Heirloom Tomato on Blue Block from Patmos, Greece (+ Wendell Berry on “Rugged Individualism”)

I've been away from posting auctions the last week because I've been focusing on painting larger more complex paintings. I will be ready to start posting some of those larger works in the next several days.

Related to my postings on mindful studio practice, I often read renowned writer Maria Popova's work (my previous mentions here). As I often spend my time closely observing the beautiful fruits of our planet, her piece on "Wendell Berry on the Grandeur of Small Places and the Perils of Our 'Rugged Individualism'" caught my eye. This is an excerpt towards the very end of the piece:

"Under the tyranny of 'rugged individualism,' this profound disconnect between our personal interests and our world’s wellbeing is a rift rooted in pitting the wilderness as an antagonist to human progress and seeing the welfare of the two as mutually exclusive — a pie fallacy which began at least as early as the Industrial Revolution and which Bertrand Russell bemoaned in his 1930 classic, observing that we’ve come to measure our progress by our 'separation from the life of Earth.'" Read more.

If you enjoy this painting, you may also like to see my other paintings of this blue block from Patmos, Greece.

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Best,

two cherry tomatoes on wood blocks (the light / the shade)

two cherry tomatoes on wood blocks (the light / the shade)
oil on linen on panel, 2017, 5"x4"

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the light / the shade exhibition at Arcadia
If you enjoy this painting, you may like to read more about abbey ryan: the light / the shade, my exhibition in the Harrison Gallery at Arcadia University on view from April 16 - June 16. If you enjoy this painting, you can also see other paintings from my the light / the shade series.

You can also click here to see a bunch of my paintings of tomatoes.

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Thanks in advance,

Small Vine Tomatoes in a Handmade Bowl (+ 2 more exhibitions)

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As part of my interest in handmade pottery and my ongoing paintings of handmade pottery series, this tiny saucer/bowl is handmade by potter Willi Singleton. Here I painted another piece made by him.

If you're interested, my 14"x18" painting Hand-picked Apples (Together Forever) was accepted into the Oil Painters of America (OPA) international Juried Salon Show of Traditional Oils on view at Crooked Tree Arts Center, Traverse City, Michigan from June 22 – September 1, 2018. For the show, the Juror is OPA Master Signature Member Roger Dale Brown.

This same painting was also accepted into the National Oil & Acrylic Painters’ Society (NOAPS) International Spring Juried Competition, juried by Barbara Nuss, NOAPS Signature Artist. For that show, there were 150 paintings accepted from the over 890 paintings entered.

If you enjoy this painting, you may also like to see Still Life with Three Satsumas and Handmade Cup, 8x10, or a bunch of my paintings of tomatoes.

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Thanks in advance,

Still Life with Olive Oil and Vine Tomatoes

If you enjoy this painting, you may also like to see my other painting of this olive oil or a bunch of my paintings of tomatoes.

Auction ending soon at 8PM EST:

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Best,

Jug and Heirloom Tomatoes (with Self Portrait Reflection), larger painting (+ Peto Museum workshop)

Still Life with Jug and Heirloom Tomatoes (with Self Portrait Reflection)
Oil on linen on panel, 9x12 inches, 2017
$3500
Update: Sold

This October 14-15, I will be teaching a workshop at one of my favorite places: the John F. Peto Studio Museum. If you're not familiar, John Frederick Peto (1854-1907), born in Philadelphia, was a late nineteenth-century figure in the trompe l’oeil school of American still life painting. The Peto Museum is a renowned museum about 2 hours east of Philadelphia where I live and work.

My workshop next month at the Peto Museum is open for registration. The 1.5-day workshop will be held inside the Studio Museum on Saturday and Sunday, October 14-15. I'm especially honored that the museum allows me to use J.F. Peto's own original still life objects for my demo paintings.

Space is VERY limited, so I recommend that you sign up right away if you're interested. The Museum is located in Island Heights, NJ, and details are here. If you have any questions, please contact me or the Peto Museum directly at info@petomuseum.org.

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Best,

Heirloom Tomato on Blue Block from Patmos, Greece (Solar Eclipse, August 21, 2017)

I painted this heirloom tomato yesterday in honor of the solar eclipse. It's sitting on a wood block I found on Patmos during my month in Greece in June.

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Best,

Heirloom Tomato (+ my painting at Le Marais, SF)

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I may or may not be planning a coastal California painting trip, which reminded me that about three years ago, I painted four fig paintings in one, and the owners of the painting have it displayed at their bistro, Le Marais Bakery Bistro, in the Marina District of San Francisco. If you're interested, you can see views my Four Figs painting in several of the photos of Le Marais Bakery Bistro. (Hint: it is pictured here in photos #8, 13, 16, 19, and 21). If you're in San Francisco, their site is here -- take a look at the amazing press about the bistro, too.

To purchase my work, view my Current Auctions and All Available Paintings.

Best,

Heirloom Tomato with Handmade Bottle (+ "my biggest struggle...")

Heirloom Tomato with Handmade Bottle
4 x 3.5 inches, oil on linen on panel, framed
Available
Email me for purchase information

Here's some last feedback from my recent Sedona Arts Center workshop:

"My biggest struggle is making painting and drawing a priority in my life and learning how to carve out chunks of studio time. I really appreciated witnessing your process, and what I liked best about the workshop was your amazing, gorgeous paintings, and your approach to painting as a daily spiritual practice.  

I LOVED the entire format and the tone of the workshop -- it was a calm, relaxed, supportive, inspirational, and productive atmosphere. Everyone seemed to be there to learn and work. The Sedona landscape was spectacular, too! Can't wait to do it again!!!" ~Ann Saberi 

To purchase my work, view my Current Painting Auctions and All Available Paintings.

Enjoy,

Heirloom Tomato on a Wood Block (+ 1 spot left in private instruction)

Private Collection

There is one last spot open for Private Painting Mentoring private instruction this summer. If you're thinking about it, feel free to read what folks who have gone through the process have to say about it, and email me with any questions.

ENDING SOON
AUCTION: Golden Series: Farm Garlic, Avocado, & Grape Tomatoes
AUCTION: PB & J (first of 2015)

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All my best,

Golden Series: Farm Garlic, Avocado, & Grape Tomatoes

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This is the ninth painting in my Golden Series. In August 2012, I began this ongoing series with this post:

"As the summer winds down, I'm working on a few series exploring "new-old" ideas. Blueberries, Plums, Fig, Peach, and Champagne Grapes is the first of a new series. Specifically, it introduces my Golden Series. If you recall in my recent Italy post, I mentioned being wowed again by the Dutch painters Rachel Ruysch, Caspar Netscher, and Abraham Mignon during my visit to the Uffizi in Florence. 

Maybe it's because I'm Dutch :), maybe it's because I myself tend more towards order... that I admire their eclectic and energetic mix of objects (a friend of mine recently said, "It's only physics. Nature gravitates towards chaos." I wonder?). What I find to be powerful in paintings such as those by the Dutch masters, however, is not only the fervor, but the balancing of the diversity of nature with the exquisiteness of human touch. 

In my own work, I tend to navigate more towards the subtle and exquisite. My Golden Series is grounded in this but foregrounds diversity, highlighting both dynamic and subtle relationships. I'm excited to continue this investigation."

If you're interested, you can view this painting #OnTheEasel here.

To purchase my work, view my Current Painting Auctions and All Available Paintings.

Enjoy,

Tomatoes on the Vine, Rome (Italy 2015 painting #5)

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I found these beautiful tomatoes at my favorite market in Rome last month. You can see me and my beautiful painting window and set-up in Rome here.

I've had a flurry of more questions coming in about my e-course "The Innernet," so I will post more FAQs soon.

Ending soon:
Clementine with Leaf from Testaccio Market, Rome (Italy 2015 painting #3)

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Happy Monday,

Homegrown Tomato (+ Peto's still life objects)

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Peto's own still life objects

As I prepare for my Nov. 8-9 Peto Museum workshop - I'm contemplating John F. Peto's remarkable still life objects. The Peto is a Studio Museum, so his objects are placed in situ throughout the space.

I am honored to be able to choose from Peto's objects for my own painting demo still life set up during the workshop. During last year's workshop, I painted Still life with John F. Peto's Copper Jug, Clementine, and Concord Grapes. If you're interested, you can read more about it here and here.

Note:
Friday, August 22nd is the last day to enter the Peto Museum's National Juried Show of Contemporary Trompe L’oeil.

One last thing, about today's painting: I painted a mostly round homegrown tomato in 2007, a pretty green homegrown tomato in 2008, and a quite orange one in 2010. August is tomato season!

Enjoy,

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Framed View:

Still Life with Vine Tomato & Avocado Half

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Yesterday's painting (and my live demo) honors the memory of my friend, Jami. Read more here. The above photos are from the event. If you're interested, I posted more photos on facebook, and I invite you to watch the 3 minute time lapse of my live demo.

Ending Soon

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(ends tonight at 8:35 PM EST)

Enjoy,

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Here's how this painting would look framed:

Still Life Invitational

Four Figs (10x8 in.), Heirloom Tomato with Handmade Bottle (4x3.5 in.), and Heirloom Eggplant on a Wood Block (3.5x4 in.). Click image for larger view. See framed views below.
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These three paintings are available and on view in the Still Life Invitational exhibition at Susan Powell Fine Art. Click here for details.

Heirloom Tomato with Handmade Bottle is part of my "Paintings of Handmade Pottery" project.

Please leave me a comment about these paintings here.

All my best,

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Summer Heirloom Tomato No. 2

5 x 6 in., oil on linen on panel
Private Collection

I hope you're enjoying summer tomatoes as much as I am!

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Enjoy,

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Here's what this painting would look like framed:

Still Life with Eggplant, Garlic, Heirloom Tomato, and Ceramic Jug

8x10 in., oil on linen on panel, framed
Available: Email me for price list

Here's my last painting from the Tree's Place exhibition - I hope you've enjoyed my larger works. I love reading your comments, so if you have any thoughts on this painting, please leave them here.

This past weekend, I went to the Nakashima Foundation for Peace a cappella choral concert for peace by Mostly Motets. It was so inspiring on so many levels (here's a snapshot) -- I know I won't be able to adequately encapsulate it. The Nakashima Foundation (which was originally created in 1984 to collect funds to build Altars of Peace around the world as "small points of light encircling the globe") is raising funds for its fourth Sacred Peace Table -- made of black walnut through this remarkable process.

I really love these remarkable photographs that tell the story of the Sacred Peace Tables in NYC, Russia, India, and South Africa. Take a look -- I think you couldn't spend a better 20 minutes.

To give some background, this is George Nakashima's vision, "A while back there appeared a great bole of a tree, a Walnut...."

Handmade Bottle with Green Tomato

6 x 5 in., oil on linen on panel
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This was one of the last heirloom tomatoes from the garden! In this painting is a handmade bottle as part of my Paintings of Handmade Pottery project. If you look carefully, the bottle reflections also have a bit of a self-portrait in there... :)

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Here's what this painting would look like framed:

Summer Heirloom Tomato

4 x 5 in., oil on linen on panel
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I am looking forward to teaching two 1-day workshops this weekend at Artists of Yardley !

Also, coming up next week: I was selected to participate in Art in the Open, Philadelphia. The Opening Reception will be at the Fairmount Water Works Grand Pavilion on Wednesday, June 8 -- special guest Mayor Michael Nutter will be there to announce June as Art in the Open month. Click here to read more about Art in the Open and where/when you can find me June 9-12 painting live -- en plein air -- on the Schuylkill River banks.

Here's what this painting would look like framed:

Still Life with Tomato, Jalapeno, Garlic, and Bowl

4 x 6 in., oil on linen on panel