Wellesley inspires!

Wellesley spoils 16x20

My college reunion yielded leftovers crying out to be painted. I brought home the centerpiece from dinner and some leftover pears from lunch and got to work. Since it was my Wellesley College reunion, adding some Shakespeare books and shades of blue -actually created by mixing viridian and alizarin crimson-seemed a perfect addition. In the next few days I completed this still life as I worked against time. The petals fell off the peonies. The lily buds opened fully. I painted my lasting impressions as the scene before me unfolded daily. In the end, I warmed up the foreground to bring attention to the beautifully shaped pears that held their own throughout the week. I placed the cat there to give a sense of scale as this is bigger than I usually paint a still life. He also made me giggle as he looked so intently for so long at my painting; such a loyal admirer.