11" x 15", watercolour, 1998, private collection
I wanted to take a little break from all the figurative paintings I'd been doing during Operation: Water Storm (briefly mentioned here), but I also wanted to create a still life that was untraditional and kind of contemporary (no bowls-of-fruit or vases-of-flowers), while not obviously against the grain (whatever that might have been).
I've always enjoyed the bold red design of Coke cans and I happened to have a bottle of V8 on hand, so red became the basis of my composition. Add a couple of mason jars of strawberry jam, a couple of apples (Red Delicious (of course) and a Granny Smith (for cheeky contrast)), a matrix background, and ta-da!
I really like the deep, dark red of the jam, but the Coke cans, although interesting --and I'm quite happy with the result-- were very tedious and finicky.
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