Oil Painting Lesson with Gregory Smith - Day 1

I started today by polishing a table, warming its colour and creating a clean edge. 

I spent the rest of the lesson by painting a porcelain vase. I found it very difficult because there are very delicate drawings of animals on it. 

Greg told me that I should get a form right first, then paint some obvious patterns, remembering that towards its edge, they should get cooler, darker and blurrier. 

I didn't think I progressed much today, but, watching Greg's demo and hearing his suggestions made me aware what constitutes great paintings, that is all about 'depth', or 'illusion of reality'. 

Work in progress. 16 x 20 in.