Table Bouquet, daily painting by Everglades artist Jo-Ann Sanborn

Table Bouquet, 2013, Jo-Ann Sanborn
oil on board, 5"x7"

It's fascinating to me that most of the artists I know all see our world just a little differently.  I see the light in broad swaths, while one friend sees it in tiny dots, and another takes little notice of it perfering to emphasize colora movement.  One artist I know revels in painting exact replicas of a scene, while I prefer a looser interpretation of a subject.

 I'm usually drawn to subjects who's shape creates interesting negative spaces around it.   Negative space is the space surrounding the object, while the object itself is considered postive space.  

That's why the palm trees in the Everglades are such a wonderful subject for me.  Their fronds are bold against the sky, and their trunks are a strong vertical movement in a largely horizontal landscape. 

Today's little vase excites me in the same way.  Each branch, reaching out for space, is defining a negative space around it's edge, and each of these spaces are varied and interesting to me eye.  If the flowers were all in a ball shape, or I had to paint every petal, I wouldn't be nearly as interested in painting it!