Homegrown Tomatoes and Garlic

Here is a small 6" x 6" still life to sharpen my observational skills.   I have been struggling to create engaging  landscapes recently and have found it relaxing to take a break and paint a still life.  I wonder what message I should take from this insight?   Hmmmm  Perhaps if I had the opportunity to revisit the plein air painting locations to "complete" a painting, I could make more accurate observations of nature.  Here in New England the weather and lighting is never the same for two days in a row, or even for 2 hours some days. My finished landscapes sometimes involve as much imagination as observation.  

Winter morning lights in NYC

After a long hiatus I am back in the studio painting again, reworking older paintings, and starting new ones in preparation for several upcoming Art Shows.  On a larger canvas and with a different focus and different palette I have again painted a scene from a photo I took in NYC last winter.  I enjoy the challenge of cityscapes.