House Painting

In this approximately 2 hour video, Helen van Wyk paints the still life painting displayed on the cover. She starts out with a blank white canvas, that notorious cause of intimidation in many painters, even the pros. She shows how a simple collection of objects and fruits, the likes of which can be found in any house, can be used as the subjects of a work of art. She uses black and white acrylic paint in the initial stages to establish the boundaries of and to draw the design, as well as to put in the tonal contrasts. Since acrylic dries almost immediately, she continues with oils to finish the painting. Her technique can be summarized as wet on dry with respect to oils over acrylic, followed by wet in wet during the oil painting stage. We are given the chance to see a professional artist during the actual realization of a painting. Ms Wyk shares with us both the joy and the small oops of the painting process, in a most friendly manner.