Donuts for Wayne

Donuts for Wayne   oil   11 x 14 x .5

The work of American artist Wayne Thiebaud has always fascinated me, from the first time I saw his work on a notecard.  Pastries.  Ice Cream Cones....and, yet, his work was taken seriously.  His style was nothing like my own.  Nothing..  Simple flat shapes.  Simple pastel-painted color fields.  Little regard for perspective.  Giant dark shadows.  Everything my work is not.  And I am convinced that is why I love his work so much.  That, and the obvious sugar fix.  

And so, come Valentine's Day this year, we gave a nod to Thiebaud by painting donuts from Dunkin'.  My resultant work has strayed from that of Thiebaud with far more detail, a lack of flatness (that seems to be out of my range) and color that is far more complex.  So be it.

And, yet, I am pleased.  

Marketplace

Marketplace   oil/canvas   20 x 16 x .5

There are many facets of my life, too many really.  At the top of the list these days, I am a PAINTER and I am a COOK.  Sooo...the market is a place where, for me, visual pleasures preside.  The colors and textures are widely varied, and the imagined flavors boundless.  We are lucky to be exposed to so much variety these days!  

I am pleased with the way this painting turned out - four quadrants of varying textures and colors keep the chaos away.  For me, the metal shelving adds design relief.  Maybe it's just my secondary career calling, but I want to reach my hand right in!