal. An additional consideration was the decorative pitting on the surface of the can. Each depression required its own shading depending on where the light was hitting the surface in order to create the appearance of a concave area while maintaining the color and shine of the smooth areas of the copper surface.  Multiple layers were used to paint different areas of the surface giving each section of pitting its unique look.

SUBJECTS AND THEMES: Still Life — Memories — Nostalgia — Personal Objects — Watering Can — Decorative Canisters — Ceramic Canister — Honey Pot — Fittonia Plant — Home Decor — Painterly Realism — Digital Painting — Procreate Art — Mood Board Process