Onions and Garlic
(24" x 36", oil on canvas)

This larger format painting gave me a lot of things to sink my teeth into and was a nice, though exhausting, change from my usual minimal compositions. Despite the number of elements, I believe this piece still retains my love of quiet atmosphere.

100th Painting of the Week
This posting marks a bit of a milestone for me today, as it’s my 100th Painting of the Week. Painting is largely a solitary activity and while I cherish my hours in the studio, I can also get to feeling pretty isolated. Your comments, no matter how infrequent, give me a way to measure my work. I always look forward to Wednesdays to see if I've hit a nerve. So thanks to all of you for agreeing to be my viewing audience and keeping me from feeling overly disconnected.

If you’d like to be included on my Painting of the Week email list please write me at daniele@DanieleLemieux.com.

Crab Apples
(30" x 20", oil on canvas)

Today I have chosen to show a detail, as well as the full size piece, to illustrate how I use paint to translate what I see. This close-up passage of shadow and reflection is my interpretation of reality, and is my way of offering the viewer a little more to look at than what is actually there. I try not to be a slave to what is in front of my eyes, preferring to use reality as a departure point.

If you’d like to be included on my Painting of the Week email list please write me at daniele@DanieleLemieux.com.

Six in a Row
(12" x 24", oil on canvas)

Basic rules of traditional composition tell artists that every painting needs a focal point. Generally speaking, this focal point will grab the viewer's eye then lead them through the composition. However, as most of us know, rules are meant to be bent, broken, or at the very least tested. This piece does not really have an obvious focal point; each of the apples plays a near equal role in the composition. There is no tension... just a quiet side-to-side rhythm.

If you’d like to be included on my Painting of the Week email list please write me at daniele@DanieleLemieux.com.

Red Enamel
(20" x 30", oil on panel)

My creative process begins months before I actually start a painting, spending hours and hours searching out objects that express my devotion to the everyday experience.

Despite all the steps before I actually squeeze out paint, the rubber really hits the road when I finally put brush to canvas and all the prep work comes together. Sometimes I know almost immediately that a painting will be successful, other times the painting process will surprise me and something ho-hum takes a great turn. Such was the case with this piece. When I put together these elements I was pleased with the colour and shape harmonies, but as I worked on it, I realized it was going to be better than just good. It is this possibility for upside surprises that keeps me coming back to my easel day after day.

If you’d like to be included on my Painting of the Week email list please write me at daniele@DanieleLemieux.com.