Fruit, Foam, and Paper - Still Life Oil Painting

"Fruit, Foam, and Paper"
9"x12"
Oil on board
Available

Painting a still life from photo might be ok, but it is not as much fun or as challenging as painting it with the actual setup in front of you. The fun of painting a still life is in painting from direct observation.

For every painting, and this one was no exception, my gut instinct would be to paint every single little detail, trying to make a photographic representation of the objects.
However, as much as I admire hyper-realistic painters, I like lose, painterly artwork much better.
So I try to forget about all the details, simplify, and let the paint be paint.

Let the paint be paint.

I love that sentence. It has become my new painting mantra.

When I get nervous about a subject being too challenging, I repeat it to myself, and it helps a lot getting rid of the overthinking and of any worry.

It's ok to see the brushstrokes, without blending.
It's ok to suggest the subject, but leave out some details.
It's a painting, not a photograph.
It's a representation, a personal interpretation, does not have to look super realistic.

Let the paint be paint.

I give myself permission to experiment.

I give myself permission to stop even if some parts are not totally polished. Especially this month, when I am trying to finish a painting every day.