Shells and apples

My ideas about still life have changed since I've come here. Maybe it's because for the longest time I've avoided them as much as possible, preferring to do life-drawing or abstracts. I've done some, especially digital, and I remember following the curve of bamboo with my stylus, or being absorbed in the reflections of a sphere and glass of wine, but those were years ago. My only recent still life drawings have been assignments, where my mind would ultimately rebel and add some odd abstract element so I wasn't just making a 'photograph'.

Since coming here, I've been forced to take up more still-life. And not interesting still-life with composition, or symbolism, or weird seldom-seen objects, we're talking two objects. A small green pepper and an onion. A shell and an apple. Separate, not overlapping. Pencil drawings, as preparation for painting. There's a similarity between these sets of objects, one shines with reflection, the other has striation and forces consideration of perspective. I find myself taking a lot of time drawing these objects, perhaps more information than will actually go into the painting. I spent a good 15min with the multiple light-source shadow below my pepper, and none of that went into the painting.

I draw these objects in my 1st year class, and when I look around at other work I see the varying ability. Some students have weak drawing skills, their apple flat and lifeless. Other students have amazing ability. When I look around I make connections and see similarities in the way they're drawing. I don't think they focus on the unique object, they're starting by making a shell, which looks like this, then adding specific characteristics such as crack here, or a stain there to make it look like that. I see this in other nihon-ga, the plants, animals, the objects are all very specific, but it's like they're seen through a fog. Details are created by the artist, with some connection to real objects, but also invented from their head to best effect.