Ann Feldman

Ann Feldman has picked a still life and a landscape for her favorite paintings of 2012:

Spanish Platter 12"x12" oil on hardboard 2012

Autumn on the Lake 10"x8" oil on canvas mounted on hardboard 2012

This past year, I've attempted to edit the information in my paintings and allow the viewer to fill in much of the detail in their own way.  Palette knives have become essential to me-- I find that I get bolder color and less definition with them.  "Happy accidents" are a constant, and I have tried to allow these accidents to dictate the direction of many of my paintings.  My best paintings have happened this way; by relaxing and letting the paint lead me, I have found myself going in completely unexpected new directions.

Ann Feldman obviously loves to paint boldly colored still life and landscape, but she also loves the paint itself. It's a delicious thing when her paint starts to break apart from the subject, with a beautiful mind of its own. These aren't just peppers or flowers, these are bursts of juicy textured color. To me, Spanish Platter is a perfect painting. The composition is dynamic, the brushwork on the apples extravagently pleasurable, with the design on the platter creating a civilizing fence around them.

I don't often like palette knife paintings, as I'm pretty much a neatnik, but Ann's work makes me reconsider. She makes me think that paint should be appreciated as a delightful thing in itself, like spring mud, bread dough, and running water. 

You can see more of Ann Feldman's work at her blog, and also check out her portrait website.

Here are my two picks for favorite Ann Feldman paintings of 2012 (plus Spanish Platter):

Floral Fantasy 12"x16" oil July 2012

 Peppers and Potatoes 6"x6" oil January 2012

You can see more of Ann Feldman's work at her blog, and also check out her portrait website.