Pumpkin Seed

8 11/16 x 4 11/16 x 3/4 "

Oil paint on gessoed wood

I have wanted to paint a pumpkin or a squash seed for a while, but had been relatively uninterested in the seeds that I had sprouted to this point. This seed, however fit nicely onto the piece of wood that I had and I decided to give it a try. As usually happens with the paintings that I enter into reluctantly, even though I try to have an open mind, I wound up loving it. It was fun to paint the flat surface of the seed and push the colors a little. I really love discovering the colors that become visible once you start to pay attention to what's there, rather than letting your mind fill in the blanks. 

I also worked on this painting on a gorgeous, relatively cool June morning at my bench which is located in front of a wall of windows. The breeze blowing in was blissful and the music (Ray Lamontagne on Pandora) was calm and relaxing and therefore the whole painting experience was quite wonderful. It seems nearly impossible to produce a painting that I don't like when I'm happily working away in good conditions. I loved my profession as an objects conservator, make no mistake, but after several years of working in windowless labs, I still do not take the ability to sit in front of an open window in the middle of the day for granted.