Journal 1/10/13

Another studio shelf, this time with pottery from Provence.

Journal 1/9/13

A studio shelf in cold January light.

From the Market, Provence

A sunny spring morning in southern France, rather than a grey and wet afternoon in northern Vermont.

Five Pitchers from Provence

Of the still life objects I've worked with over the years, I'd say pitchers have the most personality--and these five have an assertive sense of style that is most definitely Gallic.

Click here for an online view of my exhibit Paris/Provence.

Une Petite Chose 2

Another little confection from the corner patisserie, this time a tartelette citron.

Une Petite Chose 1

A "little thing" from Paris, which abounds in beautiful little things. (After two days in museums preparing for the workshop, it was time to paint, even if it was also time to go to sleep...)

Journal: Morning in April

A time limit of ninety minutes allows just the simplest statement of what I see, looking through the dining room window, across the road to woods and pond.

Journal: First Spring Flowers

These few flowers that I picked in the front garden opened confidently during a warm week in March, and then hunkered down to wait out April's cold winds.

Journal: Squash and Blue Plate

The last of my winter squash, on one of my much-used, mismatched, Willow Ware plates.

Journal: Garlic and Shallots

I'm back home in Vermont , and chill winds blowing a few snowflakes are back, too. For my "warm-up" painting today I found these remnants from last year's garden.

Journal: Ginseng and Plums

As soon two things are placed together (even mysterious food items from a Chinatown grocery) they enter into a relationship.

Journal: Polish Peppers

The second of my "daily journal" paintings, looking at another in my still life prop collection of beautiful food items I'd be afraid to eat.

Journal: Indian Pickles

As I've been engrossed in the studio with a new series of Vermont landscapes, I'm finding I miss paying attention to the little things I see every day here at home or out in the changing weather. So I'm back to doing small "journal paintings" in the morning as a warm-up for studio painting. My rules (hey, I'm a Virgo) for these are: 8" x 8" gessoed board, seven colors (white plus six primaries), directly observed, and no more than ninety minutes. Here are Indian mango pickles that I bought in Montreal, because who could pass up that color.

Season's Greetings!

Best Wishes from snowy Vermont for a cozy and contemplative Christmas.

Piero, Fruit and pitchers (detail)

My thanks go out for nature's bounty, and for our friends, family, and home, and thanks to the makers of art, and the lovers of art. . . Happy Thanksgiving to you!

Spring to Summer (right panel)

And here's the final panel, with flowers that changed from tulips to peonies as we moved from June to July--and then on to the little green apples of August, and finally in September, the last tarot card thrown on the table.

Spring to Summer (middle panel)

The middle panel continues the Asian motif, with a Hokusai print, a celadon vase, and a crane on a river (origami bird on a cloth, that is...)

Spring to Summer (left panel)

My still life commission "Spring to Summer" is finished, and here is the left panel, and the complete triptych...stay tuned for the other two panels. You can gauge the time from beginning to completion by the fruit I painted, which began with cherries, then raspberries, peaches and plums, blackberries, and finally wild apples.

Spring to Summer--Vignette 16

Wild apples from the meadow take their place with tarot cards and a geisha.

Spring to Summer--Vignette 15

Another detail from my new still life--as I kept painting, ripe blackberries from my August orchard replaced the raspberries of early summer.