Archive for September, 2008

Still Life

Thought I would try my hand at still lifes. I have had a table set up in my studio for quite some time now and it has collected several objects I thought would be interesting to paint. My inspiration was a book on Morandi’s still lifes and their feeling for shape and subtle changes in value. I did several perparatory sketches, not to prepare a composition but just to discover shapes that are often hidden in plain view until you start to draw. Then I did these two small oil paintings on panel board, starting with the pear as a strong focal point and working around it.

Changing light

The light changes gradually as Fall approaches. Officially it is still summer but the green is starting to fade and yellow and the skies take on a hazy look too. I painted this at the farm of an old friend of mine who is also a fine artist in her own right but focuses more on boarding and training horses now. The sky was very interesting this day. Not the usually hazy overcast but some more dramatic clouds—forerunners of the ‘tropical depression’ headed our way. I usually clean up the edges on my pictures but recently my paintings have been looking a little overworked. The picture looked fine so why not just stop where I am?