The Orchid Window

The Orchid Window
Original oil painting by Jane McElvany Coonce

Once again, I'm going to write about how I decide what I want to paint.  This is a recent still life I completed.  The vase in the middle with the orchid design on it was my mother's.  She had received it as a wedding present.  Growing up, it was always sitting on top of the piano.  My brother had knocked it off when he was young, and it had a slight chip in the back of the lip of the vase.

When my mom died, and we were going through her things, I just couldn't throw this vase out, yet it wasn't really my style for my house.  I couldn't sell it to someone who would cherish it because the chip caused it to lose its value.  So I kept it thinking I would put it in a still life.  My mom has been gone 12 years, and I finally got around to putting it in a still life.  My son, Brian, always brings me orchids. I had the bronze horse on my bookshelf.  So I set this up in the windowsill.  I started it on a weekend and worked on it 3 days straight,  8 hours a day.

This month, it will be showing at the Gallery Underground in Crystal City.  Tonight is the reception from 5 - 8 pm.  Stop by and see me and the painting if you can.

The real question is:  Now that I have painted this vase into a still life painting, what will I do with the real vase?  I still can't toss it.  I don't know.  Maybe I should take a mosaic class, break the vase up into small pieces and arrange it on a small table top.  Until then, it will remain in my art studio.