Carol Berry, Tangerine. Oil, 8 x 10 inches. ©2010.

This is another still life that I painted in our trailer one rainy Sunday last August. I was really pleased with this painting. I have always been in love with form and volume. Years ago I worked a lot in clay, always mindful of the play of light on the form I was creating. Back in my darkroom days, hovering over the trays of chemicals, I loved watching the shadows develop first, establishing the relationships between the objects. My still life paintings are all about light and form, the opposite of my landscapes, which are all about flat planes and space. I am going to challenge myself to include more forms in my landscapes.

When I look back over this year I realize that I have been on a journey of growth as an artist. I especially love being freed from using any reference photographs when I paint these small studies. I have finally learned how limiting photographs can be. Photos can still be references for future paintings, but only as one part of the whole process. I finally see that the act of applying the paint is not just a means to an end, but as an enjoyable process, rich with the potential of my growth as a painter.