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Kitchen1981 Watercolor on paper 28.0" x 25.0" Private collection My paintings are based on photographs I take, so that my point of view and my composition are the first decisions in the process of making "art". I always carry a camera, and I take lots of pictures. The subject matter of my early paintings was determined by which of my photographs were the most successful. This kitchen was at the Old Milano Hotel in Gualala, up the California coast toward Mendocino. Every room was an artistic masterpiece, designed by the owner, Theadora van Runkle, who is a costume designer for the movies. I took many photos, and I did five or six paintings from the Old Milano that I really loved. This kitchen reminded me of farmhouses I visited in my youth in Texas. I set myself quite a technical challenge with Kitchen, but I knew I'd succeeded when a friend's daughter asked, "Did you use silver paint?" I know the rule of thumb is "never put anything too complicated at the edge of a painting, because it'll take the viewer's eye off the painting", but I put a thin strip of California coast out the window on the right side to lighten up the bricks, and to have the close-up/far-off juxtaposition, and I think it worked. |