As you can imagine, over the years I have amassed a quite a collection of antiques, toys, and general curiosities. I might respond to interesting color combinations, or unusual shapes, or differences of size and scale. I may sit with them for a year or more before figuring out exactly what I want to do with them. But once I do, that’s when the fun (for me, at least) begins! Pulling together an assortment of things that might not normally go together – toys, tools, balloons, pencils, even extension cords – allows me to have a literal rationale for moving color around the canvas (as if I needed one)!

When I finally returned to painting in 2010 after my nearly 20-year hiatus, all of these collected curiosities became ideal subjects for my still life paintings. Augmenting my collection of highly unusual industrial items with a trove of colorful tin toys, croquet and billiard balls, and balloons continues to provide me with an endless source of inspiration and discovery. The arcade is actually one of my wife’s flea market finds. Adding in the pipe wrench and billiard balls helps to both complement the color of the arcade, and distribute color around the composition. The suspended floodlight bulb attracts the eye, while reinforcing the illusion of depth.  Completed in 2022, this piece is oil on canvas, 24"h x 36"w, and is framed.