All the cherries in the basket are leaving home and their family came to say good bye for the last time. They hired a vocalist to send them off with song.
These two Pals wanted me to paint a portrait of them and I said "I could with one condition, they had to sit still and not giggle!" And to my surprise they were perfectly behaved! This is larger than I usually paint but they wanted to be on a larger canvas, a 14 x 11. They look so quiet and innocent but are actually very demanding!
Guarding the Egg was difficult because the Fork did not know what danger to look for. Was the salt and pepper going to season it too much? Was the coffee going to get out of hand with too much caffeine? Maybe it was a danger you could not see.
The family is gathering for another celebration. There is Grandma, the matriarch with her daughter, son in-law and her two grandchildren. Then there is crazy cousin Eddie who is just in from the Himalayan mountains. He loves pink. Now who was supposed to bring the green bean casserole?
I started this series of small (6” x 6”, 6” x 8”, 5” x 7”) paintings in May 2009 as a daily practice and discipline in order to liberate my work by painting from life in a restricted amount of time. In carefully considering placement, shape and color, I strive to find the essence and beauty of common objects in a fast-paced world that is dominated by electronic gadgets and digital images. It is my hope that people will stop, look and see the dignity and soul of things that are often taken for granted.
Composition and lighting are key elements in the creative design process, allowing me to create a lively and often humorous narrative.