"Chayote Squash and Bosc Pear" 9x12, 2015

      I see chayote squash all the time at my local Wegman's, where I get a lot of the fruit I paint.  I've thought pretty seriously about painting one many times but they seem so strange that I wasn't sure I wanted to do it.  The challenge of painting those puckers kept calling to me though. They definitely have a lot of personality.  This painting is headed to West End Gallery in Corning NY, along with "4 Peaches"below, and one other.

4 Peaches, 12 x 20 inches, oil on canvas

     I finished this painting about three or four weeks ago.  I was interested in the more pink colors of the donut peaches against the yellow peaches behind them.  I really enjoy trying to get the color variations of peaches while creating the illusion of a solid form.

Three Paintings Going to Principle Gallery in Alexandria, Virginia

     I'm shipping these three paintings to Principle Gallery tomorrow for their small works show in December.   Please stop by if you are in the area.  I've had a new large still life set-up, ready to be painted for a few weeks now, and I can't wait to get to it.

One More Fig 2015, oil on panel, 6x4 inches.

     As the title says, here's another fig painting; I love painting figs.  I'm still thinking a lot about the color of the background drape.  The background drape is the same in these last three paintings I've posted, but it comes out differently each time.  I'm surprised that such a simple thing could be so challenging to paint and hold my interest as much as it does.  I tell myself that since I paint it so often I should come up with a formula for it, but each time I change my mind about what it looks like. I suppose that it's partly due to the things in front of it being different, and partly because I haven't really nailed it yet.  Not that it matters though, I enjoy the attempt.

Tamarillo

Here's one more that I finished recently.  It's 8x10, oil on panel.

2 Figs 2015, 4 x 6 inches

     I've been getting back into the studio since school started up again, and I've started off with some smaller paintings as sort of a warm up.  This is 4 x 6 inches.  I like the loose quality of the brush strokes and the exaggerated color.  Sometimes I like to see how far I can push the color and still have it seem believable.  I almost always use the same background drape, it's a muted medium brown color, but in this painting I made it a little lighter and greener than I've painted it before, and I like how it looks against the green and purples in the figs.

     I have a few more new paintings to post which I will try to do tomorrow.  I finally bought the new photoshop elements tonight and it took me a while to download it and figure out how to "clone stamp" the sparkles out of this one.  I think I have the hang of it now.  

Speaking at Memorial Art Gallery Thursday, July 30th, at 7:00 p.m.

     

      The big event of my summer is almost here.  I was invited to speak about my work at Memorial Art Gallery in Rochester tomorrow night. The program begins at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday July 30th. Fellow Ithacan Cary Joseph will also be speaking.  Please come if you are in the area!  My painting Still Life with Starfruit, Blue Vase, and Teapot, pictured above is included in the current Finger Lakes Exhibit at MAG and was awarded the Docent prize!