Reflections

Curator’s Comment:

The pronounced technical finesse in these paintings is immediately evident, but I’m drawn more to the pieces which offer an unusual vantage point, often deemphasizing the straight-on printed labels of the bottles.  Because of the prominence of the labels in other paintings, I’m wondering if these were commercially commissioned.  It would be a shrewd manner in which to appropriate a traditional genre. It’s also curious that the visual weight of the text imbues the works with a more contemporary presence, despite the supporting romantic trappings in the still lives. Reflections is a particularly stimulating composition, with its slicing diagonal band of black space in the background.  The organic reflections are liquid and shifting, creating a fluid moving surface on the gleaming green glass.  I enjoy the complementary red against the bottle green as well, as they’re both set off against the palely articulated wood grain surface.  The subtle contrast change under the base of the glass is a nice detail, guiding the viewer through the changing lenses of the vessels.  I’m also attracted to the food oriented still life of Crawfish and Skillet. The sumptuous handling of the thick butter pat in the bottom of the picture plane is beautifully echoed by the yellow reflections in the inside rim and glowing handle of the skillet.