Composing a Still Life with Silver and Pewter

You know how a collection begins, don't you?  

First, you see something you love.  After you've acquired it, you immediately see another, so you have to get that too.  Before you know it, a collection has begun.

And so it was with these pieces of silver and pewter.  I have to admit to being a bit of a copy cat with this.  When I first saw the pages of Jeanne D'Arc Magazine, I looked at all the lovely old pieces of tarnished and dented silver so beautifully displayed.

Elements of a still life

What most intrigued me were the old sugar bowls that looked like trophies, or loving cups.  Right away, I became aware of them in all sorts of places:  Antique stores, Goodwill, Ebay. . .and it wasn't too long before I was hooked!  The napkin rings were already a collection in their own, and the lovely old pewter platter with it's dents and dings is an inherited piece, and actually dates to Colonial times. 

This last weekend, while it was too cold to do gardening, my mind turned to composing a still life of some of my favorite pieces of silver and pewter:

Marbleized eggs that my sons made about 20 years ago

I pulled out some ribbon, and a soft gray velvet piece of fabric.  "Let the fun begin", or so I thought!

Lighting anything with a shiny surface, even if it's not all that shiny, is tres difficile as many of you no doubt know. I also wanted to show off some of my Easter crafty pieces that I've been making.  I have several of these egg shaped "boxes" that I've hand painted and glittered with German glass glitter.  The images were transferred on before the glittering.  These were made a few years ago, and I use them in my Spring/Easter decor every year.

Hand painted and glittered Eggs with images courtesy of The Graphics Fairy

Throw something glittered into a shot, and that makes lighting even MORE challenging - lol!  Finally, after deciding to swap out the glittered eggs for something else, I was able to get the elements together to compose what I wanted to convey.

Finished Still Life

I was really going for a dark, moody look to these shots, like an Old Dutch Masters painting.  And just so you know, I really do decorate with these pieces. 

In the photos below, you can see one of them as it is set up in my living room:

Gathered with some of my German half dolls, and feathers found on our property.  I love the combination of natural elements with the silver.  There is also a pretty box that it is standing on made by Rosemary at Villabarnes.  She has a wonderful Etsy shop where she sells her gorgeous, one of a kind items.  I'm a big fan of her work.

I almost forgot to mention the cool, crooked branch in the first few shots.  That is from a Harry Lauder's Walking Stick (Corylus avellana) plant that we have in our garden.  Sadly, I think it is not doing too well, and may need to be replaced this year, but I'll keep what I can to use for decorating.  


(Sir) Harry Lauder was a Scotsman whose popular songs lifted the spirits of many during the war years (both WWI and WWII), and he toured extensively throughout his career.   As part of his stage act, he often carried a crooked walking stick, much like the corkscrew branches of this plant.

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Bella Rosa Antiques "Let's Talk Vintage"


Thank you for your visit today.  I would love getting to know you!

Happy Easter, everyone!

Cynthia

P.S.  The last three shots were taken with my phone camera, hence the difference in quality of the images.