Buddha and red wine

I have recently returned from a week in the south of France. I was struck by the intensity of the light there, compared to February in the UK.

I was interested to depict the different aspects of this composition; the wine glass on the table, the light bulb and other reflections seen on the table's surface and the wrought iron base seen through the glass table top. It reminded me of 'Three Worlds''by Max Escher.
I was also drawn to the curves of the table and chair back, and they way the shapes echoed each other.

The painting above was made relatively quickly, as I was drawn to the idea of just creating something and not overthinking it. I am quite pleased with the composition, but wasn't sure if it had enough variation & needed some stronger colour. However, I now think that the subtlety of the colours suits the subject, creating a feeling of calm.

Emerging out of the dark

“A painter should begin every canvas with a wash of black, because all things in nature are dark except where exposed by the light.”
― Leonardo da Vinci

These two drawings were made by covering the paper with a layer of charcoal, then lifting out & drawing back in, to enable the figures to emerge. I was pleased with the somewhat sculptural effect it created.