The Cubist Cafe     Not For Sale

        Cubism has had a strong  influence on painting since

       the earliest 20th century.  By studying the techniques

       that the Cubists used, it is possible to really change

        the look of a painting.  Cubists used collage in their

       works to add texture.  Most importantly they "broke the   

       plane" so that we can "see" objects that are behind other      objects.  They also used repeating patterns in changing    scales and multiple views at the same time.   All of these

       methods keep us coming back again and again to see

       what we didn't see before.

   Plein air painting is done outdoors, in   

"Lavender"  16 x 24     acrylic

Roz's Garden II  11 x 14

Roz's Garden I  11x 14   NFS

the fresh air and is one  the
most enjoyable types of painting
that I do. It is  spontaneous and  inspirational.  The two garden 
paintings were done in oil ---started in a friend's garden and"polished" in the studio.  The portrait of the horse was done after a trip to Salt Spring Island, British Columbia where the lavender was in full bloom.  Can't wait to get back outside to paint another beautiful spring.

Most artists love working with  texture

Three of a Pear  22x30

 and I'm no exception.  Although it's
fun to create the look of a rough object,
it's even more interesting to add texture
to what we normally think of as a smooth
object, such as pears.  As you can see from
this series of paintings, working with
unexpected colors is also a means of
expressing a mood or perception.

Three Bricks 22x30

Frame and Branch 22x30

Blue Pitcher with Stripes 22 x 30

Blue Pitcher with Tassles 22 x 30

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Blue Pitcher and Scarf 22 x 30

Blue Pitcher with Ties 22 x30

 The Blue Pitcher series was an exploration of the compositional possibilities of using the same object in a variety of sizes and placement around the picture space.  As you can see the pitcher takes on greater or lesser significance, depending upon its location but remains the center of attention due to the intensity of its color.  It was great fun deciding where he would show up in each painting.

Blue Pitcher Abstracted  22 x 30

Fruit on Stripes      (Sold)

The Red Teapot   16 x 20

The  pleasure in painting a still life is in the search for a way to invite the viewer to come and sit awhile.  If the objects somehow relate to our personal experience -- recall a dear friend, a quiet moment alone, a special place we've visited, then we come back to that painting again and again.

Monument Valley I  10 x 14

Antelope Island    10 x 14

A visit to the southern part of Utah inspired this series of collages.  My goal was to convey not only the subtle variety of color but the awe inspired by these natural sculptures.  Before being glued to the support, the various papers were manipulated with paint, inks, even melted plastics creating a continuous variety of textures and surfaces.

Monument Valley II    10 x 14

Naturelle IV  11 x 14

Abstract paintings such as these challenge an artist to really consider the elements of art such as line, shape, form, color and texture.  More importantly for me, it requires me to consider what I want to say in a painting that has no actual visual reference that my viewer can identify.  One aspect of these two paintings was a desire to leave a little mystery.

Naturelle II  11 x 14