Things
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Interior Breakfast
This was an early attempt at doing still life, and I like the way it turned out. The old coffee grinder and blue metal pitcher were gifts from Esther's grandmother. The filter is one we still use when we make coffee in the Interior. The two cups and the spoon I took from our kitchen, and the mango I found in the back yard. Approximately 12x16 inches
Reposando
I enjoyed painting the still life involving the coffee grinder, pot, cups and so forth, so decided to do another one.
Here, I'm featuring some typical Panamanian tools, the coa and the machete. The former is used principally to dig holes for fence posts and to chop through stubborn roots. The machete is used for practically everything else (although, I'm sad to say, it is now being largely replaced by the weed-eater, or as it is known here, the "wider"). The coa in this painting belonged to Esther's grandmother, so it qualifies as an antique. The straw hat is worn throughout the rura areas of the country and i think this one may be from Penonomé. I filled a blue plastic glass half full of cold water and put it on the collapsible stool with the machete where it has sweated a little and dripped down onto the terracotta tiles. I photographed this set up in the midday sun, so the shadows on the white washed wall and tiles would be dramatic. The idea was to make the viewer feel the blistering heat of that tropical sun on his neck as he views the painting. The canvas measures 24×38 inches so everything showed is about 3/4 actual size.
Vase and Brass Ash Tray
This is one of several small paintings I did during the COVID-19 pandemic when we were confined to our house for long periods of time. Approximately 9x12 inches.
Singing Bowl
This is one of my favorites. It features an antique Tibetan singing bowl and a ginger jar sitting on an imagined cement ledge. I think the lighting came out wonderfully as did the engraving on the bowl. Approximately 16x14 inches.
Old Books
We have a lot of books and some of them, especially the ones on Panama, were found in antique shops and are not in the best shape for frequent reading. But they are perfect for painting. Here are a couple of them sitting on another imagined cement ledge. I tried to make them as 3-dimensional as possible and believe I did a pretty good job. Approximately 9x12 inches.
Coffee Grinder on Card Table
I was just kidding around here, using a Vermeer casement window on the left to showcase that old coffee grinder you've seen before sitting on a card table with newspaper wrapping, I used in those days for my paints. Approximately 9x12 inches.
Pump
This pump which used to be in the patio of Esther's grandmother's house appears is several paintings, including that one of Cesar Augusto bathing himself in a bucket back in the People section. Approximately 9x12 inches.
Angie
Our beloved Angie, rescued by Esther from a vivero in Capira as a puppy, she brightened our lives for 17 years. Approximately 9x12 inches.