Long Spoon with Lemon

The Brimfield Antique and Collectible Show in Massachusetts bills itself as the largest antiques event in the US and I will admit the amount of stuff there is overwhelming (more than 80 acres worth).  It occurs 3 separate weeks each summer.  I went a few days ago to wander about and see if something struck my fancy to include in a painting.  I picked up a few pieces of battered silverware including this long spoon-- there was something about the shape of this spoon that I loved.

Feather Canopy

Hadn't done an 8 x 16 in a while.  When I set this up, I liked the concept of the lemon being protected by a feather canopy.

And a quick save the date notice.  I will be having a show at DaSilva Gallery in New Haven, CT, May 9 - 31.  The artist's reception is May 9, 6 - 8 pm.  Come visit!

Feather with White Cup

I am always finding turkey feathers in the yard; almost daily a flock wanders across the back.  In the spring, a tom turkey struts his stuff for hours on the lawn.  It seemed an appropriate time to pair a turkey feather and a single cranberry.  Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Ladle

I thought this old enamel ladle could carry a painting all by itself.

Hiking in Van Gogh Country

This young man was clearly transported out of the city by Van Gogh's "Cypresses".

Up Front

Can't think of a thing to say -- so I will go with Happy Leap Day!

Orange with Two Cups

Same painting--the top is the final version. Usually, I paint alla prima and when a painting is finished within a day or two, that is the final version. This time though, after a week or so, I decided to glaze the bottom painting, giving the cups and background a bluer and brighter tone.

Orange Rim

This week, I thought I would mix things up with a different perspective and color palette.

Three Dancers

I loved the stance of this young woman standing before Degas's Dancers Practicing at the Barre. She has to be a dancer as well.

Flower Trio

Three different pink flowers, each facing a different direction..... the plan was to quickly paint the same flowers in a different composition but Thanksgiving preparations took precedence.

Too Close

I took a break from my own still life paintings to do a painting of a gentleman at the Metropolitan Museum of Art inspecting Cezanne's "Still Life with Jar, Cup and Apples".

Lemon with Bowls

Sunday is my usual posting day but with Hurricane Irene coming and threatening power outages, I thought I would get it out a day earlier. Stay safe everyone.

New Again

I was looking through the old, bad painting pile and decided to have a go at reworking the below painting. It had never been varnished, so I just painted on top of the old painting. I am much happier with the new version.

Eggshells and Pear

This is a painting completed quite a while ago-- not sure why I never got around to posting it. I do like the red background (note to self; try red background again).

This painting is currently hanging at the DaSilva Gallery in New Haven. The last day of the show is Sunday, May 1st.

Tall Bouquet

There is only one painting above, the final version is to the left. Usually, I work on a painting for 1 or 2 days, 3 at the most. (The advantage to working small.) But this was a painting that I was never really satisfied with and whenever I was in the mood I would change it a bit--take out a flower, put it back in, move the stems around, change the highlight, etc. Anyway, it was time to stop.

White Cup with Shells

I am not posting today's painting because I am not quite sure it is finished; I need to look at it again over breakfast. (The kitchen is the place where the final decisions are made.) This painting was actually done right before the similar painting with the little pitcher. I think I prefer this one because of the more subdued colors of the background and tabletop.

Pomegranate

Last week, the demonstrator at the Hamden Art League meeting was Dick McEvoy, who gave a very energetic pastel landscape demo. His major point was to have fun while making art (which he clearly did during the demo). He snatched random colors from his pastel box, made lively marks and color patches and in the end, the painting read as trees and a stream alive with color and movement.

Inspired by the fun motif, I changed by usual perspective (still life at eye level) and put in color patches not seen in real life (just because I felt like it). The result is the above painting.