Iron and Wool

Iron and Wool

12x12, soft pastel

This is a second still life painting of the old cast iron kettle and wool rug I recently purchased.  I just love all the textures and placed them on a wooden table in my living room against a textured wall.  I'm enjoying this little series.  It reminds me of the resilience of items from the past. These things weren't "throw away" household items but stood up to all kinds of use and abuse over the years. Resilient and strong...reminding me of the pioneering spirit of days gone by.

Cast Shadow

Cast Shadow

12x12, soft pastel

Painting realism can look like tedious work...but, I find it mesmerizing.  Focusing on the details to express a realistic image sends me into "the zone".  On this piece I loved expressing the texture of the cast iron and subtle reflections on the side of it from the rug it sits on and the challenge of depicting the shadow it cast. I loved painting the textures in the rug with all its imperfections and I'm reminded of how beautiful we all are, imperfections and all.

If Vincent Had A Rocker

If Vincent Had A Rocker

6x6, soft pastel

This rocker has been in the family since my youngest brother was small...a good 45+ years ago...so I thought I'd paint it similar to Vincent Van Gogh's chair painting...just for fun.  I included his pipe and tobacco which were in his original painting (even though it seems a bit inappropriate given that my painting is of a child's chair).   Oh well.