Still Life with Pears, Bottles and Egg

     I finished this painting today. Its 24 x 30 inches, and it took about five weeks or so, which felt like forever, but I learned a few things in the process. One big thing is not to make the background too dark.  I find if the background isn't too dark there are more options for playing with the positive and negative shapes.  I ended up painting this background four different times before I was happy with it.

Re-presenting Representation VIII at the Arnot Museum

     I'm very happy ( over the moon really) to have three of my still life paintings included in "Re-presenting Representation VIII"  at the Arnot Museum in Elmira NY.  The show is up until May 31st.  Here is a link to the Arnot's Facebook page that has more info about the show.  

https://www.facebook.com/ArnotArtMuseum

Four Forelle Pears

     I finished this painting about 4 weeks ago but didn't get the chance to photograph it until yesterday.  It's 10 x 20 inches and is painted in oils. I've been painting pears a lot lately and am enjoying it a great deal.  This is partly due to the fact that I'm painting them from life.  ( For most of the past 15 years I was painting from photos) I'm also enjoying their peculiar shapes and gestures that sometimes remind me of people.  Never anyone in particular but types maybe...  These would definitely be babies because they are small, roundish, and falling over.  Anyway, maybe this is a sign I should get back to figure painting.

Some Pear Studies

     I worked on these pears last week to try to figure out a problem I've been having with a larger painting. The painted study is the last one I finished.  I hadn't done a drawing in silver or gold point in nearly 20 years and I enjoyed it a lot. 

Gold point on gesso panel 5 x 6

Silver point on gesso panel 4.5 x 6

Sumi ink wash on paper about 6 x 8

Still life with Lemons

     I finished this last week.  I hadn't painted a drape in a while and I must say that painting drapes is pure fun.  Also the lemons were trickier than I thought they would be; it took me several tries to find the right colors for the darks in the lemons. 

"Small Gems" at West End Gallery in Corning NY

     I have some work going up next week in the "Small Gems" show at the West End Gallery in Corning NY.  Please stop by if you are in the area!  

     I really enjoy painting fruit, particularly pears. While each pear conforms to it's type, it can also have peculiarities that make it more unique and give it a personality and gesture.  I think a lot about this when I'm painting and sometimes I try to use their personalty and gesture to build a sort of narrative.  It's subtle to be sure but I do find it sometimes. 

"Forelle Pear" 4 x 4 inches

"Jonquils" 7 x 5 inches

"Raspberry, Apricot, and Blueberry"  5 x 7 inches

"3 Figs" 6 x 9 inches

Central Park Boat Pond

     This is a commission I finished this past December for a couple living outside of New York City.  This is the spot in Central Park where they got engaged. It was a pleasure to work on and I even got to travel to NYC last August to take reference photos.