Meandering through my studio these days with a few still life paintings in mind.  This piece evolved around the artichoke.  I love artichokes and decided to pick one up at the market recently.  I remember my mother cooking them a lot growing up. Oh how I loved peeling the leaves and dipping the end into a bit of mayonnaise before taking a bite.  It took awhile to get down to the heart of it and then removing the fuzzy hairs, which if you ingested them would certainly invoke a “choke”.  

As an artist I tend to get excited about simple things. The artichoke for example.  The shape and texture created on the surface of this vegetable through it’s deep, thick leafy body is pure artistry to my eye. The antique kettle had been sitting on my studio table for awhile.  It too had it’s own unique personality. A warmer hued object with its burnished brass surface offered a nice compliment to the muted green of the artichoke.  After experimenting with some additional items,  I settled on the using three and incorporated a nice red pepper.  The composition is fairly simple and offered an opportunity to allow larger simple forms to construct the space.  

I struggled a bit with a title for this painting. What I have is simple but if you have any suggestions please let me know. Enjoy the work!

Categories: New Paintings, Still LifeTags: abstract art, art, bold, color in painting, colorful paintings, contemporary art, contemporary women artists, expressionist, fine art, form, nature, oil paintings, spacial relationships, still life, still life paintings