Pears with a Secret

Watercolor, for me, has a magical quality in which colors and textures can often appear abstract, but form a composite whole. When I paint, I try to heighten or intensify the colors I see, or juxtapose opposing colors for contrast. Using a mix of playfulness and careful observation, I try to coax out hidden, nuanced colors within my paintings.

My painting "Pears With a Secret" was my attempt to reuse an old piece of watercolor paper and paint on top of a rather clumsy self-portrait I’d done back in 1991. It occurred to me that the oval shaped head could become the base of a very large pear (amazing how similar those shapes are) and no one until now would be the wiser. The repetition of the French word <i>poire</i> (pear) provides a contrasting patterned background for the two pears. The casual viewer of the painting is free to simply enjoy the layers of color and not be concerned with the "secret" that lies underneath.