Olina with Pear, Posting Later better than Never

Olina with Pear
September 2009

48" x 60"

Oil on Canvas

    I have had many requests to see this painting. I thought I had posted it, but looking back I guess I didn't. So here it is finished, the very large work of my daughter. 

   I did this painting for my mother who wanted a large painting of a pear. Well there is a pear in it and her granddaughter as well. I have to skew things a little to make it more interesting. Adds humor and spice to my life. You may have seen me working on this painting at the Alberta Arts Day in Stony Plain, or from the photos of me painting it in the local paper. Looking back it was a fun painting to create and her hair, though it took little time, was the most interesting part to paint. My poor daughter will probably be quite resentful of my profession as her curly locks will be apart of many of my paintings. I can't help that she is beautiful. Due to the fact that the painting is of my daughter, that it was a painting for my mother, and I knew that it already had a home I felt I could do what I liked. I had a certain freedom with it that let me experiment. I did so with the skin tones and really pushed the color. In the beginning it looked like a rainbow smacked her silly and then I brought in more neutral skin tones and focused on tonal range.

   I have received many compliments on it and it is a conversation piece in my parents home. Some people don't even realize they are sitting right next to it because it is so large, and others it is all they can see in the room.

   Thank you to my mother and daughter for making this painting possible. In my eyes this painting is a great success for me because of all the conversations about art and my work that it has started.