Irene's Heirloom Still Life Paintings

Waste Not, Want Not

2009-06-09T22:08:00.001-07:00

Linen, an egg, and this white dish was so much fun to paint. Reflections, dark to light, and front to back, white on white, drove me to the brink and back, but the pleasure when the effect was gained was worth the effort.

Leotie's Kimono

2009-06-09T21:59:00.000-07:00

Leotie's Kimono

Leotie Pratt, an artist and designer, fashioned this beautiful kimono which I won at a Christmas party. It is among my favorite pieces and perfect for this Asian inspired grouping.

Silver and Sepia

2009-05-29T11:56:00.001-07:00

Grandmother was so kind to me. We grew up in a rough and tumble family of seven children. We always had food on the table and a lovely home. But grandma gave us refinement. She taught me how to use a spoon without putting it back in the sugarbowl. How to make tea with a proper silver strainer, and when I became engaged, gave me a lovely Tiffany strawberry dish. I found the delightful photo of her after her death, and did this painting to remind me of her. I love the clothing young children wore for their photos, don't you?

Daddy's Shoes

2009-04-29T23:35:00.001-07:00

My sister's favorite objects include a crocheted handkerchief, a bracelet containing charms my father gave my mother, a very large seashell and my father's leather toddler shoes. As I painted these buttoned shoes I could imagine my father's long narrow feet scuffing the toes and was reminded that he wasn't always 6'4" tall.

Simple Things....

2009-04-14T08:25:00.001-07:00

Simple things, but placed together, they embody that marvelous gift....wisdom. A book, a strainer, and a vessel.

"Remembering Paris"

2009-04-10T09:34:00.000-07:00

What a trip! Kathy & Celeste and I visited Paris in 1993. The Musee D'Orsay, was my favorite place in the entire city. An old train station, converted to a modern, light-filled home for the works that I have always loved and I got to see in person. How lucky can a person be! After a day of looking through the place and after having a wonderful lunch in a chandelliered filled room painted with clouds and cherubs, we started to leave and then...we wondered, where were the VanGogh's? We must have missed them. They were housed upstairs and we had neglected to see an entire floor. We made our way upstairs, passing a Monet along the way, and walked into a room filled with such COLOR. It took my breath away. Now I know that no reproduction could contain such lush, striking color and this had been the great gift of VanGogh to the world. On my way out of the building I had to buy the catalog to remind me of all the sights there. My sister sent me the Notre Dame paperweight later and I included the photo of Kathy on the stairway as she passed the Monet friends/family seated in the garden. The rich satiny woven table cover is my all time favorite color.

Kwan Yin

2009-03-21T14:35:00.000-07:00

This statue of Kwan Yin, Chinese goddess of compassion, reminds me of a time in my life that was very poignant. I found her in the garden section of Rite Aid, and stopped in my tracks. I fell in love with her kind face and peaceful pose and especially with her fingers, just so, and the green bottle filled with her love. The price seemed high to me at the time, and I left the store, only to return the following day, knowing I had to have her. At the time I was undergoing chemotherapy and I kept thinking that the green bottle represented health. Every night I watched her calm face before sleep and was comforted.

Around that time my sister sent me the small plate with the golfing women dressed in turn of the century garb, as we had gone to a putting green together with a friend down in Los Angeles. So that also stands at my "altar" commemorating friendship. The flowers filled my garden at the time.

There is also a very strong coincidence connected with this statue. Not knowing anything about Kwan Yin, I went to Amazon and looked up books about her. I chose one entitled Discovering Kwan Yin, Buddhist Goddess of Compassion, by Sandy Boucher, and when it arrived, inside was a photo entitled ----------'s altar to Kwan Yin. That person was a friend who had died of cancer not long before. This earth is filled with coincidences.