Two Pears Painting and Artist Statement

Two Pears – 5" x 7" Oil on Canvas Panel SOLD

With this painting I was fascinated with the high key palette of the setup. I love the calming effect of the light, light blue background and how the pears seem to float on the surface while also being grounded to the vertical background by the shadows the pears cast. I was also fascinated how I was seeing so many colors in this relatively restrained setup.

Lately I have been branching out with painting techniques while also listening to podcasts on somatic learning, specifically podcasts about the Feldenkrais method. I have not yet found how these two worlds intersect, however I do know that by listening to these lectures I have been able to find the words to express what I am striving to do with my current paintings. Thus these worlds are intersecting and I am growing with the experiences.

Below is an artist statement I have started to develop (an artist statement is often stressed as something every artist should have) but so far I have only been discussing my paintings as they are created. This is my first attempt in describing what I am striving for as an artist and why I continue to paint these still lifes. Please read on, it is an early draft and I would love to receive feedback or questions if there are areas where I have not elaborated enough. Thanks for stopping by my blog and reading it, Liz

ARTIST STATEMENT:

With my paintings I am trying to capture a sense of emotional harmony. A peaceful happiness that can be found in the everyday, not some fleeting feeling that can only be felt when one leaves their routine. I feel that I gain from these paintings of still life objects that most everyone is familiar with. I feel that in capturing these objects my life becomes more calm and whole, as I do believe that with a sense of peacefulness one is able to find their inner self and thus a happier aspect of life.

I always strive to make the most of each painting experience. Typically I also incorporate a painting technique or principle in a way so I can test my understanding of it while also painting a beautiful scene. Art is such a personal experience that I feel I must impart a part of me in each piece. I do this by incorporating my love of beautiful objects along with my love to experiment and learn.

An aspect of my personal character is that I do not like driving the same way to a destination too often. I start to get bored and I want to see what else is going on or what else exists along a new and different path. My love of exploring and seeing what is around me is also recorded in my paintings, as I tend to work in series. I get interested in how a certain design scheme can be repeated while also being subtly different. I will paint a subject over and over again, relearning or enhancing my understanding of the object until I believe I know it. I then move onto another object, but before long I will return and redress the previous object with new information, thus the paintings are different, but hopefully still impart some of the fun of what I have been learning in them.