Anna Perkins - Artist

The Purpose of Life

Unfortunately I don't have a definitive answer here. But the purpose of this website is to be my online portfolio and a place for me to explore my technological creativity. But hey, I'll keep you posted if I find the definitive purpose of life.

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Book Recs

The Care of Pictures (1948, repub. 1975) by George L. Stout

While first published in 1948, a surprising amount of the information he presents is still relevant today. Stout writes clearly and engages the reader with his descriptive prose and apt comparisons. Targeted at the non-conservator, he explains the types of damages and the outlines the basic techniques that a conservator would employ to restore a picture to good condition. Helpful illustrations further clarify the various types of deterioration and defects that can come to a painting.

Stout himself was a notable historical figure, a conservator and museum director credited with founding both the first conservation research lab in America and the first art conservation journal in America. He was most well-known, however, for his role as a "Monument Man" during World War II, where he helped recover works of art from repositories and war zones.

Still Life in Oil

Anna Perkins
Red Still Life, 2023
16" x 20"

After a visit to a New York City thrift store in 2022, I acquired a few new inspiring still life objects and arranged them into a suitable composition. I started this painting over a year ago and unintentionally put it on hold for about six months, as I focused on my masters of liberal studies classes, traveled, and did a few smaller art projects.

This summer, I picked back up where I left off on this painting, all the while feeling I was far away from the end. At 16" x 20", this canvas was on the medium/large side for me, and my progress felt slow. Eventually, a switch flipped in my brain, and I realized this weekend that I was close to finishing, close to being happy with it and noticing fewer and fewer sections to be reworked. Then, I finished it late last night, having no reason to stay up late on the night before labor day other than that I was so close to being done.

I think a key part of feeling satisfied with your progress in a representational painting is abandoning the pursuit of perfect realism, of noticing the lovely way you've painted something that accentuates the way light is bouncing around, the way fabrics are folded - drawing the viewer's eyes to the things you liked about your composition in the first place. There is, of course, a delight in succeeding at rendering something well and true to the reference, but this can't be my only goal, as there would be no reason for it to be a painting instead of a photograph.

Written by: Anna

Posted on: September 4, 2023