Small Paintings, Slow Paint: Making the Food Studies
Paintranger
IMPORTANT: Freshly painted Food Studies can be purchased immediately, but they usually ship approximately 6 weeks after purchase. Oil paint needs time to dry sufficiently before I can apply the final varnish and pack the work safely.
I wanted the Food Studies to feel a little different from my more detailed originals: smaller, faster, looser and more instinctive. They are still unmistakably part of my Candy Decay world, but I let the brushstrokes stay visible and try not to polish every mark into submission.
Why I paint them in oils
I paint these studies with oil paint. I love how long oils stay workable. I can move the color around, blend one area into another, scrape back into it and build up texture without having to rush the surface.
That slower working time is part of the look of the series. The paintings can stay juicy, layered and imperfect. But it also comes with one very practical downside: oil paint dries slowly.
Why shipping takes around six weeks
Acrylic paint can be dry very quickly. Oil paint is different. Even when the surface starts to feel dry, a freshly painted work needs time before I am comfortable finishing and packing it.
So the Food Studies can be bought as soon as I list them, but a newly painted piece will usually remain in my studio for around six weeks after purchase. I would rather give the painting the time it needs than rush it into packaging.
The final varnish
Once the paint surface is sufficiently dry, I check the painting and give it a protective final varnish. That is the last step before the work is prepared for shipping.
The varnish gives the finished painting a more unified surface and adds a protective layer over the painted work. After that, it is ready to leave the studio and start its much less glamorous life of being stared at while someone eats breakfast.
Small paintings, serious snacks
Each Food Study is a one-of-a-kind original, usually painted in the compact 15 × 15 cm / 5.9 × 5.9 in format. I want them to work individually, but I also like the idea that the series can grow into a strange little wall of neon fruit, desserts and whatever else ends up on the easel.