Color Study 10/ Left-handed Coffee Mug

Oil on canvas board. 8"x10"

It's easy to tell which is my coffee mug - it's the one that sits with the handle on the left side and lipstick stains on the back.

Most of these color studies are done with a palette knife - the idea is to concentrate on color and not focus on form. For example, do you see a wrinkle in the bottom right-hand side of this mug? It's there because the color isn't right in that area.

In the interest of time, I'm using a brush for the background. I'm still fighting backgrounds - should they be worked first? I don't know. I have so much to learn!