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.

Espresso Fast

Espresso in Blue, 5 inches by 7 inches, February 2012

I carved out a small study of an espresso cup as a warmup to a new larger study of red plums. As always, it's nice to lay down these little gems.

Three Blueberries

Three Blueberries, 5 inches by 7 inches, January 2012

Private collection, Downingtown, Pennsylvania

As I'm getting ready to dive into my first tulips painting of the winter, I decided to warm up with a tight little study of three blueberries. This is always an exciting subject, as I'm always surprised with some of the bright blues and violets I can pull out of an arrangement of blueberries.

The New Year

Here is a short movie from our recent trip to UK.



Cheers.

Christmas Day

Two Apples, 5 inches by 7 inches, December 2011

Private collection, Downingtown, Pennsylvania

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.

Two Apples, 5 inches by 7 inches, December 2011

Private collection, Davidson, North Carolina

This is the end of the holiday promotion of the year 2011. Season's greetings to everyone, and a happy new year.

And More Apples

A Honey Crisp Apple, 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.

Two Apples, 5 inches by 7 inches, December 2011

More Apples

A Honey Crisp Apple #1, 5 inches by 7 inches, December 2011

Private collection, Richmond, Virginia

A Honey Crisp Apple #2, 5 inches by 7 inches, December 2011

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.