Jocelyn Curry

Have you ever noticed how many pear paintings the world's artists seem to be producing? A friend recently commented, "It's because pears are so voluptuous." Ah, this could very well be. But they also offer a manageable challenge for beginning oil painters like moi-même. These pears sat on the kitchen counter, in front of the more popular bunch of bananas, for about a week before I had to paint them. For me, all aspects of painting with viscous oil paint are challenging: color mixing, working from dark to light (the opposite of watercolor), and trying to achieve a 3-D appearance. One of my workshop teachers said, "Painting with oils is just like doing any other artwork." Oh. Why does it feel like traveling in a foreign country, then?

Soon I'll be going to the ocean for our annual family vacation. My paints are packed up and ready. During my next painting session, I may just have to contribute to the world's huge output of sunset-over-the-water paintings.