Pitcher and Cup

Pitcher and Cup 9 x 12 pastel, copyright 2011

The little pitcher in this painting was made by Clara Whitman Parrett from Connersville, Indiana.  She was one of the artists featured in the Starving Artists Invitational Show last month.  The show was a big success; 13 pieces were sold, and unusually high number, and we had a lot of traffic despite the bad weather.   It also went well for me personally, since I sold a piece to someone other than a relative or close friend for the first time, and bought this pitcher.

I enjoy painting ceramic and glass pieces, though they can be quite challenging.  Light can bounce off at odd angles, pieces reflect one another and the background, and shadows fall in unexpected places.  I couldn't count how many times I reworked this one, tweaking it a bit here and there.  I'm still getting used to the rougher texture of the paper which makes blending a little more difficult.   But it was a welcome break from the snow paintings, especially after the ice storm earlier in the week.

By the way, more of Clara's beautiful and utilitarian pottery is for sale at the Arts Center.