2 Pears Daily Painting & "Study of Two Pears" Poetry Musing, Feb 23, 2011

My "Two Pairs" Daily Painting:

I had painted the background of this painting some time ago, knowing 1 or 2 pears would be painted in the foreground.  So off I go to find real pears for my still life reference.  Well there are yellow pears, red pears, Asian pears (apple shaped)  and brownish pears and more.  So I bought 3 varieties thinking that I could whip up a french desert from Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking with some of the pears.

It was a great sunny afternoon and I move my canvas, oil paints and palette to the enclosed porch which was warm with the wonderful sun shining in.  The sun gave the pears great light reflection and shadows.  Just what I wanted to create while being warmed (body and soul) by the sunshine.  I could see many colors in my pears from browns, taupe, a tinge of red and also blue, not to mention yellow, green and orange.  I never see only one color in most objects and natural vegetation and animals and hardly ever use only the one color of paint from the tube.  I love mixing colors to give depth and dimension.  I love the feel of the oil brush strokes when applied to canvas or board.



"Two Pears"
Daily Painting
Liberto's Art



I basically finished the little daily painting of "Two Pairs" and started another, "One Red Pear."  

Later I ran across an interesting poem "Study of Two Pears."  It is hard to know if the poet was really studying a painting of two pairs, or studying two real pears.  He describes the dimension of colors he saw in the pears, contemplates the shape that belongs to no other fruit or natural object me know. 

In the case of "Study of Two Pears" the poet is actually drawing and painting the two pears for us.  There are many comments and reflections concerning this poem and it's meaning.  A study of the "Study of Two Pears" will go on and on.

Study of Two Pears

by Wallace Stevens

I

pusculum paedagogum.
The pears are not viols,
Nudes or bottles.
They resemble nothing else.

II

They are yellow forms
Composed of curves
Bulging toward the base.
They are touched red.

III

They are not flat surfaces
Having curved outlines.
They are round
Tapering toward the top.

IV

In the way they are modelled
There are bits of blue.
A hard dry leaf hangs
From the stem.

V

The yellow glistens.
It glistens with various yellows,
Citrons, oranges and greens
Flowering over the skin.

VI
The shadows of the pears
Are blobs on the green cloth.
The pears are not seen
As the observer wills.

Stevens fuses the creative imagination with objective reality. Since he was a "philosopher of aesthetics," he challenges the reader to think about how we view the world and encourage us to sharpen our senses to explore every crack in this world--no matter how small (Poetry Foundation, 2008).

I am glad I painted the "Two Pairs" before I found the corresponding poem by Stevens.

Other Art Projects:

Mailed off the 2nd Delaware Floorcloth a customer purchased from website:  http://libertosart.com/Delaware.aspx.  I am working on a 2nd Delaware floorcloth design for customers to choose from.  I also started another floorcloth.  I have sized the fabric and gessoed one side.  This canvas rug will have a floral handpainted design.  I have finished 2 sets of folk art painted wood canisters which I need to photography.  

Colonial Clothing Sewing Project:

I have been researching colonial clothing and costumes for 2 events this spring.  My French Husband and I will be colonial merchants and therefore will wear very middle class clothing of the period.  Since I am alsos a seamstress it is more affordable for me to create the clothing myself.  I will be creating a long Chemise and ladies bodice (either English or French) 
and pockets for myself.  For my gentleman I will creating the men's 18th century white cotton workshirt with the big sleeves and 1770 linen waistcoat.  I also may try my hand a three corner hat for I have the felt in my fabric stash.  The local fabric store did have the patterns I needed which I purchased  today.  I checked on the fabric I needed so my next trip may be shortened. 

A very wonderful blog:  http://livingwithjane.blogspot.com/ has great websites and blogs relating to reinactments, period clothing, events and other great topics.

Oh ------------ so much to do!

# # # # # #

Love to all,

Maria L B