An '80s-Style DIY Still Life

This weekend I filled my $50 IKEA display case with still life vignettes! It’s a project I’ve been dreaming of creating for quite some time. There is a TON of still life inspiration to draw from, as ’80s-influenced still life photography has experienced a huge revival in recent years, thanks to photographers such as Richie Talboy and design studios like Ladies & Gentlemen. And don’t get me started on the slew of still life images on Pinterest! Read on for all the project details…

The beauty of the current still life phenomenon: simple materials and everyday objects are the materials, making this art form accessible to everybody. With influences that range from Memphis-Milano to the current interior decor trend of mixing materials (metal, wood, marble, glass, etc.), still life art encourages us to take a second look at the items that surround us on a daily basis.

Excellent still life supplies include the following:

foam sheets
marble tiles
sporting goods and equipment (such as ping pong balls and colorful hand weights)
wooden geometric forms
everyday metal objects (such as washers and hex nuts)
rocks and minerals
colorful dollar store items (anything goes)

About those dollar store finds… This rubber band ball grabbed my attention, as did a foam and plastic super soaker and a sculptural ball that resembled a badminton birdie.

The sky is the limit when it comes to still life ingredients. Below we see foam squares and wavy “confetti” that I snipped from a party garland:

I was excited to find wooden geo forms at my local craft store for a few dollars apiece. I left some of them in their natural state and covered the others in foam to create vibrant cubes in Memphis-Milano hues.

To cover the wooden cubes, I used them to trace foam squares, leaving each square a little bit longer on one side. You’ll see why in a minute…

If you leave one side of the square a tad longer, the foam corners of the cube come together perfectly. There’s no right way to do this, folks. I simply used a foam brush to paint each side of the cube with Elmer’s glue (hot glue leaves bumps), and then I attached the foam. Easy and fun!

Here are some pics of the end result! I printed a grid pattern onto cardstock as a backdrop for a couple of shelves, and I used foam sheets as the “ground” for each vignette. Arranging the different components is the fun part. Tape, tile, rocks and minerals, and everyday items were stacked and layered until I came up with arrangements I liked.

Here’s a close-up:

I have a feeling this project will be ever-evolving! Thanks for letting me share these pics with you. Grid paper + foam sheeting + everyday items = instant still life!