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| Onion still-life vignettes painted from fresh vegies in the studio. |
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My art has gone in many directions over the years, and in recent months the subject of my paintings has been deep, and very meaningful. More about that will follow when my latest commissioned painting is complete. In the meantime I briefly returned to a basic subject for painters, the still-life. I've placed a pedestal in the corner of my studio where I can set-up objects as still-life to study and paint, a relaxing and easy format for me. The most recent subject happens to be onions, garlic, and shallots. I love their natural colors and the way they seem to move and split apart with organic and varied surfaces. I kept the onion still-life in my studio for about three weeks while I gradually completed the 7- 8" x 8" oil paintings. After the third week, and the paintings completed, I arrived in the studio early in the morning, when I opened the door the smell of the onions was so strong and smelly that I had to cover my face. I promptly gathered them in a basket and took them out of the studio. Did you know that Chicago is a Native American word that means "smelly onion"? Anyway the onions are gone now, but the paintings remain.
The "Onion Vignettes" will be on exhibit the "Art Al Fresco" show at the Old Courthouse Art Center in Woodstock, IL, this summer.
