









Still, the composition in the reference photo appealed to me, although I am unable to put into words why it did. I think it has something to do with how influenced I am by photography and extremely busy digital art that I see here on dA. I wonder if such a composition seems inappropriate for oil paint, and then I wonder how the standards of propriety in oils will be maintained by artists who are so influenced by other media. It's an interesting discussion.

I am interested in your perspective and I appreciate the time you take to make comments here. I have done very detailed work in the past, multiple layers, underpaintings, etc., but in this piece I was going for a more rapid style that shows the smoothness of the jalepeno peppers on the top and the lumpier texture of the serrano peppers on the bottom (no cucumbers). Painting slowly and methodically is what I am used to because it is safer. Being freer with shapes and textures is new to me, so this is a divergence from what I have done recently to challenge myself, to see if I could use rapid strokes for such a detailed composition. Also, it does not seem like a typical still life because it lacks that central object of focus, or "focals" per your terminology if I understood you correctly. It also might not hurt to try to take a better photo.