612 Aubergine

The little Indian eggplants still interest me.  I love their color, shape and sizes.  Unfortunately, by the time I finish with them, they may be past their prime of freshness.  Maybe I will make baba ghanouj with them tomorrow. 

"612 Aubergine"
acrylic - 6x8 in

http://www.dailypaintworks.com/fineart/diane-campion/612-aubrgine/374772

611 Indian Eggplant

I found these small eggplants at a grocery store in Chicago and couldn't resist their beautiful color and size, conveniently fitting in a blue bowl.  I tried to research why they are called Indian eggplant, but found no good answer.  In India and some other countries, eggplant are called brinjal and is widely used in Indian cuisine.  I thought it was interesting to note that so many cultures have popular eggplant dishes--Greek and Turkish moussakka, French ratatouille,  Italian eggplant parmesan, Arabic baba ghanough.  My mother-in-law made the world's best eggplant parmesan.

I also thought this was interesting information from Wikipedia: "Botanically classified as a berry, the fruit contains numerous small, soft seeds which, though edible, taste bitter because, as a relative of tobacco, they contain nicotinoid alkaloids."  hmmm....

564 Misunderstanding

I

Yikes.  I just realized I painted this once before, but I thought I was painting a different view.  I guess you can paint the same thing several times and the paintings will never be exactly the same.
To me, the onions look like they are at odds, perhaps there was a misunderstanding. 

http://www.dailypaintworks.com/fineart/diane-campion/564-misunderstanding/348639

558. Combover

I had a difficult time naming this one, but I think it's perfect.

http://www.dailypaintworks.com/fineart/diane-campion/558--combover/336863

557 Overcrowded

http://www.dailypaintworks.com/fineart/diane-campion/557-overcrowded/336622

556 Beauty Pageant

http://www.dailypaintworks.com/fineart/diane-campion/556-beauty-pageant/336375

555. Man Overboard

We love tomatoes at our house, and there seem to be many options.  This was a box of mini heirlooms from the grocery store and they are much tastier than the rock hard, mealy larger tomatoes.

http://www.dailypaintworks.com/…/d…/555-man-overboard/336130

554, Encore, In the Limelight

I like this lighting much better than yesterday's and am much happier with this painting and the larger format.

http://www.dailypaintworks.com/fineart/diane-campion/554-encore-in-the-limelight/335854

553 Citrus in the Limelight

I will be curious to see if I like this still life better with my usual dramatic lighting.  I do like the way the bowl is the star in this painting.

The grocery shopper in the family wonders where his produce disappears to.  (smile)

http://www.dailypaintworks.com/fineart/diane-campion/553-citrus-in-the-limelight/335610

552 At Attention

I put off painting asparagus but it seemed to be the only vegetable we had around that I hadn't painted.    It was a little challenging, but I would like to try again.  This is a new blue bowl, the smallest of them all.  My husband named this painting. 

http://www.dailypaintworks.com/fineart/diane-campion/552-at-attention/335114

550 Suspicious

I originally had a different title picked out for this painting, but changed my mind at the last minute.
These "on the vine" tomatoes are so perfect and uniform in size and shape that it certainly raises my suspicion.  In the middle of winter, tomatoes are almost always a disappointment.

http://www.dailypaintworks.com/fineart/diane-campion/550-suspicious/334122

548 Flaunted

http://www.dailypaintworks.com/fineart/diane-campion/548-flaunted/333315

546 Hanging Out Together

http://www.dailypaintworks.com/fineart/diane-campion/546-hanging-out-together/332353

545 Cultured

In this blog post, on my monitor, the colors of the onions look a little too purple.  They are more subtle than appears here.

http://www.dailypaintworks.com/fineart/diane-campion/545-cultured/331848

544 Simply Divine

It took me all day to think of the right title for this painting.  I had many perfect titles, but all had been previously used for other paintings.  I woke up from a little catnap and this one hit me!

http://www.dailypaintworks.com/fineart/diane-campion/544-simply-divine/331523

543 Backbend

Today I visited with a gallery owner I know and while I was there, a very disheveled looking man--- a presumably unlikely gallery visitor---with several plastic grocery shopping bags entered the gallery, removed his shoes, and approached the owner.  She greeted him by name and went to the back room where she retrieved a bag, and handed it to him.  There was a nice, yet short conversation, which included him telling a joke.  He thanked her, and then left.

The lesson that I already knew but was reinforced today is "Don't judge a book by its cover."  Turns out this man is an art junkie, and spends a LOT of money in her gallery each year.

What followed was a discussion of how people discriminate against one another because of appearances or other perceived differences.  It was a very nice visit with the gallery owner today, as usual. 

I am reminded of an experience I had at another art gallery several months ago.  I went expressly to see an exhibit of still lifes, and was barely acknowledged by the gallery attendant when I entered and when I asked a question about a painting.  At the end of my visit, she was rude and dismissed me when I asked a question about the process for acquiring new artists.  I felt so terrible when I left that gallery that I don't want to go back.

I just don't understand why people can't be nice. 

http://www.dailypaintworks.com/fineart/diane-campion/543-backbend/331311 

542 Polka Dance

Get it??? Polka dance??  (I had to explain it to a certain someone here. )

The new Penthouse is very comfortable and my buddy, Oliver likes it too.  The leaves of the radishes went kaput so I ate all the radishes.  No more radish still lifes this week.

http://www.dailypaintworks.com/fineart/diane-campion/542-polka-dance/330871

541 Underestimated

I am delighted to report that with this painting,  I have officially relocated my studio from the basement ("The Dungeon") where I painted without a window, to the attic " Penthouse."  Today is the first day I painted there.  A dear friend helped me haul and reorganize and it is a dream space, freshly painted, heated, carpets cleaned, and with a real window and a bathroom.  What more could I ask for? 

http://www.dailypaintworks.com/fineart/diane-campion/541-underestimated/330628 

540 Mixed Company

This is most likely the end of the Meyer lemons.  I like the combination of the limes with the lemons in my favorite bowl.

http://www.dailypaintworks.com/fineart/diane-campion/540-mixed-company/330377

539 Stealing the Show

My garden club held it's annual Chinese Tea Tasting on Saturday with 80 people attending.  Our centerpieces for the tables included a moss ball with jade plant, rocks, and a single cymbidium orchid.  Each stem of the orchid has approximately 15-20 flowers, which are exquisite.  I am enjoying the few that didn't sell and couldn't resist placing one in my still life.

http://www.dailypaintworks.com/fineart/diane-campion/539-stealing-the-show/330111