Artist Statement

When we look at something, do we see it?  Do we see what others see?  I think the answer to the first question is “seldom.”  We don’t usually take the time and we take things for granted.  The answer to the second question is “never.”  No matter how close we might stand to another, we simply cannot see what they see.  We don’t have the same viewpoint, whether in actuality or in our “mind’s eye.”   I’ve been looking at still life objects for some time now, and trying to really see them, well enough to show you my view. 

When I set up a still life, I look at how the light affects the objects, what colors are there, which shapes go well together, and the physical and psychological relationships of each to its neighbors.  This entails making thumbnail sketches, deciding what colors to use, what size of panel, and whether to make it vertical or horizontal.  Back and forth I walk, adjusting the pieces to see how they best fit together.  When all these decisions are made, I can start setting out my oil paints.  I usually sketch in the image in paint thinned with mineral spirits.  Then I start in earnest.

This is where the trouble begins.  Someone once said that painters make problems and then try to solve them.  Right away, I see difficulties.  Maybe it’s in the foreground, or the proportions, or how can I make a dark object stand in front of a light one and still make visual sense?  I dig in. I talk to myself, scrape out and change colors, sigh deep sighs.  At some point, the painting emerges somewhat to my liking.

This is where the fun begins.  I look more closely, more deeply into reflections, see the subtle colors in a cloth, work on where I want you to look.  And where else after that.  In the end, I have to love the painting in order to offer it to the viewer in the gallery.  I say to you, “Look at this, and see it as I saw it.  Even ordinary objects have a sublime beauty.”  Sometimes I say “Look at this – isn’t it funny?”

Famous painters have shown us what they saw and how to see.  My favorites are Rembrandt vanRijn, Paul Cezanne, Giorgio Morandi, Vincent Van Gogh, Pierre Bonnard and Richard Diebenkorn.