Oil on canvas board, circa 1971.

The central point of interest for me in this painting is that the source of light is part of the painting. Other than sunsets or sunrises, this is usually not the case. Here, the source is also relatively dim and gives a generally dark, yet warm atmosphere. Oil is a wonderful medium for such subjects.

I took some liberty with the actual lighting as I painted, since the candle would not really have provided enough light to evenly illuminate the wine bottle as I depicted. It would have been mostly in dark shadow, in reality, because the wax of the candle would have obscured the light from the narrower flame.