An Orange is an Orange?

Continuing yesterday's discussion, I've been translating what Lynn said into the rubric of art. There I always try to be in the moment since I feel it is the job of the artist to be honest in what they paint. It is easier to paint what we think an orange should look like and much harder to paint the true image of a particular orange—a map of shifting color and light.

One of my favorite works is "The Green Stripe" c. 1905, a portrait of Matisse's wife. An audacious Fauvist work with what we assume to be non-naturalistic color in a human face. People were shocked. Matisse is reputed to have said that painting his wife was the same as painting a sack of potatoes. It makes one realize that Matisse was boldly looking and unafraid a to paint what he saw.

These are some of my earliest still lifes. You see how I grapple, trying for each thing to be itself.