Steel Steaming Pitcher, Revisited

Steel Steaming Pitcher, 5 inches by 7 inches, December 2011

 

Because the first version of the steel steaming pitcher disappeared within seconds of being listed, I decided to revisit this subject a second time. Once again, my education in paint was distilled by the subject being almost invisible, leaving me nothing to study except reflections to describe the subject.

Winter Solstice

On this shortest and darkest day of the year, I realize I'm not keeping up. Too many dismal and dark days means the holiday promotion screeched to a halt, and as of right now, my entire website is offline due to some debilitating database error. I switched on the artificial daylight balanced lights, and decided to get started on a long overdue commission painting, and at almost midnight I'm finally done for the day, after a few hours of carving it out and laying it down under artificial lights. If the sky lightens at all tomorrow, I'll see this piece easily finished, and I may actually get things back up and running for a last ditch effort to complete the holiday promotion series. However, there is a remote chance that this will be remembered as the year I didn't finish it, and on December 25th, I will focus my sights on the brighter days ahead.

Pomegranates

Pomegranate #1, 5 inches by 7 inches, December 2011

Pomegranate #2, 5 inches by 7 inches, December 2011

Pomegranates are always a challenge for me, as they have an odd shape, and the leathery skin defies the identity of color or sheen. I had to come up with a different kind of shorthand mark to define the surface and all the turning planes and facets and edges.

Cheese and a Cracker

A Slice of Brie on a Cracker #1, 5 inches by 7 inches, December 2011

A very limited quantity of these very small paintings are being made available as a special offer, at a price of $300 each. The price includes a dark red contemporary hardwood frame, plus $10 for shipping and handling.

A Slice of Brie on a Cracker #2, 5 inches by 7 inches, December 2011

Private collection, London, United Kingdom

I have to admit that I was thinking about a set of paintings when I picked up the small wheel of brie and a package of Carr's Table Water Crackers. Of course we ate half of the cheese and crackers with some ripe pears before the paintings were even begun, right on the heels of disposing of yesterday's unfinished Guinness portrait subjects. Sometimes it's like an art opening here, and everything is just delicious.

A Refreshing Pint

 A Refreshing Pint of Guinness #2, 5 inches by 7 inches, December 2011

Painting a rich and dark pint of delicious Guinness on a fairly dark and overcast day just wasn't working, so I properly disposed of the subject and decided to finish my painting adventure in the morning. Of course nobody should be pouring a pint of Guinness in the morning, so early the next afternoon I managed to finish this study. A very limited quantity of these very small paintings are being made available as a special offer, at a price of $300 each. The price includes a dark red contemporary hardwood frame, plus $10 for shipping and handling.

Chocolate Macadamia Nuts

Two Chocolate Covered Macadamia Nuts, 5 inches by 7 inches, December 2011

Private collection, Pheonixville, Pennsylvania

Three Chocolate Covered Macadamia Nuts, 5 inches by 7 inches, December 2011

Private collection, King of Prussia, Pennsylvania

Some friends of ours recently returned from a short fun-filled vacation in Hawaii, and brought us a small can of chocolate covered Macadamia nuts. Rather than merely enjoy eating them all in short order, I decided to see if I could actually capture the colors of chocolate with paint. There's an aspect to the opacity of the surface that should keep them from being confused with olives, although immediately another artist confused the unfinished painting with olives. I spent more time studying the details before they once again became tasty little souvenirs of a trip to Hawaii.

Avocados

An Avocado, 5 inches by 7 inches, December 2011

A Sliced Avocado, 5 inches by 7 inches, December 2011

The challenge of the simplicity of one avocado is amplified when an avocado is sliced open, revealing so many complex shapes and colors. Of course it's always nice to eat them when the paintings are finished. A very limited quantity of these very small paintings are being made available as a special offer, at a price of $300 each. The price includes a dark red contemporary hardwood frame, plus $10 for shipping and handling.

Tangerines

One Tangerine, 5 inches by 7 inches, December 2011

Sold! Private collection, Wayne, Pennsylvania

Two Tangerines, 5 inches by 7 inches, December 2011

Sold! Private collection, Bondurant, Iowa

Today I decided to carve out some little studies of tangerines. The surfaces were almost nothing but shine and gloss, and every part of the sky and the sun were reflecting in these subjects. The lost and found edges were a fun exercise in allowing shapes to turn in space.

Cream in your Coffee

Steel Steaming Pitcher, 5 inches by 7 inches, December 2011

Sold! Private collection

Coffee Cup and Saucer, 5 inches by 7 inches, December 2011

Private collection, Chapel Hill, North Carolina

I like to revisit the steel steaming pitcher, just to study all of the things that create an object that are nothing but the distorted reflections of everything except the object. Always a challenging study.

Three Bartlett Pears

One Pear, 5 inches by 7 inches, December 2011

Sold! Private collection, Chevy Chase, Maryland

Two Pears, 5 inches by 7 inches, December 2011

Sold! Private collection, Chevy Chase, Maryland

Some day I'd love to figure out how to capture the same efficiency of brushwork on a larger canvas, as I show on these smaller pieces. There something in the brevity of color and application that compliments the sweet and refreshing taste of a pear, which gets lost when I labor of a larger version of this same subject.

Three Green Apples

One Green Apple, 5 inches by 7 inches, December 2011

Private collection, London, United Kingdom

Two Green Apples, 5 inches by 7 inches, December 2011

Private collection, Tampa, Florida

Of course sooner or later, I have to paint apples that are green in color.

Espresso Cups

An Espresso Cup #1, 5 inches by 7 inches, December 2011

Sold! Private collection, Winterpark, Florida

An Espresso Cup #2, 5 inches by 7 inches, December 2011

Sold! Private collection

I decided to study the simple wonder of an empty espresso cup, with two slightly different angles of the same cup. As always, I'm surprised to find so many subtle colors within the depths of the porcelain. These are some nice little paintings, and one of these days I'll actually make a plan to keep one of these studies for myself.

Three Strawberries

One Strawberry, 5 inches by 7 inches, December 2011

Sold! Private collection, Henrico, Virginia

Two Strawberries, 5 inches by 7 inches, December 2011

I have to accept my limitations on realism sometimes, especially when I paint something as detailed and articulated as strawberries. While I do my best to defy being guilty of relying on a style instead of actual observation, strawberries always represent some aspect of color and texture that just leaves me flummoxed and bamboozled.

Sweet and Tasty Blueberries

Three Blueberries #1, 5 inches by 7 inches, December 2011

Sold! Private collection, Henrico, Virginia

Three Blueberries #2, 5 inches by 7 inches, December 2011

Sold! Private collection, Oceanport, New Jersey

Despite the day being so dark and dismal, I managed to carve out these two little studies of some surprisingly sweet and tasty blueberries. While I sorted through the box to find the perfect models, I did wind up eating quite a few of these little treats. It was a nice preview of the taste of the subject, as the day quickly grew darker and darker by the minute, and the rain continued to come down in a quiet roar outside. 

Reflections

Aside from all this most recent buzz of activity, only a few short weeks ago I was on the other side of the planet, in a completely different world. For the third time in as many years I returned to Thailand. As the crush of noise and heat was rising from the street down below, I could ponder the vastness of it all from my hotel balcony. Being an entire planet away from all of this that surrounds me gave me a startling perspective on everything. It's hard not to be reminded of how very small I am. Being nobody on the endless winding streets of a small village reduces me to nothing more than a point of perspective, just another set of footsteps on a dark and nameless alley. Late one night I realized the massive dark form in front of me was an elephant, grazing on the trees growing over a fence. Two men were quietly talking a short distance away, while the elephant forcefully tore down branches, crunching them noisily in its mouth. I paused to take it in, all of us were as anonymous as shadows in the alley, the two men, the elephant, and myself. I suppose this is what I embrace about these short escapes, the feeling of being nobody, of being almost absolutely nothing.

Two Zesty Fresh Limes

One Lime #1, 5 inches by 7 inches, December 2011

One Lime #2, 5 inches by 7 inches, December 2011

By setting two limes on the counter, I decided to explore what makes one of these almost identical pieces of fruit different than the other. Some colors were different, as well as the strength of the sheen, the reflections and the gradations, and in the end I believe they each have their own character.

Five Thai Chili Peppers

Three Thai Chili Peppers, 5 inches by 7 inches, December 2011

Two Thai Chili Peppers, 5 inches by 7 inches, December 2011

Sold! Private collection, Brooklyn, New York

In celebration of all the great things that my lovely wife can do, I decided to paint Thai chili peppers from yesterday's side trip to the Asian grocery store. The biggest challenge in this subject was to find the miniscule details that helped these to sit solidly on the table top. With such tiny subjects, I'm realizing that my smallest brushes aren't quite small enough.

Vine Ripened Goodness

Vine Ripened Tomato #1, 5 inches by 7 inches, December 2011

Vine Ripened Tomato #2, 5 inches by 7 inches, December 2011

Sold! Private collection, Henrico, Virginia

For some reason I found that two tomatoes made a nice enough set without slashing either apart. Although in retrospect, it might have been fun to explore all the complexities within a sliced tomato. Maybe next time...

New and Improved, With a Lemon Fresh Scent!

One Lemon, 5 inches by 7 inches, December 2011

Sold! Private collection, Ellicott City, Maryland

A Sliced Lemon, 5 inches by 7 inches, December 2011

Private collection, West Chester, Pennsylvania

For the fresh smell of excitement, I decided to slice a lemon. Rarely do I slice my fruit, but pieces of citrus seem to become very interesting when slashed apart, to become new and different shapes. These paintings were very exciting when they were just roughed in, so I tried to retain some of the raw "sketch" quality of the original layers of paint.

Fresh and Crispy

One Gala Apple, 5 inches by 7 inches, December 2011

Sold! Private collection, Chapel Hill, North Carolina

Two Gala Apples, 5 inches by 7 inches, December 2011

Sold! Private collection, Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania

And as most things with me either begin or end with apples, I carved out these two little studies of Three Royal Gala Apples. It's always a surprise to discover how much color is in the simplest of things.

Three Eggs

One Egg, 5 inches by 7 inches, December 2011

SOLD! Private collection, Chapel Hill, North Carolina

Two Eggs, 5 inches by 7 inches, December 2011

SOLD! Private collection, Wilton, Connecticut

It seems as though I've answered the question "which came first?", as well as kicking off the exciting new edition of the 25 days of Christmas. These will be matched sets of two pieces, although everyone is welcome to mix and match as their heart desires.

This is the first of the David Oleski 25 days of Christmas promotion, and the purchase of each piece will include a gift certificate for $200, good toward the purchase of any piece from my current and upcoming available inventory, valid from the day you receive your very small painting until December 31st of 2012. As many certificates as you collect can be combined together for any purchase, although these cannot be used in combination with any other offer or promotion.

The New Series

Starting tomorrow, December 1st, of the year 2011, will be the all new Very Small Paintings of David Oleski's 25 Days of Christmas painting series. I don't know about any of you, but I'll have a hard time getting to sleep tonight.

A Single Rose

A Single Rose, 5 inches by 7 inches, February 2011

The final remnant of the Valentine's day bouquet was captured in paint.

A Single Pear, and a Refreshing Pint

A Single Pear, December 2010

At one point I thought this was a red pear, but instead I found every version of violet, green and yellow while trying to capture it. I may have to turn it around a few times and see if I can see a red pear to paint.

A Pint of refreshment

I'm not sure if the fun of this subject is how interesting all the reflections are, or how nice it is to be finished and to properly dispose of the subject.

A Few More Studies

A Single Plum, 5 inches by 7 inches, January 2011

Sold! Private collection

A Single White Rose, 5 inches by 7 inches, January 2011

Private collection

An Espresso Cup, 5 inches by 7 inches, January 2011

I finished a few more very small paintings after the conclusion of the holiday promotion. Some of these were commissions and special orders, and a few were just for the fun of it. I gained a great education in reflections from this series, and I'll be excited to see how it all translates to a larger scale as I start on my new studies for spring.