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This still life was painted from an arrangement of peppers that my wife had just brought home from our local farmers' market. The freeness of the colors and the texture of skins made for an appealing combination. I chose a composition featuring overlapping objects and a strong lighting from behind to bring out my sense of the beauty of these simple forms.

"If I could say it in words there would be no reason to paint." ~ Edward Hopper Hopper's maxim sums up what I believe about painting, though of course that has never stopped me from trying to explain what I've painted or to attach a story to it. I came to painting late in life, believing I could never draw anything beyond a stick figure -- and it turns out that essentially I was right! I've found though that by using color and a basic idea of form, I could convey the beauty and mystery of the image that emerges as I apply paint to a surface. I was trained as a chemist (PhD in organic chemistry) and worked and taught (ironically enough) in the fields of coatings (read paint) and adhesives. Interestingly this has given me some...