"Pansies and Fish Vase"

"Pansies and Fish Vase" -- oil on canvas 24x24" -- Margie Guyot

Ah, pansies!  I love them!  The colors are irresistable.  I had to buy a whole flat of them, in every color, a couple weeks ago at the local nursery, Pine Hill.  They remind me of the huge pansy gardens in Nice, on the French Riviera.  I was there in 1994, attending a workshop with Janet Fish.  Seeing pansies reminds me of that wonderful ten days.

My friend Janet Kondziela gave me the vintage tablecloth when she took her annual vacation to Charlevoix -- in February.  Most people find February the month when they'd most like to LEAVE Charlevoix, but Janet finds it very restful. 

The fish vase was a resale shop find, as was the rippled glass bowl.  I love a good challenge -- and wrinkles and reflections are so addictive!  Years ago I realized that I enjoyed painting difficult things (such as wrinkles or reflections) because I could eventually figure them out.  I'd set up a tough still life and just get totally absorbed in it.  The rest of the world could be going to hell in a handbasket, but by golly -- I could figure out "my own little world".   Although I feel so powerless to stop a war, I do feel a certain sense of accomplishment in being able to paint a darn wrinkle!