Three Blueberries, and a Steel Steaming Pitcher

Three Blueberries, 5 inches by 7 inches, December 2012

A Steel Steaming Pitcher, 5 inches by 7 inches, December 2012

On the final day of the 25 Amazing Days of Christmas of 2012, I decided to bring two paintings back by popular demand, the trio of blueberries, and the highly reflective steel steaming pitcher. As always, I had a great time with this series of little gems, and more than once I was a bit sad to see these get sold off to collectors from all over the country. As this effectively winds up the 2012 year, I'm excited to dig in on some exciting new frontiers in my ongoing mission into color and space.

Three Thai Chili Peppers

Three Thai Chili Peppers, 5 inches by 7 inches, December 2012

Sold! Private collection, Henrico, Virginia

 

Just to warm up this dark and cold day, I decided to carve out a study of three Thai chili peppers. These little accent marks of color become graphic little slashes to compose a gestural piece of calligraphy.

An Espresso Cup

An Espresso Cup, 5 inches by 7 inches, December 2012

As coffee is the only thing that focuses my attention in these dashingly short spans of daylight, I decided to embrace this forbidden love with a small study of the stately little espresso cup. Of course I drink my espresso as a double dose long pull in a cobalt glass mug to catapult me forward like a banshee on rollerskates, but the sentiment is charming and subtle in this lovely little painting.

Three Seckel Pears

Three Seckel Pears, 5 inches by 7 inches, December 2012

As the days wind down to the end of the 2012 promotion, I decided to try my hand at a trio of adorable little Seckel pears. Seckel pears are named after a farmer from Pennsylvania who discovered the fruit in the early 19th century. Today everybody has a chance to discover this charming little painting of Seckel pears, done by an artist in Pennsylvania in the early 21st century.

History is amazing, isn't it?

Red and Delicious

A Red Delicious Apple, 5 inches by 7 inches, December 2012

Private collection, McLean, Virginia

 

To celebrate the last day of the Mayan calendar, I decided to carve out a study of a subject I rarely explore, the rakish and angular red delicious apple. While yellow delicious, granny smith and royal gala tend to be nothing but pleasant curves and gentle colors, the red delicious apple has corners and angles, and a rich deep glossy red finish that seems more at home on a laquered piano than a simple piece of fruit.

A Persimmon

A Persimmon, 5 inches by 7 inches, December 2012

Sold! Private collection, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania

 

To celebrate the end of the world, I decided to paint a persimmon. I'm not sure if the ancient Mayans would have approved of this as the appropriate means of celebration, but I did it anyway. Afterwards, we sacrificed the fruit by eating it, just to get a deeper understanding of the ancient ritual of celebration.

Two Pears, and a Yellow Pepper

A Yellow Pepper, 5 inches by 7 inches, December 2012

Sold! Private collection, Henrico, Virginia

There's no shortage of color and excitement here in Chateau d'Oleski. I started off with a study of light and transclucence in the key of yellow, with a fresh yellow pepper. It is always a great challenge to figure out what colors will describe the light that glows from within a yellow pepper.

Two Bartlett Pears, 5 inches by 6 inches, December 2012

I followed up with another study of bartlett pears, just to have fun with the musical rhythms of curves and color in these shapely subjects.

A Salt Shaker

A Salt Shaker, 5 inches by 7 inches, December 2012

After exploring the world of one sweet fruit after another, I decided to explore a range of other flavors, starting with the ubiquitous salt shaker. The thick glass and chromed steel dome provided a nice basis of study of many aspects of this interesting shape.

Starfruit

A Starfruit, 5 inches by 7 inches, December 2012

Sold! Private collection, Rumson, New Jersey

 

Several years ago I approached this subject with mixed success. The translucent flesh of this fruit compounded with the odd shape feels oddly artificial and contrived, like painting a big piece of colorful candy. The details become telling, as fine lines on the edges become defining delineations of some of the facets and angles. The waxy sheen provides a good study of reflections unlike anything else.

Two Strawberries

Two Strawberries, 5 inches by 7 inches, December 2012

Few things are as challenging as the details and textures of strawberries. Turning one to the light and the other away provided a good exercise in generalities and details.

A Small Bunch of Grapes

A Small Bunch of Grapes, 5 inches by 7 inches, December 2012

Sold! Private collection, Glen Allen, Virginia

 

The requisite bunch of grapes is always a good exercise in trusting in the process of building a painting from generalities to details. By initially describing the overall mass, and only then defining the colors that structure the individual components, this subject always seems to just paint itself.

An Orange, and Two Pieces of an Orange

An Orange, 5 inches by 7 inches, December 2012

Sold! Private collection, Henrico, Virginia

 

Just to celebrate the juicy goodness of these fresh and healthy delights, I decided to create two paintings together, and post them on the same day. The whole orange is a challenging subject, as the glossy and richly colored skin challenges my abilities to capture shading and reflection while preserving the intensity of the color.

Two Pieces of an Orange, 5 inches by 7 inches, December 2012

Sold! Private collection, Alexandria, Virginia

The two pieces of an orange was a fun little study, with all of the telling details of the artifacts of the rind and vein-like webs of fiber that create patterns across the skin. I made sure to maintain a similar scale from one piece to the next, just so they work as a stunning little pair of paintings, of a whole fruit, and of a fruit in pieces.

One Green Apple

One Green Apple, 5 inches by 7 inches, December 2012

On this day after the end of the world, of course I had to post a painting of a single green apple, just to prove that at the end of civilization, we can still all appreciate the poetic and simple things that adorn our finite existence on this lonely little planet.

Two Yellow Pears

Two Yellow Pears, 5 inches by 7 inches, December 2012

Sold! Private collection, West Chester, Pennsylvania

 

This stunning little study was done toward the very beginning of this month, but didn't make it to being posted until today. Last week these pears served as a garnish for our french toast breakfast.

One Lime

One Lime, 5 inches by 7 inches, December 2012

Sold! Private collection, Wilmington, Delaware

 

The season is only as fresh and zestful as the smells and flavors of all the great food, and I'd be remiss in my duties to not acknowledge the zesty freshness of a simple green lime. This surprisingly simple subject winds up being challening, as the subtlety of the shape has to be fairly exact.

A Steel Steaming Pitcher

A Steel Steaming Pitcher, 5 inches by 7 inches, December 2012

Sold! Private collection, Wilmington, Delaware

 

Few things are as challenging as the mirror surface of polished steel. Every time I revisit this little steel pitcher I discover some exciting nuances to reflections that seem to only be revealed after repeated study.

A Slice of Cantelope

A Slice of Cantelope, 5 inches by 7 inches, December 2012

The entire cantelope had to be cut up before I could select the very best slice. I already started eating it before I started mixing colors, just to truly immerse myself into the refreshing flavor of a juicy and ripe melon. After so much focus and conviction, it was easy to capture such a stunning little study of shape and color.

A Mango

A Mango, 5 inches by 7 inches, December 2012

Sold! Private collection, Henrico, Virginia

 

I decided to revisit a challenging subject from several years ago. I'm not sure why I generally avoid mangoes, as this piece seems to have turned out nicely, and the subject truly does lend itself toward an excellent study in mass and weight, while providing some interesting colors and surface qualities to explore.

Three Blueberries

Three Blueberries, 5 inches by 7 inches, December 2012

Sold! Private collection, Yardley, Pennsylvania

 

The only thing in life that is better than one blueberry is three blueberries. While there are far too few blue fruits in the world to choose from, this is an excellent opportunity for me to capture a miniscule rendition of my iconic set of three objects, sitting in a row like three small objects that sit neatly in a row. Of course I can't think of anything else that does this outside of a David Oleski painting, but I'm sure there are many things in the world that do this. Aside from this conjecture, this is always a fun little exercise in blue, and yet another lovely little painting.

One Yellow Pear

One Yellow Pear, 5 inches by 7 inches, December 2012

Sold! Private collection, Reston, Virginia

My two green pears from last week have turned into a sweet and delicious garnish for yesterday's french toast, and today's juicy yellow pear painting. The sense of balance and calm is somewhat deceiving, as the balance is only aided by a rolled up piece of blue painter's tape, and the calm is only an illusion created from great restraint while articulating details from the end of tiny brushes and a tiny palette knife. As much as I am enjoying how these paintings look when they're finished, I'm also learning some great lessons about lost edges and reflective surfaces. One would think I'd actually be a better painter at the end of all this silliness.

Three Cherries, and An Apple and Two Cherries

Three Cherries, 5 inches by 7 inches, December 2012

Sold! Private collection, Henrico, Virginia

 

Aside from the great wealth of flavor and antioxidants, cherries are a great way to study reflection and deep color saturation. Three of these in an offset row provides an excellent opportunity to study the details of the minutia of delicacy. It's also a fantastic little painting.

An Apple and Two Cherries, 5 inches by 7 inches, December 2012

Sold! Private collection, San Carlos, California

And just when I thought I might be done with these colorful little gems, I decided to see how they look against the scale and mass of a green apple. Point meets counterpoint, imbalance meets balance, antioxidants meets the fresh tart crispiness of a granny smith apple, and this is yet another great little study.

One Lovely Red Pear

One Red Pear, 5 inches by 7 inches, December 2012

Sold! Private collection, Washington, DC

 

Nothing is as challenging as something that is so elegant in its simplicity, in form and color, as a red pear. I'm drawn to these at the produce section of the grocery store, as the red borders on crimson, as red as any color I can possibly coax out of my limited palette of paints. These simple things challenge me so deeply, yet I keep coming back for more.

One Fresh Lemon

One Lemon, 5 inches by 7 inches, December 2012

Sold! Private collection, Wilmington, Delaware

 

When the day turned surprisingly warm and sunny, it was hard not to appreciate the zestful lemony freshness of a fresh lemon. Typically I would circle around and around a lemon with brushwork to coax volume and depth from within the shape, whereas today I just laid in some knifework to build the form like only so much brickwork. Of course it was zestful lemony fresh brickwork.

An Apple and a Pear

Apple and a Pear, 5 inches by 7 inches, December 2012

Sold! Private collection, Richmond, Virginia

 

Nothing goes together like apples and pears, and I'd be neglecting my obligations as an artist if I didn't embrace this coupling as a charming little study. The communication between the two can be seen as one of agreeing to disagree, as the pear turns a blind eye toward the heartfelt concerns of the impudent young apple.

Two Red Pears

Two Red Pears, 5 inches by 7 inches, December 2012

Sold! private collection, Henrico, Virginia

 

To start off the 2012 season's 25 Days of Christmas, I decided that loose knifework would be the flavor of the season. This charming little study of two red pears is a fantastic example of how the knife can better create a sense of facets of reflection on a small scale.