Still Life with Seven Figs and Silver Cup (+ upcoming Tucson Museum exhibition)

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24-hour auction ends on Thursday, Sept. 14 at 12:15PM EST

My larger painting Still Life with Three Satsumas and Handmade Cup (now available for sale) will be included in the Tucson Desert Art Museum's upcoming exhibition "American Women Artists: Under a Vast Sky." The exhibition was juried by Christine Brindza, Glasser Curator at Tucson Museum of Art, Rhonda Smith, Director of Tucson Desert Art Museum, and Dr. Mark Sublette, founder and president of Medicine Man Gallery. The exhibition runs from October 13 - December 3, 2017; the artists reception is November 3. The Museum's address is 7000 E Tanque Verde Rd, Tucson, Tucson, Arizona, (520) 202-3888.

If you enjoy this painting, you may also like to see Self-portrait in a Blue Vase and Eight Figs, Fig Halves with Spanish Cheese, Fig and Reflections in a Japanese Cup, or a bunch of my paintings of figs.

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Thanks in advance,

Larger painting: Still Life with Three Satsumas and Handmade Cup, 8x10 (+ Italy travels)

Still Life with Three Satsumas and Handmade Cup
Oil on linen on panel, 8x10 inches, 2017
Sold

This week, I will be in Rome to travel and paint and study Baroque art. If you'd like to come along, join me on facebook or instagram.

Baroque painters (i.e. Velázquez, Caravaggio, Rembrandt, Rubens, Vermeer...) often depicted a dramatic moment using light & dark (chiaroscuro), and I think it is human nature to go towards (the) light. In my own work, I enjoy sharing a way of looking at the world by capturing a moment (of light) as it is happening -- however dramatic or subtle or simple it may be.

As part of my ongoing Paintings of Handmade Pottery series, the cup in this still life is by Willi Singleton, a potter from Pennsylvania.

If you enjoy this painting, you may also like to see a bunch of my paintings of handmade pottery or satsuma tangerines.

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

Best,

Two Satsuma Tangerines (+ artwork of hope, love, and support)

Two Satsuma Tangerines, 6 x 8 inches, oil on linen on panel, 2016.
Available - email abbeyryan@gmail.com for purchase information

The tagline for A Mighty Girl is "the world's largest collection of books, toys and movies for smart, confident, and courageous girls." Recently, their blog posted "Artwork of Hope, Love, and Support from the Children's Book World." It begins:

"Over the past few days, children's book illustrators have been creating images featuring their beloved characters coupled with messages of love and support. Many of these images show their characters with a safety pin (#KidLitSafetyPin), others show the characters hugging (#HugsfromKidLit), but all are symbols to kids feeling vulnerable or being targeted with harassment that they are not alone -- that they are loved and valued. Moreover, these drawings, which the artists hope teachers and librarians will post in schools, send an important message to all students that now is the time to come together with friends and classmates to stand against any hateful speech or actions motivated by differences in gender, race, religion, sexual orientation, country of origin, or ability."

"Along with sharing these messages of love, hope, and solidarity with children, author Kate Messner also expressed the importance of taking the next step: 'If this is something you plan to share with students, please also take time to talk about what it means to have someone's back when it comes to fighting bullying and bigotry. Wearing a safety pin (or putting up a poster) doesn't really help unless it's accompanied by a promise of action. Speaking up and standing beside people who are being targeted requires courage, commitment, and planning. Here's a resource [from the Southern Poverty Law Center]....'" [Continue reading and see the illustrations]

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Best,

Two Satsuma Tangerines (the light, the shade)

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Note: This 24-hour auction ends at 2 PM EST on Friday, December 14

I don't usually 'explain' my paintings. Today's painting is significant though, so I want to share that it is inspired by four things:

1. Robert Lax's the light / the shade (see below)
2. A long series of in-depth conversations with 3D artists about dimensionality.
3. My notes from studying several works by J.F. Peto during my recent visit to the National Gallery.
4. My notes from studying Willem Claesz Heda's Still Life with Oysters, a Silver Tazza, and Glassware during my recent visit to the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

More on #1:
Thomas Merton is my namesake, Merton and Robert Lax were friends, Lax is my favorite poet, and Lax and my dad were pen pals when I was a little girl. I have a cigar box of their letters in my studio. I also have a wonderful stack of Lax's books (thanks, Dad). I've been reading the light / the shade over the last few weeks and it is one of my new favorites. Something worth seeing in the photo above is that Lax inscribed the light / the shade for my family. Click on the image to see it better. I'm Abi / gail. 

Private Painting Mentoring Update
I am blown away by all your heartfelt applications. If you submitted one, you will hear from me soon. If you're considering working with me, the details are here. As always, email me with questions.

Enjoy,

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