He Just Doesn't Get It

oil/canvas, 10 x 12 inches

There are many reasons to paint the still life which is why I think artists have been drawn to it for such a long time.  Personally,  I will sometimes paint them for the challenge of trying to depict a specific form, colour or sense of light.  Sometimes I go back to them because I get tired of working with photos and I need to work from direct observation.  What is fascinating however, is how these inanimate objects take on a life of their own and start to communicate their own raison d'être.

The opposing directions of these two little bottles made me think of an argument or a breakdown in communication.  Funny how simple studio props start to personify the ideas that we are trying to express without intentionally starting out that way.

Contact Portrait Project

Melancholy Smile, oil/canvas, 11x 14 inches

Portrait painting was a great passion when I was in art school and I have often wanted to revisit it. My teaching practice has reopened that doorway and inspired me to try my hand at it again. I have decided to post these images on a different blog. If you are interested you can visit it at  Contact Portrait Project.

White Teapot #2

oil/canvas, 9x12 inches

There are some paintings that just happen, they just paint themselves and then there are those that don't.  This one emerged with a bit of reluctance, but it emerged none the less.  It is another study in white, this time using the complementary pair of violet and yellow (with a touch of ultramarine and magenta).