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Full-bodied with a Hint of Fig | 12"x12" | oil on Gessobord panel

Full-bodied with a Hint of Fig | 12"x12" | oil on Gessobord panel

Out With The Stuffy!

October 14, 2015

Artists paint objects from life -- still life -- in part as a way to flex our technical muscles. We demonstrate our ability to portray textures, reflections, light and shadows through still life. The usual model is to arrange the composition with a strategic color scheme, triangular relationships and to pull your eye throughout the painting. The common viewer may not think about these devices (or care about them); they just know they like the painting.

While I put a lot of thought into the composition, I ultimately want the painting to appear beautiful. So that's my first priority. My next priority is to remove the stuffy, elitist feel a still life painting can connote. I did not make this painting for the people who make up the top 10 percent of wealth in this country, even if one of them buys it. What do you think when you visit a museum and see a large realist painting of exotic flowers in a decorative vase or a Dutch Golden Age still life with pheasant, gourds, copper kettles, figs and the like? I think, damn, what an incredible painting and a talented painter. And then I think, damn, the patron must have been wealthy. I bet that painting hung in their foyer over a gold brocade chaise lounge with velvet pillows and a Pomeranian dog.

My figs got drunk. They are leaning on each other, falling over and dancing on the cheese. I named the painting "Full-boded with a Hint of Fig," not "Still Life with Figs, Cheese and Wine...hurr, hurr, schmee, schmee" (insert tightening of a neck tie and a golf clap). I made this painting for people who appreciate a beautiful work of art but don't take themselves too seriously.

By the way, my sister commissioned this painting and my aunt and uncle commissioned me to make another one using grapes in place of figs. I'm pretty tickled that my family gets me.

In Still Life, Humor in Art Tags still life, oil painting, figs, wine, Dutch Golden Age
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#lovewins

July 16, 2015

I walked into Whole Foods to see what fruits or vegetables were in season for a still life painting and found figs, hard to come by in Boise. On my drive home, I saw a business billboard with the message "#lovewins" in plain view from a busy downtown connector to the freeway. I knew immediately what to paint with those figs.

Look at the reflection in the silver cup and you will see a sort of self portrait. Although I don't consider myself gay (no worries, Rob Richardson), I have many dear friends who do, and for whom I have deeply desired an equal chance to enjoy marriage the way I can. We are all equal as humans--all of us seek love, compassion and shelter. This painting symbolizes a reflection of my deep seeded support of social equality.

I want to turn traditional still life on its head to convey contemporary themes. I hope to first excite the visual senses with a beautifully rendered painting, an homage to the masters of the Dutch Golden Age. Then I want to startle, excite, provoke, or humor the viewer with the content. Whether or not you agree with my stance, I hope we can start a dialogue. 

In Still Life, Inspiration Tags still life, oil painting, gay pride, figs, lovewins, social equality, marriage equality
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Not a bad way to start the day. #yelapa #yelapamexico #miramar Happy Halloween from my goofy clan! Where in the world is Carmen San Diego? When your studio mate is 95 years old, you make special arrangements to transport her to work. It's a bittersweet day. Today I say goodbye to Double P's, my beloved "boob fruit" oil painting I created in 2014 while pregnant and later turned into the greeting card, "I hope you get a motorboat on your birthday." The new owner If you're shopping at Albertsons Market Street in Meridian or in Boise on Broadway, look for a whole freaking rack of my greeting cards! Thank you Albertsons for supporting local artists, and thank you fabulous followers of my cards for helping me gr Check out these two Boise Weekly articles by Jeanne Huff featuring local art events going on now -- BOSCO Open Studios Oct 9 & 10 + Boise Weekly Cover auction Oct 6 - 20. Warning: my responses are 3x longer than the other artists interviewed. Wha American Cheese / oil on linen / 12 x 24 inches - This one's still wet on the canvas. Come see it in person at my BOSCO open studio event this weekend, Oct 9th & 10th / 10AM to 6PM.
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#americanart #americancheese #cheeselover #stilllifepainting # Come party with us at Spaceport Studios for the annual BOSCO tour and witness artists in our natural environment! October 9th & 10th / 10 AM - 6PM.
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112 East 33rd Street, Garden City 83714 Prost! / oil on linen / 11x14 inches. Come stick your nose in the finished painting at Art in the Park in Booth 138. The show runs 10am - 5pm today.
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#beerart #beerlover #hops #oktoberfest #prost #einprosit #realismpainting #cheers #oilpainting #boi Art in the Park, y'all! Saturday until 8pm & Sunday 10am to 5pm. Find me in Booth #138.

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