Finishing Touches for Still Life #3

I'm in the final stage of this painting now. The pine cones and basket were completed in April.
For the last couple of sessions, I've been concentrating entirely on the red cloth, trying to recreate the criss-cross pattern in the cloth. At first, I was tempted to recreate all the black lines as they flow into the darkness. And then I realized that the lines become increasingly soft and lighter the farther back they go. Painting them this way has given the cloth a softness that contrasts nicely with the crisp outline of the apple. The attention stays on the apple, where I want it to be.  The real apple (substitute #3) was removed by students in late April when the smell became too much to be. I don't blame them. :)

For the final few sessions, I'm going to continue softening edges where they need to be softened, and also repaint the background one more time.