A Little (Wonky) Terra Cotta

A Little (Wonky) Terra Cotta

Terra Cotta6×8″Oil on Linen Panel© Kelly Medford, 2012Due to the crazy weather here in Rome, I’ve been spending more time than ever inside painting still lives, and I admit, it’s pretty fun and a nice winter change.I’ve been into painting some handmade (i.e. wonky) objects and it’s more difficult than I thought. Mostly the trick is not to try and make everything symetrical (which is usually the big challenge for me in painting bottles and things), but to paint it asymmetrical is even more of a challenge. I like the idea of the imperfections of handmade things, including paintings. More and more I’m drawn to not to make something “perfect” but to focus on the interpretation of the painting (how it’s painted) and to the painting’s design.So in this little painting I found that just the wonky pot itself on the cloth left the painting feeling somewhat empty. I really loved the white cloth that the pot is resting on and it’s delicate design in contrast to the heavier pot, so I decided to continue the design in the background, if for no other reason than I just had the thought as an intuitive flash, it seemed a natural way to tie the spaces together.If you like this painting you can bid on it here at my Daily Paintworks site.As a side note, I haven’t just been painting, I’ve also ventured out a few times into the wild snow that hasn’t come to Rome like this in over 20 years. Here’s a snapshot to give you an idea:This was walking to Rome’s highest point, Monte Mario during this weekend’s snow storm- it looks like we’re in the mountains, or at least in the countryside. Who would have ever guessed that this winter would be full of snow here in Rome- what a treat!I hope you’re having as fun a winter as we are here and I also hope that it warms us enough for (whimpy!) me to get back out painting on the streets soon.Thanks for following my adventures here in Rome.