My painting is based on the style of Paul Cezanne still life painting, following the technique of Alex Katz. I was motivated by a painting I had done, seeing if I could recreate it using different objects, while also using two different artist techniques and styles that I felt comfortable with. While doing this painting, I was trying to create a sense of depth by the use of colors and the objects. By the colors in the foreground being more intense then the colors in the background. My painting communicates the hardship of life by the object, such as the book and the skull. While the skull symbolizes life, the book "Dear, Martin" tells the story of how a young boy lost his friend and started to look at the world differently. This painting is one of my favorites so far, while I put a lot of hard work and effort into it, it turned out better than I expected.