A Slice of Cantaloupe

A Slice of Cantaloupe, 5" by 7", oil on linen board, February 2009

Private collection, Williamsburg, Virginia

I worked until late last night on this study of a slice of cantaloupe. The luminosity of the slice created stronger colors than the material itself, and everything seemed to glow with light and color. The details of the edges and corners provided a good contrast to the big fields of shine and color.

One Black Plum

One Black Plum, 30" by 30", oil on stretched linen, February 2009

I started a large study of a single black plum yesterday, and at about 2:30 this morning I managed to finish it. It's not a very small painting, but it sure is an exciting piece.

A Kabocha Squash

A Kabocha Squash, 5" by 7", oil on linen board, February 2009

Private collection, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

o bid on this paintingNow that I'm on a new campaign to stay out of my comfort zone, I decided to carve out a very small study of a green pumpkin, now listed with its correct name of a kabocha squash, or Japanese pumpkin. Just when I thought about avoiding the details of the texture of a pineapple, I found myself caught up in the details of the stripes on a squash. Like I said, nowhere near my comfort zone here. It's all so very strange.

A Pineapple

A Pineapple, 5" by 7", oil on linen board, February 2009

Private collection, Annandale, Virginia

Without having any idea of what I'm doing, I did a small study of a pineapple. I've managed to avoid ever attempting this before, mostly because of my aversion to patterns. The perfect grid of texture across the fruit itself and the pattern within the crown have always been the identifying characteristics of a pineapple. As I wonder more and more what I should be doing lately, it seemed that putting the pineapple in a believable interior space would suffice for detail for this study. It has some nice colors, but overall it's just a rough little exercise.

Two Shallots

Two Shallots, 5" by 7", oil on linen board, February 2009

Private collection, Little Rock, Arkansas

Rather than be defeated by another rose, I decided to carve out a very small study of two shallots. This was an interesting challenge, with one piece encased in a golden papery skin, and the second one peeled enough to expose a layer of bluish violet. This almost feels like the kind of painting I'd like to be able to do, if I could actually paint.

A Single Red Rose

A Single Red Rose, 5" by 7", oil on linen board, February 2009

Private collection, Great Falls, Virginia

In the spirit of Saint Valentine's Day, I finished a very small study of a single red rose. Ah...love...of course these colors defy what can be accomplished with my normal palette, and even an odd extra tube of magenta only managed to get me somewhere in the ballpark of the vibrant red. I've never been happy with the studies of roses I had done in the past, and this one had me similarly dissatisfied. I do have another single rose in a cup on standby for another attempt, so I might try again tomorrow.

A Black Plum

A Black Plum, 5" by 7", oil on linen board, February 2009

Private collection, San Pedro, California

In addition to so many other things, I did carve out a very small study of a single black plum.

Dog, Skunk, Stink

Last night Frank was blessed by the attentions of a skunk. All night and all day today was spent giving him no less than five baths of every combination of baking soda, white vinegar, hydrogen peroxide, dog shampoo, human shampoo and even some supposed "miracle" solutions. Needless to say, he still stinks. I picked up enough supplies to continue this routine for a few more days. In the meantime I'll be back to work painting on Monday, and Frank is sleeping in the basement.

Groundhog Week

Winter Sunset, 5" by 7", oil on linen board, February 2009

Private collection, Orlando, Florida

The snarling little weasel saw his brilliantly bold shadow this morning, so I guess winter will last as long as winter is supposed to last. This past week I've been busy studying the big world around me, and the small world here in the studio. On Monday evening the sky lit up in a blaze of glory again, so I scrambled to try to capture the quickly changing colors.

I carved out a few more quick studies of difference objects, including another green apple, and a pomegranate, and a single red rose in a vase.

One Green Apple, 5" by 7", oil on linen board, February 2009

Private collection, Chapel Hill, North Carolina

A Pomegranate, 5" by 7", oil on linen board, February 2009 Private collection, Austin, Texas