Artist Statement
Real Life - Still Life
In oil paintings and drawings, I try to illuminate the everyday objects I find around me, as they are illuminated for me by random moments of transcendence. Things I have seen a thousand times, while cleaning the kitchen, preparing dinner or taking out the trash…
Then the light falls in such a way, and I see the arrangement of shapes anew
I stop
I look
Really look, for the first time
the sparkle of sunlight across clean dishes in the dishwasher;
the luminous glow of a stained-glass onion skin among vegetables waiting to be chopped;
the elegant perfection of a humble Chinese noodle box on its way to the trash;
And I rejoice in what is familiar and commonplace, once again with the wonder of a child
My small oil paintings share a light-filled, intimate moment, creating a personal window of peace and tranquility. At the other end of the scale, large sepia-toned charcoal drawings moodily magnify my daily detritus in the ‘Carbon Footprint’ series, elevating my trash to monumental status
Painting and drawing from life – real life – gives me the privilege of contemplating an object for hours, reveling in the infinite complexity of the apparent simplicity before me. Gradually discovering the nuances of color in a papery garlic clove; appreciating the architectural form of a mushroom. When that pleasure spills out of the studio, back into regular life, it lights up the daily grind and provides a moment of joyful peace. My art captures such fleeting moments of serenity, saving and sharing them for all our busy days