Creating As It Was
Some objects carry more than their physical presence. As It Was developed from the idea that familiar spaces and everyday furniture can quietly hold memory, even after someone is gone. Inspired by a chair that was always my Nana’s seat in my house, the painting became less about the object itself and more about the atmosphere surrounding it. The feeling of absence, stillness, and time passing within a space once occupied.
What interested me most while working on the piece was restraint. I didn’t want the painting to rely on obvious symbolism or dramatic emotion. Instead, I wanted the atmosphere to feel subtle and lived-in, as though someone had just left the room. The watch resting on the side of the armchair became important for this reason. Although simple in composition, it quietly shifts the painting's emotional tone and introduces ideas about memory, presence, and time.
AS IT WAS | 2026 | Acrylic on Canvas | 20 × 24 in / 50.8 × 60.9cm
Building Atmosphere Through Light
Lighting became the foundation of the painting from the very beginning. I wanted the chair to feel grounded and visually heavy within the composition, while still maintaining softness throughout the scene. Keeping the light diffused allowed the work to remain calm and reflective rather than overly dramatic, helping create a quieter emotional tension within the space.
Colour and tonal balance also played a major role in shaping the atmosphere. Cooler blue tones and deeper shadows helped create a sense of stillness, while softer highlights guided attention naturally across the surface of the chair toward the watch. Much of the painting relied on subtle shifts rather than sharp contrasts, allowing the composition to feel intimate and restrained.
The Painting Process
The piece began with an underpainting to establish the tonal structure and overall depth of the composition before layers of acrylic paint were gradually built across the canvas. I first focused on blocking in the shadows within the chair itself, using darker tones to establish form and weight before refining any smaller details.
As the structure developed, I concentrated on the upholstery, buttons, and the softer lighting falling from the upper left side of the composition. Rather than overworking these areas, I wanted visible brushwork and texture to remain throughout the surface so the painting still felt immediate and human.
The background was introduced later in the process and became essential in shaping the final atmosphere of the piece. By carefully balancing the darker surrounding tones, I was able to accentuate the lighting across the chair and strengthen the sense of focus within the composition without distracting from its stillness.
What I found most rewarding while creating As It Was was allowing such a quiet subject to carry emotional weight without needing to explain itself directly. It became less about painting a chair and more about capturing the feeling attached to it, the way ordinary spaces can continue to hold memory long after moments have passed.
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