How a painting evolves (1)

The creation of Nature mort en équilibre (Balanced Still-Life) in four steps

Here is what you never see in the work of an artist: the trial and error process, the uncertainty, the U-turns, the zeal and the uncertainty again...

In her studio in Saint-Ay (near Orléans, France, and along the Loire River), Fabienne Quinsac took pictures of a painting at four different stages of its creation.

Maybe Fabienne thought each time that she had finished or almost finished the painting... before she blanked and "over painted" it. Over at least four month and half, numerous trials and layers of paint gave birth to one of Fabienne's most moving and fascinating work.

You can see a front view of the "character" (but you are free to imagine it is something else!) in the first version, and a back view in the last version, while colors darken at each stage.

Click on a picture to enlarge it.

First version. It seems the painting was just titled Nature morte (Still-Life). The digital photo is dated from March 1st, 2007. But the very first try may have occurred before.

This picture was taken on March 2nd, 2007.

This picture has no digital date and is titled Calebasse (Calabash).

Picture taken on July 17th, 2007.

This is the final version of the painting, now with its full title, Nature morte en équilibre (Balanced Still-Life)

Watch the painting in HD 2000x2500

Another example of the evolution of a painting: the triple triptych Paysage composé (Composite Landscape)