Pat Zinsmeister Parker

THE STILL LIFE STILL HAS LIFE

Painters who have tackled the genre of Still Life are awe inspiring to me. To name a few, Matisse, Cezanne and my favorite, Georgio Morandi, all of whom painted memorable still lifes. The content of a Nature Morte (French translation) usually consists of domestic, ubiquitous items that occupy a place in the home environment. My interest in this genre of painting began long ago and I have pursued it concomitantly with my larger abstract works. As an abstract painter, I find many corollaries between Abstraction and Realism. That’s not to say that my still life paintings are realistic or abstract but to be more accurate, artistic license allows me to invent my own brand of semi realism incorporated into ‘’The Still Life’’.

My goal in this body of work was to create a dynamic based on the juxtaposition of patterns and a bold, complementary palette-- resulting in a synergy of texture, animation and optical effects. As the work progressed, an organic evolution of ideas took over and the work became more reductive and less confrontational. 

Just a word about my titles. Some are ‘’tongue in cheek’’ and some are a sardonic take on the imagery but I spend a lot of time making sure the titles fit the idea behind the painting. Of course, viewer interpretation is always welcome.