Harvest Still Lifes in Oil Pastel

I got to visit a few of my original paintings from the 90s last year when I visited a customer/friend’s home with some framing. These two paintings are “Squashes” and “Green Apples” painted in oil pastel back when I was first experimenting with them 20 years ago. It’s always interesting to see earlier works and framing choices too.

The original paintings are sold, but you can save 25% when you buy a pair of prints on canvas or paper. Use the code PAIRAPPLESSQUASHES25 in your shopping cart.

ABOUT THE ARTWORK

I have always like still lifes because they look like home. I’ve always had fruit around in bowls or baskets, and from gardening I’m always bringing in the harvest in one way or another.

I was new to oil pastel when I did these paintings. but was determined to make something of it. Before “Green Apples” they felt like crayons and I never thought I’d get used to them, being so accustomed to chalk pastels. But it was the very differences that kept drawing me back—the brilliance of the colors, the quickness of a sketch, the ability to create “impasto”, or an actual thickness of the medium on the paper seen most often in oil paintings. And I kept remembering the techniques I saw an oil pastel drawing an artist had brought in to the art store where I learned framing years ago, scratching out lighter areas, blending partially and completely with angled strokes, pairing colors, it had all stayed with me.

My Granny Smiths were politely piled in their bowl, unaware that they were providing a great inspiration for me to do my first still life, and to do it in oil pastel as an experiment. I chose one of my favorite colorful 1940s cotton tablecloths featuring lemons and raspberries to drape over the little round table so I had a composition of bright primaries.

Green Apples, oil pastel, 12 x 12, 1998 © Bernadette E. Kazmarski

Green Apples, oil pastel, 12 x 12, 1998 © Bernadette E. Kazmarski

The original was purchased, and the woman who purchased it decided that she would like two paintings for the spot, identical in size, matting and framing and perhaps style. We discussed several subjects, but as the summer waned and she mentioned golds and earth tones, I knew it had to be squashes. One of my favorite vegetables to grow and to eat, they were just about ready to harvest, and their colors were perfect to create a piece to complement the Green Apples. She had incorporated a Jacquard pattern into some of the fabrics in her dining room, so I incorporated it into the background of the painting.

Squashes, 12 x 12,oil pastel, 1998 © Bernadette E. Kazmarski

Squashes, 12 x 12,oil pastel, 1998 © Bernadette E. Kazmarski

Purchase prints of either or both

I often sell prints and canvases of Green Apples and Squashes as a set, like the canvases shown above. The original paintings are sold, but you can save 25% when you buy a pair of prints on canvas or paper. Use the code PAIRAPPLESSQUASHES25 in your shopping cart.

I’ve framed prints of these two in white wood frames, natural wood frames, shabby chic frames, blue, red, green or bronze metal frames, they are so colorful they work well with almost anything.

Prints are made in archival inks on Epson Matte Art Paper, Cold Press Digital Giclee Paper or Artist Canvas.

SHIPPING AND CHARGES

Shipping within the US is included in the cost of each print.

Prints up to 16″ x 20″ are shipped flat in a rigid envelope. Larger prints are shipped rolled in a mailing tube unless otherwise requested; flat shipping is an extra cost because it’s oversized.

GICLEE PRINTS

The giclees are printed on acid-free hot press art paper for a smooth matte finish using archival inks. Giclee is the highest quality print available because the technique uses a dozen or more ink ports to capture all the nuances of the original painting, including details of the texture, far more sensitive than any other printing medium. Sometimes my giclees look so much like my originals that even I have a difficult time telling them apart when they are in frames.

I don’t keep giclee prints in stock for most of my works. Usually I have giclees printed as they are ordered unless I have an exhibit where I’ll be selling a particular print so there is a wait of up to two weeks before receipt of your print to allow for time to print and ship.

I offer giclees of this painting in two different sizes: the full size of 31″ x 23″, a half-size of 16″ x 12.5″. The giclees have 2″ of white around the outside edges. All are countersigned by me.

DIGITAL PRINTS

Digital prints are made on acid-free matte-finish natural white 100# cover using archival digital inks. While digital prints are not the quality of a giclee in capturing every nuance and detail of color, texture and shading, I am still very pleased with the outcome and usually only I as the artist, could tell where detail and color were not as sharp as the original. Digital prints are only available up to 11″ x 17″ and some of the prints are cropped to fit standard mat and frame sizes.

Digital prints have at least 1/2″ around the edges depending on the size of the print. All are countersigned by me.

CANVAS PRINTS

Because the standard size canvas prints are not proportional to the original painting, canvas prints of this painting will have a portion cropped off.

I usually have at least one of the smaller sizes of canvases on hand, but order larger ones as they are ordered because I have limited storage space. Smaller canvases are a 3/4″ in depth, Canvases 12 x 16 and larger are 1-1/2″ in depth. I set them up so the image runs from edge to edge, then the sides are black or white or sometimes I slip in a color that coordinates with the painting. This canvas mirrors the edges of the image around the sides.

FRAMED PRINTS

I do all my own framing and can custom frame a print for you. Please ask.

Other items with the same art or design To find all items on this site with the same art or design, use the search box for the name of the artwork and you'll find all that's available.

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All images used on this site are copyrighted to Bernadette E. Kazmarski unless otherwise noted and may not be used without my written permission. Please ask if you are interested in using one in a print or internet publication. If you are interested in purchasing a print of this image or a product including this image, check to see if I have it available already. If you don’t find it there, visit “purchasing” for availability and terms.

 

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