Studio news: winter solstice release

Still life in reds (cabbage, onion, and apple)
20"×10", Oil on linen, October 2011

This is the second of twenty paintings that are being released from my studio in the run-up to the winter solstice, the holiday season, and the turn of the year (and, as some apparently believe, to the Mayan end of the world, as well). In the framework of this special event you can, with any luck get this (or another) painting for the price of its shipping.

To be more exact, I've started a special series of three-days DPW auctions, in which each painting is listed for the nominal bid of $1.00 (I list shipping price, but the postage will be waived in case the auction price exceeds it).

 
Why am I doing this? Well, there is one general reason: however different the holidays we celebrate in this time of year, I strongly believe in the wisdom of warming the darkest and coldest days of the year with mutual giving and feasts. But there is also a specific reason for each individual painting in the group which makes me want to try and ensure that it leaves my studio now, before the winter solstice. 

Still life in red: Detail

This still life, for example. Although more than a year old, it is still so close to me that I decided to bid it farewell with this special blog post (it has never been offered for sale before, because of my special relationship with it). This relatively small canvas has been the site of many days of work and several stylistic experiments. Some of them worked better than others, and all taught me quite a bit; yet all of them left the traces of struggles fought and failures overcome on the painting surface. And these traces won't let me distance myself from this painting as long as I see it.

Still life in red: Detail

The painting is rich in paint texture, brushstrokes struggling with one another. There is a lot of vibrancy created by this structure, which does work for the overall impression, I believe. If you love deeply textured oil paintings (like I do), this might be a painting for you.

Still life in red: Detail

But to me, in this particular case, the painting surface tells a different story, a reminder of a difficult fight with paint, of being exhausted and tired. 

I am not sure, and I may never be sure, what this conveys to a viewer from "outside" the painting, because I cannot put myself in their shoes. That's why I included three high-definition detail shots, to make sure that, if you decided to have this painting, you are aware of what you are getting...  With that out of the way, click here to bid!