A few months back a accepted a commission. I was kind of excited because the subject was so outside my normal range of subject matter. I was already working on a piece I was very invested in but thought I could jump over do the commission and get back to the work in progress. But that didn't happen. I finished the commission. I was happy with it. The client was happy with it. But....that work that I jumped away from just got stuck.
I gave it some time. Days passed. The painting on the easel just stared at me. I tried to work on it and I just messed it up. I literally went and wiped off all the wet paint because what I tried putting down was all wrong. What was I supposed to do? I had been so excited to work on this painting before I diverted my attention. What had seemed like an easy path to completion was completely and utterly blocked. Something I hadn't experienced in ages.
As the days passed and I didn't pick up the paintbrush, but just stared at that painting on the easel, I realized I had to do something to get that paintbrush back in my hand....
I decided that I would go back to something super simple. Something I had done a lot back in college. I would tackle a subject that on the surface seems basic and uncomplicated. The still life. Painting food in particular. I had done it over and over when learning how to handle paint during my academic career. Now it was time to start over.
As an artist I have several people who have been creative mentors. Depending on the subject matter there is generally one artist who for me is a master of the subject. Hopper for landscapes. Schiele for figures. And still life, for me, for me its Thiebaud.
Wayne Thiebaud, Pancake breakfast, 2008.
I think Thiebaud's been on my mind a lot since he passed away at the end of last year. In fact I know he has. So when I decided to go back to the simple and potentially mundane subject of painting food I decided that I was going to elevate it the way I feel his work did. His charming plates or displays of food always tell such a familiar story. To paint crackers or ice cream cones and have it evoke such a tactile nostalgia just made it rise above that droll concept of a still life.
So when I started a still life that I wanted to remind me of a Thiebaud, I actually decided I wanted to have the subject be representative of the person or people who the food was for. Its not a random plate of food just set up to be painted. This food could be either a shared or solitary moment.
The first in what ended up being an ongoing series was two bowls of ice cream. Representative of my daughter and myself, its simple and complex. Two bowls of ice cream, lots of reflections, hints of our home hiding in the background. It was fun and rewarding and I liked using the meal to symbolize a person or people. I found the implied narrative of the meal compelling. I wanted to do more.
Next up was a bowl of soup. To represent the single plate aspect of myself as a single person. One plate, one bowl, very identifiable crackers. And its got bacon. Its definitely me. Its about shapes and repetition. Reflections, textures....still life can make so much out of so little.
Next up was waffles and bacon. Yeah, that's me again. Still single and alone. But hey, I've got bacon and this is definitely a day off breakfast so no sadness, just some wonderful comfort food. It's also really fun to paint butter and syrup.
Next up I did a plate of madeleines. My daughter's favorite and something we make together to share with our friends. I wanted to find a way to compose a plate of food that represented sharing our time and space with loved ones and also represent a sense of community by having individual desserts that could be served together on one plate.
These still-lifes definitely got me through the block that I had in front of me. I am certainly reminded of Thiebaud when I look at them. And even though I'm not blocked anymore, I plan on continuing this series. I'm still working on my landscapes and citycapes and looking to do more portraits, but the idea of using food to represent people is fascinating to me.
So that's what I've been up to lately. There's always something going on in the studio right now and that's definitely a good thing. But I will also try to write more and share what's in progress.
Until next time.
Thanks for reading.
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