Sunday, March 20, 2011

small paintings

Posting images of my paintings is never as much fun as painting them. I has been a while since I posted anything so I am offering up these paintings for your perusal. The persimmons must have been painted last fall, so maybe these are not as current as I thought. They are off my tree, my whole crop for the year. I like the look of the fruit on the tree after the leaves are gone, so I don't think about harvesting them. But the birds seem to like the fruit too.
8" x8" oil on board

The navel orange from a neighbors tree, where the hard to reach fruit still dots the trees I see from my window. I still have some oranges in the house but this is the only one that made it to be a subject of a painting. The interaction of the shapes; the pattern of the painted table top, along with the shadow and reflections set off the orange as they divide the space.
10" x8" oil on board

Again the same table top with it's bisecting spirals is the backdrop for a couple of mid-century candle holders. They are the ones that use those skinny candles, a little fatter than a birthday candle. I don't think I ever had candles in them, I just like the shapes. In painting one is perched on top of a stylized silver bell, enhancing the space-age feeling.
8" x8" oil on board

Here again the tabletop is in view. My favorite teapot, the one I would only use for company because I've seen how quickly I can get chip on the spout or crack the lid. It is glazed a deep cobalt blue with creamy white maple leaves, the handle, spout and rim are glazed in silver.
8" x8" oil on board

The last image in the post is of the mannequin on the mantel. Half of a child sized figure sits above the fireplace with a pair of wing paintings hanging behind it. One of the wings can be seen from this perspective. This vintage mannequin (I think of him more of a boy-a-quin) bring up some childhood memories that I have not totally identified. Maybe it goes back to my elementary primer; "Fun with Dick and Jane". I named him Randy.
10.25" x9.25" oil on board