Paintings by John Beder

drawing

2012-01-30T13:22:00.001-08:00

I am attempting to design faeries and angels. These are done from memory, I am hoping I can turn some of them into paintings.

drawing

2012-01-30T13:20:00.000-08:00

drawing

2012-01-30T12:47:00.000-08:00

Fishing for a Reason

2012-01-10T15:12:00.001-08:00

Oil on Canvas 10"x10"
I am poking fun at myself.

Tableau#2

2011-12-30T13:24:00.001-08:00

Oil on Canvas 36"x24"

Pear and Apple

2011-12-06T14:17:00.001-08:00

Oil on Canvas 24"x18"

Wildbunch #8

2011-11-21T10:04:00.001-08:00

Oil on Canvas 60"x40"

In the Fold

2011-10-28T07:12:00.001-07:00

Oil on Canvas 30"x40"

Pearing Up

2011-10-11T07:43:00.000-07:00

Oil on Canvas 24"x18"

Reflections

2011-09-26T21:34:00.001-07:00

Oil on Canvas 36"x20"

Offering

2011-08-24T18:24:00.000-07:00

Oil on Canvas 18"x24"
This piece still needs some work.
I am exploring light backgrounds, along with glass and it can be a challenge. I am trying to elevate a particular harvest to include the idea of acknowledgement to the forces that produce life on this planet. We take this for granted, thinking that it will go on as is, but as a gardener I am witness to how many things can go wrong when growing plants. So, this piece is an offering to the cherry Deva, in appreciation for a dependable harvest.

Homage #2

2011-08-08T10:23:00.001-07:00

Oil on Canvas 36"x24"
This isn't done yet.
My take on the scene is that it is set up to make Jake and Neytiri look like Gods. They appear to be collaborating in creating the world around them. In our cultures, Christain, Jew or Islamic, female energies have been degraded and play a very small part in the conception of an overtly male creator God. The Gnostics, before the early Christains went on an extermination campaign to wipe the Gnostics out, experienced the Creator as a female deity embodying the planet. The Greeks named her Sophia, meaning wisdom, and today we might call her Gaia. If it wasn't for Earth, we wouldn't have a place to live. i think Cameron's message is, the military Industrial Complex controlling the world now is basically insane. Without a deep connection to nature, economies that are structured around war are allowed to grow and basically become destructive parasites.
If you want to learn more about the Gnostics, check out Metahistory.org, authored by John Lamb

Homage to James Cameron

2011-07-25T18:02:00.000-07:00

"Awake" Oil on Canvas 18x14 inches
This piece isn't quite done, but I wanted to post it since I haven't for a while.
I have chosen to do images based on Avatar to give me an opportunity to write about topics that are on my mind every day.
This image is based on the last frame in the movie, and it is when Jake becomes permanently alive in the body of his brother's Avatar. The message here is that we are Spirit first, having an experience of 3D reality, and in this case, Spirit can exchange one form of living being to another. The implication for us is profound and I think the sooner we remember this, the sooner we become aware of what the heck we are doing here now, where we really come from, and where we are going as a collective species.
Another implication is, if Jake's human Spirit could be transferred to another form, then it is possible that Jake's, and all humans in physical form, are a result of a Spirit intention, and or Spirit projection from another dimension. I know this sounds airy fairy, but I think that all people could benefit by contemplating the idea that we projecit ourselves here, from some other place, from some other deeper intention.

Wild Bunch #7

2011-07-14T13:43:00.000-07:00

Oil on Canvas 40"x30"

Blue Plate #6

2011-06-23T11:56:00.000-07:00

Oil on Canvas 24"x48"

On a Roll

2011-06-23T08:29:00.000-07:00

Oil on Canvas 20"x30"

Oranges and Apple

2011-06-23T08:26:00.000-07:00

Oil on Canvas 18"x14"

Apple and Pears

2011-05-18T15:30:00.000-07:00

Oil on Canvas 24"x16"

Three Pears

2011-05-11T06:33:00.001-07:00

Oil on Canvas 11"x14"

Oranges #5

2011-03-26T08:01:00.001-07:00

Oil on Canvas 14"x11"

cd cover

2011-02-10T10:55:00.001-08:00

This is a cd cover I designed for my friend Ian. I listened to his piano playing and had to find an image to represent his emotional, uplifting and artistic way of playing. The cosmic background did it. Free audio samples are available by clicking HERE...Enjoy Ian's fabulous music!

Seagull

2011-01-28T07:29:00.000-08:00

Cedar construction 36" wingspan

Crow

2010-11-30T16:18:00.001-08:00

cedar construction

I decided to work in 3D, partly because creating the illusion of 3D on a 2D surface got me thinking that perhaps working in 3D might lead to insights as to how the 3D matrix is created and sustained. After all, the brain decodes frequencies, like a computer, into what we perceive to be the real world, much like when we the end user, see what is on the web when we view the display screen. Well, I can't say I went very far down that road with this piece, but I can talk about the crows that are around our house. I began leaving food out on the deck railing to attract them closer so I could get a better look. It didn't take long before a couple of regulars would land on the deck railing and look through the kitchen window at my wife and I, and definitely signal that they were looking for handouts. I could see them observing our actions, and when we approached the loaf of bread, their favorite treat, they would start flapping wings, and generally show approval. When we took a slice out to the railing, they would scamper to the far end, and when we went back inside, they would hop right to the bread slices. They would put a claw on a slice to hold it down, and use their beak to tear off manageable portions. Once they stuffed their beaks to the limit, they flew off. We learned that if we did not look at them directly, and sort of used gentle vocalizations, they would not be threatened and we could get within about 4 feet or a little over a meter. The relationship continues to evolve.

Entangled

2010-06-03T07:26:00.000-07:00

Oil on Canvas 48"x36"
This image was created mathematically and I decided to make it into a painting. Paul Nylander is the originator and he has a cool site at http://www.bugman123.com/
Math art is an interesting idea and I am going to learn the code to create and design similar objects. This painting was a challenge. Doing the curves freehand took a lot of control and there are a lot of subtle color changes within the curving structure. Although I label this math art, it really comes out of researching mandalas and I consider this a mandala painting.

Inukshuk

2010-05-07T11:56:00.001-07:00

Water color 14"x20"
This piece was commissioned by my father-in-law who has visited Rankin Inlet where he took a black and white photo of this inukshuk. He asked me to a color painting of the photo. The challenge in this piece was to create an atmosphere of cold, and barren.

Olivia

2010-05-07T11:51:00.000-07:00

Water color 12"x16"
I am working on a large oil and it is taking a long time, so I am posting some older pieces.

Grapes

2010-04-15T06:43:00.001-07:00

oil on canvas 10"x14"
On this piece I am working on keeping things loose in the handling of the grapes. There are lots of edges with very little blending. I like the energy that results from not working the paint too much.

In the Bag

2010-04-14T06:48:00.000-07:00

Oil on Canvas 28"x22"
I thought I would try my hand at doing plastic. I like how the pears look through the bag.

Radishes

2010-03-30T18:23:00.001-07:00

Oil on Canvas 28"x22"
I like any excuse to paint red, and since I don't see any radish paintings, I thought that I would try one. Those little roots sort of look comical, yet they are so important for the growth of the plant. When the plants are store bought, the leaves are a mess of green. It was a challenge to somehow make them work..I think I got it more or less. I find green leaves a real problem to paint..I spend hours looking for a green that works..it is either too green or not green enough.
Anyway, this is my take on radishes.

Avocados

2010-03-29T16:43:00.001-07:00

Oil on Canvas 14"x11"
I don't like flat back grounds anymore, so this piece is an attempt to introduce some dynamics into the back ground. Also, it is an attempt to introduce more texture into surfaces, and allow more edges in the painting to express more energy and vitality. As it happens, it ends up looking more "realistic" anyway. Still learning.

Metatron's Cube

2010-03-25T10:59:00.001-07:00

Oil on Canvas 14"x1o"
This is my unfinished take on Metatron's Cube, which came from an impulse to create a Mandala. The drawing for this is generated by overlapping circles, sharing the same radius. In effect it is a fractal process that generates all the polygons. I find it amazing that this happens. Within the boundary set by the first circle drawn, the image can go infinitely large, or infinitely small. In addition to contemplating infinity within boundaries, painting these shapes is a sort of realism, but the shapes are ideal, generated out of the fractal process. So, it is a bit of a paradox to call it realistic, yet I am painting, and imagining what these ideal forms might look like. In this case I chose to work with the secondary colors, orange, green, and violet. Is it a coincidence that the primaries and secondaries work in two equilateral triangles. By using light and dark, I created the illusion of 3D, which is suggested in the two dimensional pattern. The tetrahedron is the first polygon that introduces the three axis that make up 3D. The three on a personal level are left-right, back-front, which at this point is still 2D. I isn't until you include up-down that the third dimension is acknowledged. It seems obvious that we live in a 3D world, yet for those of us creating the illusion of 3D on a two dimensional surface, it isn't so obvious as to how to move from the condition of 2D to to the condition of 3D. One thing is clear, it depends on perspective. If it is true that the reality we live in is actually a virtual matrix, then the matrix itself is generating all possible perspectives, beginning with a dimensionless point at the center of a circle. As far as I am concerned, only consciousness can do that, and any perspective chosen or experienced is a result of intention.
The other sacred geometry revealed in this image is the twelve over one geometry. There are twelve signs of the zodiac, divided into four groups of three. The four elemental qualities of earth, water, fire, air, are divided into three qualities of Cardinal, Fixed, and Mutable signs. It occured to me that we have four arithmetical functions, plus, minus, divide, multiply, and three axis on which to calculate the dynamics of the observed world we exist in. There are more four by threes if you look for them.

Apples

2010-02-19T10:13:00.000-08:00

Oil on Canvas 14"x11"
This piece and the Oranges are in the group show at the Ian Tan Gallery in Vancouver.

Oranges

2010-02-19T10:06:00.000-08:00

Oil on Canvas 14"x11"

Crow

2010-02-19T09:58:00.000-08:00

Oil on Canvas
This was part of a show where the theme was crows and ravens. I could call this piece seeing eye to eye. These birds are very smart, and I tried to show how intensely they observe humans.

Dylan and Chelsey

2010-02-19T09:49:00.001-08:00

Oil on Canvas 30"x40"
This piece was commissioned by a retired RCMP officer who wanted to commemorate her dearly loved Rottweilers. She wanted an old master approach combined with humor. This was a lot of fun to paint and I am very pleased that the owner treasures the painting.

Docs

2009-04-08T07:53:00.001-07:00

Oil on Canvas 40"x30"
I redid the background on this piece, giving it a cool grey from the pinkish it was before. It is going into the show at the Ian Tan gallery in Vancouver on April 18. Apparently, when the background was pinkish, patrons were interested but the comments were, "I can't live with the pink". All right all ready, no big deal to change it.
I want to thank Simon Holzman for his comments and invitation to view his blog. After the show I will have time to go through everyone's websites and am looking forward to seeing new art.
As the deadline for the show approaches, I notice my psychology changing. I feel more like a fireman, putting out one fire after another, and it's not how I like to create. In the "fix it now" mode that deadlines impose, it becomes perilously easy to overwork an area of a painting. Yecchhh.
It brings me to a thought I had about the painting process. It occurred that what I am trying to do with paint is akin to alchemy. It is about coaxing the paint to do the impossible; turning the dense, flat, opaque earth minerals into luminous expressions of what the conscious mind percieves and imagines. I don't recall signing up for the impossible, but somehow, that is what I find myself doing. When the process gets frustrating, it helps to remind myself that, well, it's impossible anyway, so I wouldn't worry about it.

Wild Bunch #3

2009-04-07T09:14:00.000-07:00

Oil on Canvas 24"x48"
What I like about this subject is how it reminds or suggests DNA. People have commented that a lot of my fruit paintings remind them of DNA. I hadn't thought of that, perhaps I'm trying to depict my own DNA, making the changes in the programming that I would prefer. Evolution has long been a fascination, and along with that, an intense wondering about how programmed are we by DNA. DNA is a crystal structure, like the old crystal radios, where it can be tuned to pick up signals. I've always thought that a signal theory of evolution was far better than the random mutation idea taught at university. The notion that our bodies were a result of accidents just never made any sense to me.

Tangerine Dream

2009-04-07T09:06:00.000-07:00

Oil on Canvas 28"x22"

This uses my favorite themes, streaking sunlight, fruit, and for me, an unusual composition.

One thing I've been thinking a lot of while I have been struggling with these canvases is what the word beauty actually means. I know that the idea of beauty is the prime motivation behind the choice of painting as an avocation. There is a part of my character, I'll call it the manager, that couldn't care less about beauty, and it figures that I could do a lot better in some other pursuit. Most people, when it comes to the nitty gritty of life, don't put a lot of value on the idea of beauty, relating it to the notion of cosmetics and or decoration.

The artist in me, challenging the utilitarian manager part, says, try living in a world without beauty and see if you could actually sustain your spirit. That challenge got me thinking, well what is it exactly? The notion that beauty is a presence, an awareness, came to my attention. Beauty accepts what is, including ugliness, and then somehow finds a way, through relationships, to something more, something beyond. Beauty is always suggesting, pointing somewhere, moving someplace.

The importance for me is that the presence of beauty shows that we are in a world alive with intention, and not in a machine world where everything is predetermined, where everything is essentially lifeless. So the idea came that a successful painting is one where the presence of beauty is felt, the immediacy jumps off the canvas, giving it a compelling quality without any one thing being obvious.

Orb with Folds

2009-04-07T08:21:00.001-07:00

Oil on Canvas 24"x48"

My apologies for not posting in a while. I ran into problems with new canvases, where they didn't take the paint very well, and I botched a bunch of paintings. If any one out there can recommend a brand of Gesso that transforms the surface of a canvas into one that works well with glazing techniques, I would appreciate the info.

I'd like to thank everyone who commented, in particular Jeff Hays, who is a very accomplished painter, and Todd Ford, who exchanged links with me, and who does a distinct contemporary style of painting that I admire.

In this painting, my normal glazing approach didn't work due to the canvas, so I sort of had to learn to paint over again, using a lot more white than I am used to. I became fascinated with how the folds took on a sculptural quality and focused on that. I have had this silver orb for a while, and decided to use it with the cloth. I took my own reflection out of it, didn't think I would be all that interesting, and decided to have it reflect the sky. It took on a sort of surrealistic quality, kind of empty, but it also draws the eye in, suggesting a sort of infinity. Maybe it's just me.

Blue Plate #4

2008-12-18T06:44:00.001-08:00

Oil on Canvas 22"x28"

This another work in progress and will be in the exhibition at the Ian Tan Gallery in Vancouver.

I keep experimenting with different painting processes. In this piece, I did not begin with an underpainting, which has been the usual way that I start. I am fascinated with the effects of glazed color, applied in thin layers, allowing the white of the canvas to come through. It is a bit daunting to start right into a painting directly on white canvas, however, the purity of color, and the luminescence makes it worthwhile. The effect I am intending is to imply an inner light source, an inner radiation, as well as the traditional "exterior" light source. I am hoping that the viewer will "get" the idea that the inner radiation is a metaphor for consciousness. Not only that we are consciousness, but that the "objective" world is consciousness as well. Metaphysical considerations have always been important on a personal level, and this piece is the first one where I have intentionaly implied some of my musings into a painting method.

Orange #4

2008-12-17T15:39:00.000-08:00

Oil on Canvas 24"x48"

This is still a work in progress. I am moving away from the dark backgrounds, but will return to it when the mood for contrast hits. I am after transulency in the peeled orange segments, and am interested in the stark simple table top running horizontally. The table colour I made up, intending it to transition from the lights to the dark color below. This piece will be in a two person show starting April 18 at the Ian Tan Gallery in Vancouver, Canada.

Apricots

2008-11-14T06:22:00.000-08:00

Oil on Canvas 11"x11"
I didn't compose this piece, it's just how the apricots were piled. I was attracted by the soft light coming into the kitchen from the south facing window. The extreme forshortening, the soft light, and the simplicity of the design made this a challenging piece. Currently, it is in the Greenwich Workshop Small Works exhibition 2008, a great annual venue put on by the gallery.

Kayakers

2008-10-13T15:49:00.001-07:00

Oil on Canvas 24"x48"

Every once in a while I like to try my hand at depicting water. As well, while I draw the human form a lot, I don't paint people very often. I tried to create the feeling of a bit of mist by lightening the tone of the paddles. As well, I indicated the horizen line softly, adding to the feeling of mist and atmosphere.

A Pair With Stuff

2008-09-23T06:58:00.000-07:00

Oil on Canvas 11"x14"
In this piece I am using a lot of blue, a color I usually use sparingly. I recally reading that the ancients didn't paint with blue because they thought it was insubstantial. My guess is that a lot of painting back then was for statuary, and blue would take away from the solid feel that they were after. The very quality of blue the ancients didn't like is the quality that I am exploring, that it tends to create atmosphere. The pears were set up beside a northwest window and the illumination is both indirect and reduced. It is my first foray into reduced light and I hope to more along these lines over the winter.

Take Five

2008-08-30T07:12:00.000-07:00

Oil on Canvas 40"x20"

This is a larger version of the Blue Bowl with Pears. There is more contrast between the background and foreground in the painting than what the digital camera recorded. I am not particularly happy with the ceramic bowl. The actual color is quite dark all the way around, but I found that it became too heavy, so I lightened it on the right. I could work on it more, but at a certain point, one must move on. Oh well, not every painting is totally satisfying. At this scale, texture becomes more of a focus, and I spent extra time rendering the spots and bumps on the pears. Oddly, the stems became somewhat of an obsession; I couldn't stop laughing because they began to look hilarious. I didn't intend any humor when I began the piece, but it sure arrived during the process.

A Fine Balance

2008-07-16T08:01:00.000-07:00

Oil on canvas 22"x28"
This painting is about edges, and there is plenty of them in this piece. Edges, as I perceive them, are the lines of chaos between two areas of relative calm. Getting edges to a preference, hard, medium, soft, was a focus in this painting. The edge on a spherical shape is further away from the viewer than the center, so it helps to soften the edge a little to create the illusion of "roundness". The fine balance refers to how the plums are arranged on top of each other, and how the colors are harmonized. I actually changed the color of the plums from the redish hue to more blue. The blue plums haven't been available for about a year, and I find that somewhat frustrating. I hope they arrive soon, as I prefer working with what is actually there rather than making up color. The exercise was interesting in that I transposed what the color actually was to a color of preference. In that sense, this piece is furthest from realistic painting than previous pieces. The photo is not that great, dark in areas, light in others, I regret the depiction, its as good as I can get it without spending a whole lot of time photographing.

Blue Bowl with Pears

2008-04-26T10:03:00.000-07:00

Oil on Canvas 8"x24" --------clickable image
This piece is a study for a larger version. I am trying out lighter backgrounds to see how the subject matter stands out. Also, I chose to underpaint a full black and white version as a way to establish the tones and get a handle on the shapes. Normally, I use a wash of burnt umber, and allow the white of the canvas to portray the light areas. A fully rendered black and white underpainting takes longer, and I have to wait for it to dry, but I think the final result has more authority.
This month I created two other paintings that I didn't like and won't bother posting them. My day job has increased time wise and is getting close to being full time, consequently, my posts will continue to be slow. Such is life.

Wild Bunch

2008-03-16T10:46:00.000-07:00

Oil on Canvas 40"x30"
This piece, that I'm still working on, is a commission from my brother, Ralph, a landscape architect from Toronto, who owns Symmetry Design. He saw a grape painting I did two years ago, and decided he wanted one, bless his heart.
When you hold grapes up to the light, they actually look this colorful. It is a bit of an "eye candy" piece, where I want the grapes to pop out of the background with a bit of a wow factor. I am not sure if my brother is going to like this one, no matter though, he was kind enough to contact some Toronto galleries who have expressed interest, so if the painting isn't what he had in mind, I am quite happy to show it in a Toronto gallery.
I have recieved a lot of comments and I want to thank people for writing such kind words. Many folks are phenomenal artists themselves and the comments are very welcome and helpful.

Edwardian Garden

2008-03-16T10:38:00.000-07:00

This is an example of my brother's work. He designs and builds gardens like this, where he transforms an ordinary urban or suburban back yard into a fabulous space that invites imaginative fantasies.

Unfolding

2008-03-03T15:28:00.001-08:00

Oil on Canvas 40"x30"
This piece isn't done yet but I thought I may as well post. I am facinated by folds in cloth, and decided to focus on cloth as a subject. I have always found white objects to be particularly challenging, and this was no exception. The subleties in white are elusive, to put it mildly, and I wasn't interested in doing it monochromatically, which would look dead. Anyway, I think the piece has a life to it and works fairly well.

My Docs

2008-01-15T14:57:00.000-08:00

Oil on Canvas 36"x30"
There's still lots I could do on this, but I don't think it would improve all that much, so I am posting it as is. I think it works fairly well.. the interest for me was to portray the reflective surface of the shoe leather and to express the character of the style of boot as well as having been worn.
I have contracted to do a children's book so the paintings will go on the back burner for a while. I will see if it is possible to still put out paintings while meeting the book deadlines.

Tableau#1

2007-12-22T15:33:00.000-08:00

Oil on Canvas 22"x28"
The play of light over the pear and apple on the right is what interested my eye in this piece. I also chose to crop the grouping to give it more impact..plus it meant I had less stripes to do. Deciding how dark to make the shadows is always an issue..almost a mood thing. The photo tended to overstate the shadows a bit..but I did make them fairly contrasty. The other thing that got me going on this painting is the sort of "Fruit on Parade" aspect. I like the theatrical appearance, whithout too much contrivance. This piece is headed for the Ian Tan Gallery in Vancouver, which so far, is proving to be a good gallery for me to show.

Blue Plate #3

2007-11-27T20:49:00.000-08:00

Oil on Canvas 22"x28"
I chose a closer perspective on this piece, trying to emphasize the contrast in size between the similar round shapes. The highlighted plumb in the middle became the focal point, and I didn't want to overwork it. I kept it loose while retaining the complex detail and I think it worked well. One of the challenges in closeup is creating the right amount of texture. The lemon in the foreground has a certain amount, whithout looking like it has acne, which it did for a while. I had to de-emphasize the dimples and yet still give it some of that suggestion.

Blue Plate #2

2007-11-25T17:38:00.000-08:00

Oil on Canvas 24"x36"

This is another older piece picked up by Ian Tan Gallery in Vancouver. What I was attracted t0 in the fruit was the contrast in size between the pears, orange, and the grapes. The folding striped cloth in the background is a judgement call in the sense of how strong to make it. I am playing with the idea of having the background be almost as important as the foreground.

Blue Plate #1

2007-10-30T08:46:00.000-07:00

Oil on Canvas 24"x30"
This is an older painting which has been picked up by Ian Tan Gallery in Vancouver. Mr. Tan's gallery is one of my favorites in the city and I am very pleased to be showing there.

Apple and Pears

2007-08-03T14:33:00.000-07:00

Oil on Canvas 28"x22"
This is the latest in my stripes series. Every time I finish one I swear that it is the last. While I think the result looks very cool, the process is a bit much. In this one, I chose to make the shadows dark, trying for a more dramatic look. Shadows are always interesting and there are many ways to render them. Intense light does create more contrast, so in this painting I decided to create the most contrast between the fruit and the surface of the table.

Nectarine and Pear

2007-08-03T12:41:00.001-07:00

oil on canvas 11"x11"
Simple compositions can be challenging.. there is not a lot of subject matter so the emphasis has to be on how it is done. In this piece, I found the light to be somewhat cool and I tried to capture that feeling.

Orange

2007-07-17T08:36:00.000-07:00

Oil on Canvas 12"x12"
I've done a few oranges and decided that having them lay there on a table was a bit quiet. I decided to fool around with the peel and came up with this composition. The design on the table cloth echoes the subject, and the low angle looking up makes the orange appear "elevated".

Cherries and Antique Jar

2007-07-12T16:21:00.001-07:00

11"x11" Oil on Canvas
As I painted the antique jar, it got me thinking about the idea of wildness. The glass in the old jar is irregular, lots of little distortions, that made looking through it a delightful experience. The distortions are actually a record of how the silicon cooled, how the heat distributed through the shape of the jar. I consider this type of inorganic activity to be as "wild" as any animal life. So, in effect, I was trying to capture the "wildness" I saw in the antique glass.

Apple and Book

2007-06-26T14:16:00.000-07:00

Oil on Canvas 14"x11"
I had this antiquarian book on painting and decided to capture the worn look and the slightly beveled edges on the paper. The apple is a classic prop, perhaps next time I'll take a bite out of it. I like this book so much I'm going to be using it for a while in my paintings.

Workin' Boots

2007-06-22T08:30:00.000-07:00

Oil on Canvas 10"x10"
I've had these boots in the closet for years and they caught my eye. They have seen a lot of beach time and the salt water has taken its toll. The texture and the contrast between the rubber toes and the rawhide made the painting a lot of fun to work on.

Avocado Study

2007-06-10T12:17:00.000-07:00

Oil on Canvas 10"x10"
This is a one day painting. In this piece I was after texture, both in the avocado and in the background.

Pepper with Onion

2007-06-10T12:08:00.000-07:00

Oil on Canvas 10"x10"
This is a one day painting, my goal was to get the basics and not be too fussy. Red on a dark background always grabs my eye, and I enjoy working with those colors.

Red, Green and Yellow

2007-06-03T10:54:00.000-07:00

Oil on Canvas 22"x28"
This is a work still in progress. In this piece, I wanted to emphasize the shadows, to make them an important part of the image. In intense summer light, the shadows are crisp, and fairly dark, giving a high contrast. I'm playing with composition as well, cutting off the basket and having it come into the painting, actually enhances the roundness of it. I've done a few fruit bowl paintings and in the past I loaded them up, but in this one I was after a sparcer, airier look, working in negative space to make the image more interesting. Since the basket and the fruit is fairly textured, I thought that a simple, flat, ground would set everything off. I hope you agree.

Loading Nets

2007-05-31T08:53:00.000-07:00

Oil on Canvas 36"x30"
This is winter on Vancouver Island. The Western King is loading nets on a drizzly day in Campbell River. Her stern sits high in the water so you can tell she's empty. Fishermen make a good living, but the weather and currents can be treacherous, especially in winter. I admire those folks. This scene attracted me because I like the industrial look. The vessel is a working boat, not designed for pleasure, and the whole sort of grittiness of the scene I find strangly beautiful. I thought I would post this as contrast to the sunny summer paintings.

Red Pear

2007-05-31T08:28:00.001-07:00

Oil on Canvas 40"x30"

I've done a few paintings with striped backgrounds like this. I like how the background becomes more active, more theatrical. Because the stripes are so dynamic, I have to arrange the folds carefully, so they don't compete with the foreground. Sometimes I spend hours just pfoofing the fabric, trying to get the folds "just right". Usually the best attempt is the first one, when I wasn't thinking about it too much. The light here is early morning, well, not too early, certainly not before coffee. I don't see red pears very often, I thought it would make an interesting contrast with the green.

Pink Ladies

2007-05-26T10:59:00.001-07:00

Oil on Canvas 10"x10"

I usually paint from a lower perspective, but I am experimenting with looking straight down at the subject. The forshortening is extreme, and the lighting tends to flatten out. There is also a tendency for this perspective to look more graphic, so I try to compensate with the folds in the paper and the cast shadows on the fruit.

Wrapped Fruit

2007-05-25T15:37:00.001-07:00

Oil on Canvas 10"x10"
This is part of a series of small canvases. Even though this is a small piece, it took about three days, the details in the tissue and on the fruit is complex.

Three Apples

2007-05-19T09:30:00.001-07:00

Oil on Canvas 18"x36"
This piece is available at the West End Gallery in Victoria, Canada. Summer on Vancouver Island receives intense sunlight for about three months. I like to take advantage of it while it lasts. With the branch extending to the right, the painting has a vague Oriental feel to it that I didn't intend but enjoy looking at.

Crabapple and Pear

2007-05-17T12:13:00.000-07:00

Oil on Canvas 12"x12"

Crabapples are small and tend to be symetrically round. The relationship makes the pear look monumental, which I didn't intend, but I think it looks interesting. I was more after an abstract geometrical study, with the long shadows adding a linear contrast to the "orbism" of the fruit.

Strawberry

2007-05-17T11:55:00.000-07:00

Oil on Canvas 13"x13"
This is my first and likely my last painting of a strawberry. The strawberry has a lot of seeds which are fairly uniform in spacing and pattern, but not mechanical, so there needs to be a bit of looseness. Each seed is oval shaped, and depending on the light, has a highlight. As well, each seed is set into a slight depression, which is most noticed in the highlighted area.

Pear and Plum

2007-05-17T11:27:00.000-07:00

Oil on Canvas 10"x8"
I did this painting over two half day sessions, so it sort of qualifies as a painting in a day. I used a generous amount of oil, and as a result, it has somewhat of a juicy appearance. The fruit was lit by sunlight, creating shadows that are quite dark in contrast to the highlights. Working in sunlight is my preferred method for painting.