Contemporary painting: a mandarin orange still life made in times of isolation

Setting a still life to paint is sometimes really easy, sometimes not so much. Usually I know what I would love to catch, so to say. Meaning that I see a painting in a way, even before the objects are set on the table in my studio. Obviously sometimes it becomes quite difficult to arrange the objects after the first idea of mine. Yet I always do set the still life composition in my studio, I always need some references according to the light and tonalities to work from.

As this time I was working on the Coleus still life, there was a mandarin orange left near the old white jug on my table. The very moment the certain morning light illuminated the small composition near the scene I was actually working on, I knew I need to paint it.

I often think about the cultural connotations of the paintings, wondering how much of information gets lost in a translation. I believe that quite a lot. There is no doubt the painting can resonate with the observer only when it is at least decent, when perfect even better. Here I am talking about the technical part. Even more the same about artist’s power to impress, communicate certain feelings, atmosphere. But then there are certain meta data, that I am afraid that can not be the part of the perception. Take for example the white creamer jug from the picture. It is an old creamer as were used about a hundred years age. Made of white porcelain, shiny but heavy, sort of clumsy looking but somewhere in the subconsciousness connected with the oldest childhood memories. Kids waiting in the kitchen for our grand grand mother. She used to cook hot cocoa for us, and as it was so hot we got some cold milk in smaller creamer to pour in the too hot beverage. It had to be winter, as in those oldest memories I remember the smell of the hot cocoa and see the orange color of mandarins and oranges in the bowl on the kitchen table. Yet the memories are so distant I just merely remember how old my sister and I have been then, I only do have that perception of distant times. Whenever I take this small creamer in my hands I remember those times passed far, far ago. And always as I buy the first mandarin oranges of the season and bring them home I get that warm feeling the winter is coming, time of snow and warm kitchen.

Painting this small canvas made me remember all those feelings. Yet I am sure, at least I do hope so, the observer would see another story evoked by those two small objects. A mandarin orange and the white creamer. I sometimes wish I could hear those stories my paintings might evoke. And keep asking myself, is painting a good painting only telling my story or is it just bringing coded structure permitting other people to attach their memories, feelings?

Anyhow, I like this small canvas, just the way it turned out. I like the distance between the mandarin and the creamer being filled with certain tension, almost sort of an expectation of something to happen, although on the other side there is this deep calm of a sunny morning light reassuring us everything is just perfect.