Painting the Mundane
Subject matter from my personal life can often be boring and mundane, but somehow in the spirit of painting, even the mundane and unremarkable objects can be presented in new and interesting ways.
Throughout history artists have used fruit and other perishables as an index for the temporal life we all live. Harvested from my garden, these Brown Turkey Figs have a life-span of about 24 hours before their bright gold and green colors turn to a deep and fragrant purple.
Handmade sourdough from a local bakery may have a longer shelf-life than the figs, but not by much. In the end bread molds, and figs decay...but the vitality of nourishment seems to linger indefinitely once impressed in oil on canvas.
Nourishment (Fig and Sourdough Still-life), 2018. (Oil Paint on canvas, 10"x 10".)
Improvised Style
This single session of painting was done with a loose wet-on-wet technique in mind. I focused on color -checking directly from reality with the goal of achieving correct values from a still-life. I started this painting with little goals for the finished piece and aside from a focus on process, I was open to any result or outcome.