Stacked with Light – 10″ x 10″ Oil on canvas – $580

Light feels different against a dark ground. In this painting, I continue exploring a black backdrop — allowing shadow to hold the composition so that color and illumination can quietly emerge. The edge of a single book catches a soft glow. The curve of an orange warms against the surface. The rim of a mug gathers light and releases it slowly. I’m drawn to this contrast — how brightness feels more present when it rises out of depth.

The mug carries particular meaning for me. It was a gift from my daughter and features one of her artworks, its geometric shapes introducing structure and rhythm into the composition. There is something deeply satisfying about painting her design — about translating her visual language through my own hand. Beneath the book rests a vibrant cloth I found during our town-wide yard sale. Its saturated colors and worn familiarity bring another layer of lived experience into the scene. What may appear at first as a simple arrangement is, for me, a gathering of moments — family, place, friendship, and creative exchange. Even the dark background began as a suggestion from a fellow painter, a small challenge that opened a new direction in my work.

Stacked with Light reflects my ongoing interest in how ordinary objects hold quiet histories. I hope viewers are reminded of the meaning carried by the items in their own daily lives — the pieces that connect us to time, memory, and one another.

For inquiries, please connect through the contact form on my website.

Categories: Interiors, New Paintings, Original oil paintings, Still LifeTags: contemporary still life, dark background, dramatic light, everyday objects, expressionism, fine art, glowing color, mood in painting, moody still life, oil paintings, original artwork, painting on canvas, still life paintings, still life with oranges