Quent Cordair Fine Art

We are now rapping up our trompe l’oeil painting, which I call A Pear-a-Tif. With a few retouches from our reserves we fix any spots creating during the sanding process. And finally, keeping our painting in a dust free environment, we apply the last layer of varnish, this time a spray varnish that will act as a final seal and layer of protection for our painting.

If you’re interested in the tromple l’oeil technique, I would suggest looking into the works of my teachers, Charles Becker and Robert Lupetti. You can also learn more about classic trompe l’oeil, which was often used in the 18th century to deceive the viewer into seeing an open window or an expanded room, at Wikipedia.

Some years ago several of my paintings were included in an exhibition held by a local gallery. I stopped in one evening to get a look at the proceedings, keeping a low profile. Then I saw a man take a stickered label and place it on one of my paintings. Not on the wall beside it, not on the frame, but directly on the painting itself. This, let me tell you, is a no-no. As upset as I was, the man had actually paid me a left-handed compliment: he thought the surface was glass.

I like to tell this not only because it illustrates just how deceptive a trompe l’oeil can be, but also because in this next step, we’re going to do something to our painting that is far more dangerous.

The painting completed and dry, apply a layer of varnish with a sponge brush, as shown in the picture above. Then you are going to hold your painting under a thin stream of water (that’s right), and sand it (oh yes).

This is done to give the painting its smooth sheen. Sanding removes any brush strokes, while the water acts as a buffer between the sandpaper and the painting. I use a 600 grit, or super fine sandpaper grade. This process - applying the varnish and wet sanding your painting - is done 7-9 times to achieve the desired smoothness and sheen.

Don’t be afraid! Some of your paint will be removed, but that’s what we have our reserves for.

There, it’s finished! Well, it might look that way. But when it comes to creating a trompe l’oeil oil painting, we are just getting started. We still need to touch up some details and add a bit of chocolate syrup dripping off the plate, and then the fun will begin.

I don’t want to get into too much detail about what comes next, but I will say this: it’s very important to keep reserves on hand of the colors you’ve used up until this point. The transition from mild mannered oil painting to trompe l’oeil is a sensitive process, and sometimes it leaves missing specs of paint in its wake. And the chance of finding that exact same color mix again… very small. I put spare samples onto little squares of plastic or into plastic containers, and wrap them up for later use.

We’ve completed blocking in the background colors and have started on the marble slab. The general concept for the marble slab comes from my private stash of reference materials: a studio filled with odds and ends. A filing cabinet stuffed with advertisements from magazines and newspapers, shelves of dishes, bowls and vases and yes, several chunks of marble. The pieces I have are only a few inches on each side, but provide the general lines that I need to make my own marble slab as big and unique as I need it to be.

Pretty soon the fun part will begin, the fruit itself, and I’ll delve deeper into the technique behind taking A Pear-A-Tif from oil painting to trompe l’oeil.

Welcome back to the Artist’s Studio! During this project we’re going to walk-through my most recent oil painting, A Pear-A-Tif, and talk a lot about this particular style of painting: trompe l’oeil, which literally means “deceive the eye.”

My subject is a luscious Anjou pear (an orangish-brown variety, as opposed to the usual green you find in the supermarket) covered in a river of thick chocolate syrup. This piece is done on board, and like all trompe l’oeil works that board must first be sanded and smoothed, then painted with a preliminary coat of gesso, which will help the paint stick to the board. Another possible medium for trompe l’oeil paintings is acrylic panel. It still has to be sanded and gesso-ed, and gives an even more smooth, slick finish.

I’ve also started blocking in the background, which is the one part of the painting that doesn’t require any reference material. The colors compliment the pear, and when the marble table is brought to life, it will too.