Category: painting

Lady Oneida: Each Piece Has a History.

How to name a piece of art? It is difficult. Sometimes, it is better to let the piece speak for its self. However, in setting the mosaics within a tray or a dish, I name the piece after the manufacturer. Lady Oneida derives her name from the Oneida Company, the maker of this silver plated, butler’s tray. Oneida, founded in 1880 is still in business, part of the Anchor Hocking Company. They no longer make silver plated trays.

This vintage butler’s tray adds additional character to the mosaic. The handles and the flowered rim are distinct, complimenting the mosaic. The tray, originally tarnished and scratched, now has a new life as a piece of fine art.

Lady Oneida is decorative, functional and she may help to strike up a conversation.

“Black is a Color”

The statement, “Black is a Color” was the title for a Matisse exhibit held by the M Maeght Gallery in Paris, 1946. Matiisse’s comments on black and his use of black in his paintings caused me to rethink the way in which I use black in my paintings.

I have primarily used black in my paintings to develop a line into a continuous flowing line,  to create a sense of movement and rhythm. The image below, Verse Floating Free, is an example. I never thought of black as a color other than depicting and shaping a line.

Verse, Floating Free, Ink and Gouache on Paper, 22" x 16", SoldWith Matisse’s remarks in mind, I began to experiment with black in my figurative series, as a color and an object. First, I did several quick sketches of nudes leaning or reclining into an empty space with no visible means of support.

Then I worked an several washes, filling in the background and began to introduce black as a color and a support for the reclining nude.

The final paintings take shape with the black being a strong color, an object and a support.

I believe that being willing to experiment is essential to the makeup of an artist. If unwilling to experiment, the artist and the art becomes repetitive and flat.