Along Came a Spider

Along Came a Spider ©2015 -  I discovered this wine glass lost and forgotten in the recesses of a kitchen cabinet. A resident spider apparently decided it was the perfect place to set up housekeeping, spinning a fascinating web tethered to the inside of the glass. Unfortunately, the spider's choice of real estate wasn't the best for attracting prey and it would appear he met his demise huddled beneath, waiting for dinner to be served. As I examined his creation, it immediately reminded me of a cow skull that Georgia O'Keeffe was so fond of painting and I knew I had to use it in a composition. After trying it in several different ones, it struck me that with this, simple would work the best. I placed it on a table in my studio in front of a window with streaming, afternoon sunlight that highlighted the web perfectly. I replaced it's deceased architect with the image of a spider from my backyard, added some texture and filters and "Along Came a Spider" was complete.

The Music Life

The Music Life ©2014 - This still life was built around the lovely, old violin made in Germany sometime in the late 1800's.  When putting together the composition, the first thought that came to mind was the old joke "How do you get to Carnegie Hall? - practice, practice,  practice!" so the first thing I added was the vintage music stand from the 1920's.  Next came the Maelzel metronome circa 1900 which still works very nicely, by the way.  The vintage chest, books, stool and scarf were added for support along with a glass of brandy to help the notes sound better (or worse depending on how much is consumed!).  Last but not least the book, "The Music Life and how to Succeed in it" by Thomas Tapper written in 1891 gave me the title.  To quote the author:  "I am constantly surprised as I study the motive with which many enter the music life expecting to win success in it.  To be an artist one must live the life of an artist; the semblance of it will not do.  You must put heart in what you do.  We all reverence toil but toil alone is not enough; it must have soul.  In one form carbon is but a bit of coal, in another intensity it is a diamond".

The Locket

The Locket ©2013 - I picked up the pitcher in this piece a couple of months ago at a local estate sale with the intent on using it in a possible still life.  I was attracted by the wonderful texture created by the tarnish and wearing away of the silver plate.  Looking around my house, the next addition was a vintage solid metal banjo ukelele produced by the "Dixie" company circa 1930's.  Having been born in Georgia, the "Dixie" name prompted memories of my sister, Amy who was still living there when she passed away from cancer in 2003.  I purchased the little box the pitcher is on during one of our last antique shopping trips together.  The locket was my last Christmas present to her and contains both our photos.  The beautiful crow I captured on a recent trip to Princeton, NJ and knowing how they love shiny objects, thought he would be perfect to hold the chain.  The background texture from my basement floor and the fruit for just a touch of warm color completed "The Locket".

Blue Bird

Blue Bird ©2013 - I was in another still life mood recently and decided to start with one of my favorite tin boxes.  I found it quite a few years ago in a local antique shop and bought it as a Christmas present for Tom.  He has a love of warm island places so the palm tree motif fit right in with his collection of ukuleles (which are all over our house along with other related memorabilia).  The bananas and wine might be a nice thing to have on hand if you were settling in to practice a few "Hits from Hawaii".  The chameleons, whispering among themselves, seem a little annoyed by the intruding bird who apparently tipped over the wine glass as he flew in to check out the "Blue Bird" ukulele.

The Visitor

The Visitor ©2012 - I've always been a Poe fan and had thought of doing a still life with elements that reference him for awhile but just never seem to get around to it.  With the new movie "The Raven" starring John Cusack opening this week, I was inspired to finally do it.  An antique black table cover seemed the perfect backdrop and the collection of Poe books in my house provided the key element.  The reflection of him in the old mirror is thought to be from the last portrait sitting before his death taken by William Abbott Pratt in 1849. The book open to the first page of "The Raven" was an obvious choice as well as the candle and glass of port wine but the pears were just something that appealed to me.  What could be better on a rainy night than curling up in a comfy chair with some port, pears and Poe?  When my backyard blackbird (a raven wannabe) stopped by "Tis some visitor," I muttered, "tapping at my chamber door- Only this and nothing more."

With Strings Attached

I digitally painted this still life from a photo I took recently. I think tulips with their long graceful stems and leaves are wonderful flowers to paint. I have been experimenting with a lot of new brushes and I'm really liking some of the results I'm getting!