"Snow White's Apples"

Snow White’s Apples is an oil painted from life by Shirley Fachilla

I paint pieces that I like; I paint work that can only be classed as a “study;” and I paint things that I dislike. When I’m feeling confident, I wipe off the disliked and also sometimes the “studies.”

There’s no need to keep the failures if I’ve figured out why they failed. There’s usually no need to keep the studies for I’ve learned by simply painting them. (The studies kept are those I might use to create another more fully realized painting.)

But then there are those paintings that fall in none of those categories. They are the paintings that I really like, but that I painted on a poor to bad surface. Snow White’s Apples is a case in point.

I like many things about Snow White. I used a different palette that I plan to use again. I incorporated a still life that turned out well and is fully a part of the painting. I like the brushstrokes; they enhance rather than distract. And the composition is just different enough to satisfy me.

But I painted her on a scrap of linen that had been wiped and scraped… only not enough to create a smooth surface. There’s a horizontal line that runs across the canvas bisecting her poor head and skimming the top handle of the basket. This is old paint from the prior wiped painting. Nothing will fix it; alas, it is a part of Snow White forever.

Carolyn Anderson in her workshop said to use good materials. It’s a lesson I thought I learned… but sometimes I guess I need a reminder like my little Snow White.