The Nature of Objects – 10″ x 10″ Oil on canvas – $400
In this still life, past and present meet in quiet dialogue. Three vessels stand before a patterned backdrop: a golden yellow jar and two luminous glass bottles. This backdrop suggests windows, frames, and echoes of other paintings. This interplay deepens with the reflection of the green glass bottle. These overlapping spaces feel like a layering of time, where one moment both influences and shapes the next.
I’m fascinated by how ordinary objects can become timeless through color, line, and composition. Here, the solid weight of the jar contrasts with the shifting transparency of glass. The patterned geometry behind them offers a sense of memory and context, like a painting within a painting. The interplay of reflection and shadow forms its own language. It invites the viewer to linger. It encourages the viewer to consider how the everyday holds both presence and history.
This piece is part of a collection. It is being built around the quiet, intuitive connections between objects and memories. These subtle threads can unify a composition.
When I paint, my approach is spontaneous and responsive. The arrangement itself becomes the framework, and any sketching is done directly on the canvas as loose painted lines. I work in oils with walnut medium and bristle brushes. This approach allows me to stay fluid. I build texture and rhythm as I move across the surface. In this way, the process transforms into discovery. The act of painting itself echoes the themes of time, memory, and presence that the work explores.
Please reach out if you have any questions on this piece. I’d be happy to share more about it. Catherine cmartzloffart@gmail.com
Categories: Linked Instincts: The Space Between Glass and Frame, New Paintings, Original oil paintings, Still Life
CATHERINE J MARTZLOFF / Bright and Expressive Original Oil Paintings 