Ode to Peppermint...

Ode to Peppermint   oil   9 x 12 x .5

...is another small still life designed to help me get back into creative decision-making, color decisions, and to just "feel" the paint as the brush touches the surface.  What could be better?  The remnants of all manner of peppermint treats fit the bill!  I set up this small scenario and set to work.  As the whipping cream kept melting, I did succumb to photographing the copper mug before I ran out of cream! 

Actually, the most difficult passages were the pine branches....they are, at the same time, quite delicate, yet strong, and very very complicated.  Each stroke was just too strong, until I pulled out my rigger brush and thinned the paint substantially.

A final passage was required to strengthen the reds and whites, especially at the intersections of the two.  I am happy, as this small scene captures what I felt during this very special season.

Back in the Saddle Again

Tea and Oranges   oil   12 x 9 x .5

Oh, the altered reality of the holiday season!  The lights!  The sparkles!  The company of family members around the fire and the outdoor activities in the winter coldness!  The great food!  The special parties and events that occur only this once during the year!   I love each and every part of this season.

Enter the forgotten studio....the paint hardened on the palette....the tidied piles of creativity that lack the doing....this is scary stuff....approaching the blank canvas or paper for the first time in a while, which I liken to any activity that has gone dormant. 

I find that simple still lifes are the first step I need to take to find my strokes again....simple compositions that take little thought and household items at the ready.  The subjects for the still life are quite forgiving as regards draftsmanship.....who cares if the mug is a bit too wide?....the orange a bit smaller? 

This simple painting is my first exercise of the New Year 2018.  Happy New Year!