Final Design



Tea & Sandwiches in Tucuman, Argentina

So we have come to the final project of our class. We have the freedom to choose any project, any design, any medium to work with as long as it incorporates what we have learned in class. I thought long and hard and decided to work once again with acrylics. I enjoyed my first painting and wish to recreate that feeling of satisfaction. For my inspiration, I went back to a missions trip to Argentina. I was part of a group of ladies who were assisting in a conference for women and young ladies. After spending several hours visiting fabric stores for decorating, my friend and I returned to the hotel tired. We went to the dining area and literally fell into our seats. The headwaiter, seeing our exhaustion, recommended a light meal of tea and sandwiches. What we received was much more than that. Special attention to details and anticipating our every need left us feeling soft, warm and fully satisfied. I felt very special. I wanted to recreate that feeling with my final project.




One of my many Japanese tea sets.

 

I love teapots and tea sets and collect them everywhere I go. One of my sets is a beautiful cream color with cherry blossoms. This was the set I selected. Because I would be painting on an ivory canvas, I wasn't sure if I could do justice to the color. Instead of an ivory cream, my painting would have a light pink set. Also, I decided against drawing the Japanese lettering. In order to see the contour of the teapot more clearly, I printed a black and white copy of my subject. This allowed me to study the curves and the perspective of the set. 

 

black and white copy

Although I did not intend to create a monochromatic painting, my project ended up mostly in shades of red. I did add the cherry blossom tree with it's green leaves. Since I did not have a background to work with, i decided to add a "spotlight"effect by encircling it with deep rose colors. This worked very well, giving it a warm and cozy feel to it. I'm very happy with the end result. When I look at the painting, it takes me back to the same feeling of feeling safe and pampered as my visit to the Argentine hotel.



My completed project