oil on canvas
40" x 30"
December 2005
[COMMISSIONED]
This painting was commissioned by a couple I‘ve known extremely well for over a decade. My basic instructions for the painting were simply to “paint us a large pear painting that will match our living room.”
As I worked on setting up a still-life to photograph for reference material, it just seemed right to me that I would paint two pears in their picture. And then as I thought about these two peole who are very dear to me, it also seemed right that the pears should be leaning up against each other.
I think in the back of my mind these pears were really representing the couple to me. It wasn‘t until I was well into the painting that I realized I was actualy painting my two friends. “Russ” (on the left) is stable and steady, while “Pookie” (ok—please don't laugh at her nick name) is is a bit more colorful and carefee. For all their inherent personality differences, they are still so much alike. Throughout the years, these two have become more and more like one.
As I‘m looking at the finished piece again after having delivered it last month, I‘m stuck by how connected these two pears are—a striking similarity to how I view these two friends of mine. They will be celebrating their 40th wedding anniversary this year. A milestone mark that sadly is not often met by married couples these days.
I named the painting “perfect pair” in honor of this wonderful example of what a loving and committed marriage should look like. And if you‘d look very closely at the original itself, you‘d find an R and a P hidden in their respected pear.
“perfect pair” in it’s new home
