Compassion

Jeffrey Hayes
"Compassion"
Oil on panel, 8 x 4 inches (20 x 10 cm)
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I don't often engage in overt symbolism, but it does seem fitting and organic sometimes. For most of my life, I've disliked the word compassion, probably because I've always equated it with pity. Pity implies a real disparity between subject and object; one doing the pitying looking down on the poor suffering one, with an implicit sense of superiority. Somehow that attitude seems objectionable to me... maybe even a little smug. Thinking some more about compassion, though, I've come to see that it arises not from a sense of superiority, but from a genuine sense of solidarity; an authentic recognition that on some deep level we all share the same predicament; we all hang from the same string.

One other thought; although our aesthetic goals differ somewhat, I have to make an obvious tip of the hat to the wonderful Mary Klein. I enjoy seeing her delightful and distinctive work often.

Still Life with Green Marble Egg and Lemon

Jeffrey Hayes
"Still Life with Green Marble Egg and Lemon"
Oil on panel, 5 x 11 inches (12.5 x 27.5 cm)
Reserved

Including modern objects in traditional still-life designs seems like an obvious enough thing to do, and I have seen many satisfying paintings that do this. It can also run the risk of seeming contrived; as if the whole point of the painting was simply to drop a cell phone into an otherwise thoroughly Dutch-inspired composition.

My aim, at least, is generally to avoid the latter, and find ways to organically include contemporary objects in a traditional design, as in this piece. Although the overall feel of the painting is traditional, that is in fact a 1950's atomic-design creamer (a 50-cent yardsale find). Even the green marble egg would likely not appear in a true Dutch still life. By the way, a friend pointed out that the egg is actually made from Spectrolite and/or Labradorite, but green marble seems easier to say...

Lines and Colors Feature

Jeffrey Hayes
"Kaleidoscope: Chinese Pipe with Glass"
Oil on panel, 8 x 8 inches (20 x 20 cm)
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My work was featured today on the amazing Lines and Colors (the specific post is here). For anybody who has not visited Lines and Colors, I wholeheartedly suggest that you give it a read... right now, in fact. I can say without hesitation that it is the one art-related site that I look at most.

To anybody who is seeing this blog for the first time, welcome (and of course, thank you to all of my regular readers). Since I haven't updated in a few weeks, I thought this would be as good an opportunity as any to show a piece which I finished in October. At the time, I wrote a post about it (specifically, about the process of revising paintings) including a detailed shot, but I did not include the above image of the full painting.

I hesitated at the time, because I was going to use that piece to discuss the idea of having an separate type of painting, apart from what I normally do. While that still seems like an worthwhile topic to write about, I guess it didn't grab me enough to make me charge into it. Maybe at some point in the future.

Despite appearances, I have been busy; there are a number of newly completed paintings awaiting photography. Once that's done, I will post them right here. Please stay tuned!

Tangerine Number One

Jeffrey Hayes
"Tangerine Number One"
Oil on panel, 4 x 4 inches (10 x 10 cm)
Dimensions with frame: 8 x 8 inches (20 x 20 cm)
Available: Purchase Information

Lemon Number One

Jeffrey Hayes
"Lemon Number One"
Oil on panel, 4 x 4 inches (10 x 10 cm)
Dimensions with frame: 8 x 8 inches (20 x 20 cm)
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Apple Number One

Jeffrey Hayes
"Orange Number One"
Oil on panel, 4 x 4 inches (10 x 10 cm)
Dimensions with frame: 8 x 8 inches (20 x 20 cm)
Available: Purchase Information

Orange Number One

Jeffrey Hayes
"Orange Number One"
Oil on panel, 4 x 4 inches (10 x 10 cm)
Dimensions with frame: 8 x 8 inches (20 x 20 cm)
Available: Purchase Information