Fruits of labor

Here's a peek at one of the bigger projects I've been working on over the past two months. I was commissioned to do a total of fifteen paintings for a Catholic Motherhouse cafeteria of fruits, vegetables and in one case flowers. I came up with the idea to incorporate Bible quotes that involved food and harvest in a modern, more unexpected way.

These are 18" x 18" paintings on gallery wood paneled canvases. I used a mixture of xerox copies, acrylic paints, matte medium and charcoal. The paintings have lots of earthy texture.

I finished wiring the last of the fifteen yesterday.Today, they all got a second coat of satin varnish. I'm actually kind of sad to be finished with the project. I absolutely loved taking a closer look at the subjects working to capture their simple beauty while translating into my mixed media style.

To keep parts of the passages showing through I used a rag and even my fingernail. The selective reveals also served as highlights.

Tomorrow I'll be putting my designer hat back on as I tackle several projects lined up for the next few weeks. I so enjoy the variety of work I do. Much to be thankful for.