Trompe l'Oeil Painting

While I mostly share writings about decorating, gardening, cooking and generally living a good life with family and friends, my formal training was in art - specifically painting - and that is an interest I have been getting back into since I sold my store and my grown kids have flown the coop. I credit my husband, Jack, for really pushing me to take up painting again, and I have to say that I do love the feeling of a brush in my hand...it's so addicting!

My favorite style of painting has always been trompe l'oeil, which is French for "fool the eye". Trompe l'oeil compositions are generally still lifes, and are always so realistically painted, the viewer does not at first perceive that the work is actually painted (or at least has to do a double-take). The challenge of painting in this style is what gets my creative blood really fired up!

Sometimes, I paint everyday scenes, such as those I did in our old kitchen.

Or at The Inn at Castle Hill:

Or for other clients:

Other times, I cross the line into fantasy, but still with the same attention to minute details.

My most recent painting is of a collection of wine labels and corks, all of which have specific memories for us.

Of course, artists are always thinking about the next opus. Now that I've done the wine label painting, I've decided to do one with favorite cheese labels, from around the world. I 'm starting to collect some now, so stay tuned!