February 2015 • The Gallery

Still life as an artistic discipline has a long history. I remember my earliest drawing and painting classes which displayed a table of mismatched mannequins, old coffee cans, fabric, chairs and the like. How uninspiring! How unimaginative! Those were my early reactions. After a few semesters under my belt, I began to love the stacked detritus and find creative ideas hidden amongst the clutter. Still life is a wonderful tool for examining color, composition and texture, but can also be used as a catalyst for ideas.

While scanning through the digital images of the entries for this show, I was happy to see some very beautiful works of art inspired by still life. I saw considerable technical skill in both painting and photography, and some works took the idea a step further and created a sense of wonder, surprise, or something unexpected and fresh. It is this aspect of a creative work which attempts to reach us on a deeper level, allowing us to connect with our audience in a way that can change us, help us to grow, and see life from a different perspective. In this sense, visual art shares its inspiration with music, dance, film and other art forms.

I have not named each artist and the attributes of each piece. There were some pieces that inspired me more than others, some that I was not sure about because of the digital format, but I tried to be as objective as a juror can be in choosing works from a range of perspectives. Overall, I admire all of the selections for the sheer act of taking the step forward to create, and then to go a step further and submit work for the courageous act of judgment. My praise goes out to all of the artists!