Box and Book, 2008, oil on panel, 9x12 sold

When I was painting this I had no studio and no gallery, two things that where in the works. It was a constant in my thoughts - art making and my art career. Balancing these two for the future was high in my priorities, thinking about visually, the box and book made good personal symbols of this. I love the color of red, and the stationary box with red note paper was irresistibly beautiful. And the "go" of green, along with promise of knowledge was a wonderful foil to the red box. I was also painting several land- and seascapes at this period, and you might see a connection between the dark beige fabric on the table and the feeling of wet sand that you find on the beach in Malibu.

I painted this live by desk lamp light over three or four evenings. I like the spiral staircase quality from the cast shadow on the left, up the steps of the book, and to the box. I also like the bright light on the book and softer white band on the box.