Extra Virgin
(8" x 16", oil on canvas)

Encouraged by last week's piece I came up with a companion composition. The scale is quite small, so the Meyer lemon was the perfect size for this diminutive bottle.

This is a new size canvas for me, and I am really enjoying the smaller scale. I plan on doing a few more.

If you’d like to have your personal copy of the Painting of the Week sent directly to your desktop every Wednesday morning please write me at daniele@DanieleLemieux.com.

Truffle Oil
(8" x 16", oil on canvas)

I spotted this lovely bottle of truffle oil on a recent trip to an imported food store. At the time I was looking for figs, and I simply could not justify buying yet another (rather expensive) little bottle of oil when I have sooo many back in my studio. I didn't find any figs that day, but that bottle stuck with me and I could not stop thinking about it. After a few days of sketching it from memory I decided I had to have it.

If you’d like to have your personal copy of the Painting of the Week sent directly to your desktop every Wednesday morning please write me at daniele@DanieleLemieux.com.

Amber Bottles
(12" x 12", oil on canvas)

I picked up these bottles a few years ago, but had never been able to work them successfully into a composition until now. They are quite beautiful in shape and hue, but very understated. I felt anything colourful would be sure to overpower their delicate tones, so I chose a few simple garlic cloves to imitate the colours found in the glass.

If you’d like to have your personal copy of the Painting of the Week sent directly to your desktop every Wednesday morning please write me at daniele@DanieleLemieux.com.

A Gift of Honey
(12" x 12", oil on canvas)

Using a slightly higher point of view gave the honey more colour and depth, because the light passes through the jar and bounces back off the light fabric. This angle also gave me the opportunity to work more interest into the fabric, playing up shadows and the raw edge of the linen. Although a very simple subject, I believe there is plenty of interest in this small canvas to keep the viewer engaged.

If you’d like to have your personal copy of the Painting of the Week sent directly to your desktop every Wednesday morning please write me at daniele@DanieleLemieux.com.

Stilton

(12" x 12", oil on canvas)

A small slice of blue-veined cheese with a flash of blue foil attached was the inspiration for this small piece. 

Looking for the right balance, I spent a fair amount of time adding detail to the wine glass, only to take it out again. While I needed the glass for the composition, I did not want it to overwhelm the other elements, preferring instead to keep it as more of a background player.

If you’d like to have your personal copy of the Painting of the Week sent directly to your desktop every Wednesday morning please write me at daniele@DanieleLemieux.com. 

Jewel
(12" x 12", oil on canvas)

I really lucked out finding this large clementine with its fresh glossy leaves intact and forming what I interpret as a protective teepee-like shelter. A pared down composition allows the simple beauty of shape and colour to shine.

If you’d like to have your personal copy of the Painting of the Week sent directly to your desktop every Wednesday morning please write me at daniele@DanieleLemieux.com.

Fruit Gems
(12" x 24", oil on canvas)

After working on large format paintings for the past few months, I found it difficult to return to some smaller sizes. After a few false starts, I pulled out some of my favorite things and re-visited one of my most favoured size canvases.

The white grapes are quite distinctive, owing to the various sizes of grapes in a cluster. They are also not really white, but rather a pale green with tinges of red, making them ideal to pair with the orange. I like how everything sits comfortably in this space and think I have my small format "groove" back.

If you’d like to have your personal copy of the Painting of the Week sent directly to your desktop every Wednesday morning please write me at daniele@DanieleLemieux.com.