Ambrosia (at charity auction)

Ambrosia, oil on canvas, 5" X 7" (approximate), 2007

at charity auction

I mentioned in a post a few days ago that Abbey Ryan's work has inspired me to try out a few new things.

One of the things that draws me to Abbey's work is her use of pattern and repetition. You will often find great looking textiles in her pieces that jazz up what from another artist would be a 'safe' composition. The textiles introduce great surface/pattern to the image, and reinforce or introduce a sense of depth through foreshortening. The pattern also establishes rhythm and movement into the piece. I like Abbey's approach in particular because she has chosen fairly complex patterns to portray.

Here are links to a couple of examples of Abbey's use of textiles, and their contribution to the scene:
Red Delicious
Bartlett Pear (green)
Red Pear on Tea Towel

Other artists do this too of course, including lots of current painters:
Carol Marine Golden Apples
Karen Appleton Royal Party
Malcolm Liepke In Her Bedroom

To name a very small few. :)

My favorite use of patterned textiles is from some of the Greats:
Mary Cassat
Edouard Vuillard

I single out some of the artists above because you can easily see that the pattern is a significant portion of the form of the painting. Without the pattern, it would be a dramatically different piece. Pattern in these pieces is not incidental. It is critical.


A side note:
I was titling this piece "Ambrosia on a Tea Towel" (the apple is an Ambrosia), until I found Abbey's piece "Red Pear on Tea Towel" and while I think getting inspiration from artists around you is great, I draw the line at stealing their titles.