From the Oil Painter's Journal: Still Life Elements From an interview with Doug in Still-Life in Oils by Theodora Philcox: I liked this painting from the first sketchy layout. I started with a very saturated pthalo green underpainting because I wanted the underlying feeling of that pure but mysterious sea colour to predominate. I contrasted that main color idea by adding the warmth of the crate. I especially like the way a low angled light wraps its shadows around forms and the smooth brass timepiece sets up the contrasting textures. You can feel the translucency of the whale tooth by the redness in the hollow and the light that skims across the powder horn reveals the tranparent layers of bone. The blue highlight on the lantern is the beacon that is reflected off the ripples of the glass and, what is so important to the sailor, the sturdiness of the rope whirls around out of the background. These were all objects that I took great pleasure in painting...