Remembering Composition...

Remember all the drama over this set up for a painting?  I loved it when I set it up, took the photo, and even when I ate the fruit.  I was feeling pretty puffed up about it actually.  

Then I took it to Yoda's class and he ripped it apart, not literally but it felt like he put a hot pin in my balloon.  He pointed out the fact that the spout pointed to the edge of the canvas and that canvas is meant to be read left to right.  The eye is directed away instead of into the canvas.  Then the peel is distracting and takes the eye in the polar opposite direction.  OH GOOD GRIEF!

I realized he was completely right, but I sure wished I had known it before blocking in almost the whole painting.  Yoda also said I had too many pieces of fruit or too many objects in the setting.  By now I was getting frustrated and decided to just redo the blue milk pitcher to face the way Yoda wanted it, and let the rest fall where it lay.  But he was right and I could see that the peel was distracting, so I moved over the orange with its peel and it looked a little better.

I just did not like it much at all and like most of my compositions, it was better in my head than on my canvas.  Sigh.  Yoda suggested I retake my photo, but too bad, I had already eaten the fruit and I was OVER it!  So, on to the shelf it went.  I needed a break.

Weeks later, I decided to make another attempt at taking a new photo so I could finish this painting.  This painting just would not die.  Better composition and now a better painting.