Painting Interiors

It's that time of year when I start thinking about painting interiors. 

(I guess that happens when you're forced inside.) 

"Off Season"
10 x 10  

I did this from an image I took inside a seaside cottage that was closed up for the winter. 

I was after that sense of emptiness; a "time standing still" moment. 

Interiors present some interesting challenges.  

The "So What?" factor: Interiors are generally very personal spaces, so in order for the painting to be interesting, you have to offer the viewer something interesting; great paint handling, a strong sense of light and shadow, extraordinarily good values etc. 

Then there is the "Perspective Is Important" factor: Because correct perspective is key in such a static subject, it's really hard to go in with big, loose brushstrokes without drawing the key lines first, and doing that tends to stiffen up the painting right from the get go.