White Peaches

White Peaches   oil   12 x 9 x 1.5

Still life paintings are versatile.  An artist can include as many or as few objects as possible to match his/her aesthetics, to  provide for a design that is pleasing and strong, and, also, to allow for a glimpse into what that artist deems important enough to paint.  While still life paintings are not my focus, I still enjoy the playfulness with color and design that a still life provides.  No exact likeness is required.  Objects can be altered and/or eliminated.  If anything, they are an arena of experimentation and play.

In this case, I chose to give homage to white peaches that my husband brought back from a trip to North Carolina, knowing that their subtle taste is exquisite to me.  I chose to pair them with a bunch of white daisies that we had plucked from the garden.

In most of my previous floral and fruit paintings, I have used a grayed down compliment for the background.  Over the years, I have come to enjoy the earthiness that comes from using browns in floral works.  For me, it is an antidote to the overindulgence of the sweetness inherent in the subject matter, as well as a way to use darker values, which I tend to like.  In this case a mix of violet and brown did the trick.  I am satisfied.

William Morris

Daisy Tile   watercolor/gouache   6 x 6

William Morris has been another inspiration for me, especially during the years that I designed greeting cards. The swirling patterns of flower shapes and leaves are both flowing and mathematically designed. The father of the arts-and-crafts movement, he promoted simplicity as a reaction to the overly-ornamented and sugary-sweet decor of Victorianism. He believed that beautiful things were in accordance with nature. Much of his wisdom was borrowed from the Japanese, including his use of restrained color so as not to tire the eye. His designs and fabrics are timeless. William Morris is Wabi Sabi. He found value in the uncomplicated.