Another Green Apple

One Green Apple, 5" by 7", oil on linen board, December 2008

Private collection, Greenwich, Connecticut

Over the weekend I carved out a small study of a green apple. I'm about to start on some larger studies in the upcoming weeks, and I'm excited to see how much of what I've learned in miniature will translate to bigger and bolder.

A Porcelain Goose

A Porcelain Goose, 5" by 7", oil on linen board, December 2008
Private collection, Wayne, Pennsylvania

Just to keep things strange and interesting, I decided to carve out a very small study of a very small porcelain goose. Capturing the character and posture of this little figure was as much of a challenge as creating a sense of mass and space.

A Kiwi Fruit

A Kiwi Fruit, 5" by 7", oil on linen board, December 2008
Private collection, Wayne, Pennsylvania

Today I carved out a small study of a sliced kiwi fruit. Several times before I sliced one of these babies open only to decide that eating it was more enjoyable than painting it. In retrospect, I think eating it today would have saved me a lot of frustration, of trying to capture the odd gradation of colors and the variety of surfaces. I'm not sure how successful the painting is, but I'm sure it will be delicious to finally eat the little fuzzy thing.

A Small Porcelain Vase

A Small Porcelain Vase, 5" by 7", oil on linen board, December 2008
Private collection, Wayne, Pennsylvania

Today I finished a study of a small porcelain vase. Painting the pattern of flowers on the surface reminds me of a portrait I did in art school, of a black woman wearing a black floral-patterned dress. What starts out looking like colored confetti takes shape as a pattern following a form.

A Small Glass Bottle

A Small Glass Bottle, 5" by 7", oil on linen board, December 2008

Private collection, Wayne, Pennsylvania

I'm finally back to work again after over a week away from the easel. Today I finished a study of a small antique glass bottle. It was very challenging to capture the blue tint of the bottle with all of the defracted highlights within the glass. It reminds me of learning how to paint all over again.