"Passion Of The Rose"

The most important rule of trompe l'oeil painting is to paint the objects at actual size. All of the objects except the figurine are painted from life. I set them up in the studio and used a ruler to measure the actual height of each object. The goal is to paint a picture which could be mistaken for an actual object. A picture frame automatically destroys the attempted illusion. We are incredibly sophisticated as viewers and it doubtful that anyone is really fooled by a trompe l'oeil painting. For me it is a challenge and a way to connect to an ancient and timeless tradition.