Update for the spring of 2020

Update for the spring of 2020


Current Body of Work in Progress

I am interested in objects as they are presented in a ‘still life’ or ‘natura morta’ meaning dead nature. Both of these descriptions fall short for me as I very much feel the energy, movement and a kind of life from objects. In fact, I choose my objects with this energy or personality in mind. 

I am using circles that I had cut for me about ten years ago for another project that never got off the ground and I have only used a few of them. They were calling to me from my basement storage area so I decided it was time to challenge myself with this format again.

The circle presents several obstacles, one of them being the fact that there is no top or bottom which makes it difficult to anchor your subject. 

On the other hand, they are really fun to compose in as there are no points, corners or restrictions to the fluid compositions that I wish to create. It is so much easier to control the direction of the eye of the viewer when things are inherently moving within a circular motion.

I have switched from acrylic to oil for these works as I am taking a more traditional approach to the paint application than my previous landscapes. I am also employing a much more rigid drawing technique to compose and create drawings to scale with more accuracy. 

The objects that I choose from thrift stores offer me the possibility of creating some intimate stories that are unexpected or facetious. There is no rhyme or reason for my choices of particular objects and their combined presentation, other than a purely aesthetic one.

The immediate appearance is that of a standard, ‘realistic’ rendering of several objects against a fabric backdrop. My hope is that the objects, colour schemes and lighting evoke another response based on my elevation of these apparently mundane objects.

I will continue to work on these circles and I have no doubt that as this project evolves, the appearance of the works will change to some extent and I will let them lead me where they may. I plan to use some mixed media as well in some of the pieces.

I may have to adjust my idea about using oil during my time away from my own studio but the very fact that circumstances outside of my control can change how I work is part of what makes this all a very fluid and organic process. I look forward to seeing how this will all unfold over the next few weeks. I hope you do too.

For now, if you could follow me on Instagram (b_peetsart) and sign up to my subscription list (the pop-up box that appears on my homepage) and pass along my website URL and social media pages to your friends and family, I would greatly appreciate the support. 

I wish to expand my social media presence and engage a wider range of followers. 

Bernadette

Using Format