companion pieces

Pitcher with Apple,  10 x 8 inches.   Available through The Harrison Gallery.

Pitcher with Apple 2,  10 x 8 inches.   Available through The Harrison Gallery.

Two small pieces I did as a pair for my upcoming show at The Harrison Gallery. The antique pitchers are from my mother's collection. My mom has some gorgeous, gorgoeus pieces....and I have open access to them, yet I don't have to dust! Perfect. My son tells me he prefers red apples to yellow (in paintings, as well as for eating), but I like the yellow/blue palette in these pieces. Unfortunately, they were difficult to photograph, so these are not very good images.

All content ©2011 Kimberly Denise. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited.

stained glass

These pieces will be among those featured in my solo show, opening February 5, at The Harrison Gallery in Williamstown, MA.  The show will hang until the end of the month.

Chalice, 24 x 24 inches, available at The Harrison Gallery

Two Shakers, 22 x 20 inches, available at The Harrison Gallery

The reference images for both of these pieces were shot at the Crossroads Country Mall in Lima, NY (see my previous post for more information).  Mike and I made a trip specifically to shoot reference images on a blisteringly hot Saturday afternoon.  The [non-air-conditioned] store was busy, and I am deeply glad that I managed to get a series of shots--which included standing on chairs and moving small, fragile merchandise with my slippery hands, often while holding my cell phone in my mouth--without damaging anything, including myself!  Other [overheated, cranky] customers were looking at us a little strangely (especially after Mike put on the big feathered hat).  When we got back outside and reviewed the photos, we did a little happy dance right there on the sidewalk.  These two paintings are the first results from that trip.  Each one took over two weeks to paint--an exercise in patience for not-so-patient me!

All content ©2011 Kimberly Denise. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited.

from my last show

These pieces were in a group show at The Harrison Gallery, Williamstown, MA, in the Fall of 2010.

Iced Tea in the Afternoon, 10 x 15 inches, available through The Harrison Gallery

Iced Tea in the Afternoon was born in the Louisiana summer sun.  I was sitting in the shady green grotto beneath a big palm tree in my courtyard with a glass of iced tea, when I became fascinated by the pattern made by the melting ice.  I knew I had to paint it.

Daybreak, 22 x 30 inches, SOLD

I am an inveterate collector of glass bottles, and they find homes anywhere and everywhere.  Daybreak is a look at the windowsill in the butler's pantry in my lovely city apartment here in Rochester. I was lucky to capture these beauties on a cool blue morning, kissed by the oblique rays of the rising sun.

Stained Glass with Bottles, 24 x 21 inches  SOLD

I stumbled upon the reference for Stained Glass with Bottles at the Crossroads Country Mall in Lima, NY.  This antique/flea market is located in an old church along western New York's Routes 5 & 20, an east-west corridor between the Finger Lakes and the Niagara Region.  (It's an off-the-beaten-path area well worth exploring.)  We were shopping for still life objects on our way to a Finger Lakes wine tour.  Mike spotted some bottles on a high shelf in front of this extraordinary stained-glass window, and I immediately started shifting things around so I could get a photo with my cell phone.  It was way above my head, but I held the phone high and snapped away. When we looked at the images, I was afraid our shrieks of excitement would get us thrown out of the store.  Those few hasty, off-balance shots gave me material for a series of paintings along with a whole new infusion of inspiration.  We've been back a couple of times since.  I wish I could bring home the windows, but at least I can buy the glassware!  The bottles in Daybreak, above, came from the same trip.

All content ©2011 Kimberly Denise. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited.

down to the bare walls

I pin my paintings up on the wall as I finish them; it's a safe way of storing them so they won't get smudged. In preparation for my February show, I had nine finished pieces stuck to my wall, and oh! that felt so good. It gave me a little shiver of pleasure every time I entered the studio to see the fruits of my hard work (literally--there were several apples and pears). But now they are gone, gone, gone. Of course, I'll feel much better about it once they sell, sell, sell!

A couple of "before" shots:






Time to get busy at the easel and fill those walls again! I feel like I need flowers this time of year; maybe I'll start there.

She actually finished another painting!

Orange Slice, 13 x 13 inches, soft pastel on paper.

At long last. I needed a break, but this was getting ridiculous. I had a lot of fun with this one; now I'm dying to do more.

It looks a lot better on a white background; click the image to pop it out.

Finally, I can ship all the pieces for my May 30 show.

a proliferation of pears

(don't you just love alliteration?)

I'm busy preparing for my solo show at The Harrison Gallery in Williamstown, Massachusetts this June. I almost always like to work in series, but at five pieces and counting, this one is taking on a life of its own! I've promised to stop with the pears and diamonds for the time being, but I have no doubt they'll be back. I'm smitten by this angular diamond pattern behind the plump and comely pears. Pears have so much personality--they can be sensual-to-erotic, or they can be jaunty and cute (it's those expressive stems, I'm sure of it). I've found several more geometric patterns to use as backdrops, and I'm excited about exploring them, too. I just have to finish this show first! I think it's time to paint some glass--I always find that entertaining.

The pears and diamonds, thus far:




See more of my work at: KimDenise.com.