The Garden and Still Lifes

Many centuries ago when I was an eight-year-old kid in Boise, Idaho, I went to Mrs. Hart’s house for afternoon art lessons. This lovely artist with a warm smile and wispy white hair converted an upstairs bedroom into a classroom. To venture through the door into her large victorian home was to enter a secret world. When I peeked my head through the door, the smell of oil paints enveloped me. I caught glimpses of strange and mysterious forms in the darkened rooms as I climbed the stairs. Mrs. Hart (Heart, in my mind) set up still lifes with extravagant objects from what seemed like a never-ending exotic collection, items that delighted the eyes with their shapes, colors, and designs.

        And then sometimes, we would go out into her beautiful garden or to the local park to draw landscapes. However, still lifes give me the most pleasure, so they seemed appropriate to express my garden’s abundance. Here is the beginning of the “From My Garden” series: "Fruits from My Garden" (Feb. 1996, 25" x 34" / 64cm x 84cm) includes grapes, figs, pomegranates, and that very bizarre fruit, quince. 

I think of quinces as "wanna-be" apples, however, one could break a tooth on them, they're so hard.  They redeem themselves by the fact that they make delicious preserves.

For those interested in the technical aspect, this piece is machine appliquéd, embroidered and quilted and contains some hand painted fabrics. 
            Along the way, I revisited one of those early still lifes from Mrs Hart's class. The original watercolor:

And the art quilt version, "Oranges from My Garden"(Sept. 1996, 43"x38" /96cm x 1m09):

Like the previous piece, this one is machine appliquéd, embroidered, pieced, and quilted with some hand painted fabrics. Notice that I did have to add the handle to the kettle--as an adult, I just couldn't let that detail get away. Yet somehow, this visit to the past brought Mrs. "Heart" and some of the magical moments of childhood into my present.

                          And the orchard, with this late variety of oranges, 
                             provides even more inspiration for still lifes. 
                              Maybe I'll get back to landscapes as well....