Still Life

Halloween is over, Thanksgiving approaching, the moldy carved pumpkins are gone but not all the small pumpkins, squash from the garden and visits to Sauvie Island Farm, and fall colors.  It has been too cold to go out except for quick trips to gather fallen branches, so I must paint inside.  In the summer, flowers wilt and fruit gets eaten before I get around to painting them, so now is the perfect time to paint a still life. This Still Life with Squash and Apples (and a pear and pomegranate, basket with dried flowers) is 11" x 14".

A pair of squashes

I've been painting still lives while the cold outside is uninviting and discovered that any subject matter can teach you something when you really see. The first squash that I painted (there is a huge pile of them from last summer's garden) looked funny, so I carefully counted the lobes. I had painted nine and there were ten, five pairs radiating out from a central pentagon. Then I looked at the other squashes and they all had ten sections. Who knew? Sploches of color look random until you begin to see the pattern. I find veggies beautiful as well as good to eat, so expect more!