Current Obsession: Contemporary Still Life

Something I've become very interested in lately is contemporary still life.  I have tried my hand at a few practice sketches in my studio notebook, with mixed results.

I need to practice more and spend some time setting up some compelling still life images to draw.  Like I've said before: art is a practice.

As part of my interest in contemporary still life images, I've been collecting work that I like on a Pinterest board.  Here's a peek at that board:

The images I'm drawn to are busy and full of pattern and color and movement.  I find that this style of still life is an intriguing way to organize all of the patterns and colors that I love so much.  Because they're objects -- rugs, vases, table linens, flowers, etc. -- all of those crazy patterns and colors look great crowded up against each other.  In many ways, the botanical abstracts I spent about a year working on (here are a few examples)...

...feel, to me, very much like some of these lush still life paintings.  Patterns and colors push up against each other and botanicals provide some atmosphere.

I have a long way to go in figuring out how I will express myself with this new interest. But I'm excited to be beginning a new series; a new challenge; a new obsession.

Thanks for stopping by!