Architectural Delights

Fenn  Corn Crib   oil on canvas   20 x 20 x 1.5

abound here in Northeast Ohio...and they never cease to interest me.  Yin Yang.  My figurative work is composed of organic forms, organic line.  Perhaps the geometric forms of old buildings help my sense of aesthetic balance.  The Fenn Corn Crib is on the grounds of The Kelso House and Museum in Brimfield Ohio.  I chose to accentuate its symmetry by choosing a square format and by placing it plop in the middle.  The uneven hand cut boards, the seen-better-days lumber and the peeling paint thrilled me almost as much as the Gothic window on top, which, by the way, has a mirror window on the other side.  No drive-through corn farms for the Fenns.  Painting such a building fills me with respect for the folks of earlier times whose life was certainly no walk in the park.

Fixit! (please)

Fixit   oil on canvas   12 x 9 x 1.5

is a still life painting done for and in our summer oil painting class.  The still life genre is perfect for study as one can incorporate not only objects that are personally pleasing, but a melange of shapes and sizes that can teach us about composition and design.  This time I perused objects from the garage, as kitchen objects have had their fair share of play time in my work.  This one was difficult, as my style, which is usually quite soft, had to be altered in order to interpret the solidity, strength and linear qualities which can be alien to me.  The color palette was also a challenge as I wished for strength and neutrality.  Brights inappropriate.  After several sessions, I am satisfied.

I also realize how many times I say to my husband, "Fixit, please!"

African Daisies

African Daisies   oil on canvas   5.5 x 12 x 1.5

are the subject of this small painting.  Although flowers are not my usual subject matter, I do appreciate all they have to offer in terms of learning:  complexity, rhythm, intense as well as subtle hues, and those darned ellipses!  Most of my work requires much contemplation, much deliberation, and many changes.  These small florals offer a bit of a break in the seriousness...an opportunity to paint what is before me.  This arrangement is a small cropping from a large plant on our patio.  I also enjoyed a variance in the usual format.  My goal was to allow patterns of both darks and lights to weave through the work in a rhythmic way.  I am pleased...for now.  (Pleasure in painting, I'm afraid, is fleeting)