Back and Forth Between Still Life and Whimsicals

Peony on a July Afternoon 6x8 Oil/Canvas/Panel

Peonies, such seemingly fragile blossoms yet in spite of wind, hail and pounding rain they've hung in there long enough to be painted.

I'm once again exploring still life after a couple of years of working on a series of whimsical paintings featuring wildcats, birds and flowers. I am, as ever, in awe with the way light plays upon flowers, fruit and objects. Light and me, it's a love affair that never really goes away, it just sits quietly waiting while the whimsicals with their bright color and opportunities for imaginative play keeps me captive.

Some artists remain faithful to one style and medium then there are others like myself who are a bit more fickle. I've gone from watercolor to a scratchboard/watercolor/pencil crayon mix, then turned to acrylic, digital and eventually to oil paint. My style morphed and changed too, going from realistic to a naive and whimsical style when I began illustrating and then returning to realism once again when I began exploring oils and still life. Each style has a hold on me for a time but no one style ever wins, I work in whichever style suits my mood and the subject matter.


One thing I'm sure of, different styles and mediums enrich one another and they are all rewarding, I'm not sure I could choose a favorite. What about you, what is your experience with working in more than one style? Or are you loyal to just one? If you are an art lover, do you like to see an artist exploring or do you prefer to see them stick to one style and medium? Curious.