Still Life Paintings by Mark Howard Webster,

Pastel turban from last century — Turban squash

1982 Toyota Tercel that Dad gave me for cheap, great commuter! — 1982 Tercel

Violin painting. Kristi let me keep it for another painting. — Kristi's violin again

Violin painting. Kristi played this at a jam session. It sounded so lovely I had to paint it. — Kristi's violin

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Faucett at the local gym 9 x 12 ink on gray paper. — Eye of the beholder

Skull on a leather box — Skull on leather box

My daughter bought me this squash at a farm in Puyallup. I got the box from my dad. Fall 2018, 12 x 16 oil on board — Turban and box 2018

This bronze elephant came down through the family to my sister. She lent it to me for a painting. 12 x 16 oil on board — Grampa's elephant

I love the transparency on this glass bowl. That is an 1860 beer bottle. 12 x 16 oil on board — Glass bowl with fruit

My first palette knife floral painting. It's like smearing colored mayonnaise and allows for very bright colors. — Flowers in vase

I've had a love affair with these colorful squashes for decades. This was the first time I'd tried them with oils
and my first oil painting in 43 years. — Turban Squash

These are the shoes dad wore for the last couple years of his life. Dave Webster 1924-2015, 12 x 16 oil on board, NFS — Dad's Loafers

Red pepper and salal leaves on a white table cloth. 9 x 12 oil on board — Red Pepper

I bought a new knife for this painting of orange slices. 9 x 12 oil on board — Knife and Orange

I found a brass tea serving set at a flea market, the peppers were from Safeway. 9 x 12 oil on board — Peppers

Brass teapot and some vegetables. It's fun to make this stuff shiny. 9 x 12 oil on board — Pepper and Lemon

Lisa bought these for her mom, who loaned them to me. Lisa told me later she knew they'd end up out in my studio. 20 x 16 oil on board — Mother's Day

Seven dollars for flowers plus the mason jar gave me something to paint for a couple days. 12 x 16 oil on board — Roses

I scored big at Safeway in 2014. Both of these squashes were super fun to paint. 11 x 18 oil on board — Two squashes

This painting of a one foot tall white statue won an honorable mention at the Puyallup fair. 15 x 20 pastel — Plaster statue

Two flea market dustables and a vegetable. I was trying to minimize brush strokes during this painting. 11 x 14 oil on board — Goose & Squash

Turban squash with palette knife, 2016, 12 x 16 oil on board — Turban Squash 2016

Turban squash with palette knife, 2017, 9 x 12 oil on board — Turban Squash 2017

Still Lifes

Van Gogh wasn't the only one to enjoy painting sunflowers and still lifes. Did you know he only sold one painting while he was alive? Still lifes are fun to paint when it's raining or dark outside. I like to set up my still life inside a big cardboard box, like a little lit stage. As long as I'm not painting raw fish or fresh flowers, I can work on the painting for a couple days in a row.

A lit stage

Pictured is a large cardboard box lit with a car trouble light shining through a hole cut in the side. Similar to lights on the stage in a theater, I have total control of the light amount and direction. I can paint for as long as I want. I worked on this statue painting for about a week. It is nice to have a hobby to come home to after work.

Mark Howard Webster
Paintings

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Still Lifes