Pumpkin Seed 2016

Sprouting Pumpkin Seed

10 1/4 H x 6 1/4 W x 1 D"

Oil Paint on Wood

I finished the first version of this painting of the pumpkin seed in 2012. It was even on display in a gallery for a while, but it didn't sell. I was happy to bring it home and hang it on my wall, but admittedly, I never really fell in love with it. I remember struggling when I worked on it, but I also remember feeling good when it was done. The thing I noticed over the years though, was that every time I was considering entering a show and I would look over at my finished work, I never felt this one was good enough to enter. It looked bland and it didn't feel alive. It took way to long to realize that I should just try again. While I was waiting for my recent commission to dry, I plucked this off the wall and gave it a second shot. 

 

Originally I didn't want to frame it, but it just didn't feel right hanging as a slab of wood. I added a rather raw, weathered frame. The block of wood that the painting is on is just slightly off square, and the frame adds even more awareness to the angle, but this feels natural to me. I used the block of wood as I had found it, without cutting any edges because I didn't want freshly cut sides contrasting too much with the rest of the weathered surfaces. I also felt that since the size of the wood was such a good fit for the image it would be most authentic in it's true found state. This feels good to me. This feels like how I garden. Most of the time gardening does not yield uniform shiny, smooth, sexy produce.  It's dirty and imperfect in so many ways because there is so much that is out of your control. So it feels natural to me that my work that is inspired so directly by my love for growing whole, healthy food is also imperfect.