In 2022 I focused on still life painting and pet portraits. I was inspired to paint from the bounty of flowers and fruits available especially in Fall, and used some of the collection of vessels I’ve bought in recent years. I worked mostly in a small format, and loved the resulting imagery! I showed one still life in Sullivan Goss’s annual 100 Grand show, an older painting at the Uncanny exhibit at Westmont Ridley-Tree Museum of Art, and ended up adding little still life gems to my living room gallery wall. It was a new challenge when I was commissioned to do some realistic graphite pet portraits.
Autumnal Still Life · Oil on canvas · 6″x8″ oval · 2022
Autumnal Still Life II · Oil on canvas · 6″ round · 2022
Pet Portrait · Oil on wood panel · 8″x8″ · 2022
Commissioned Pet Portrait · Pencil on paper · 8″x5″ · 2022
In 2021, I did a one hundred day art challenge to kickstart my art practice with some momentum and regularity. I completed a piece of art every day for more than the hundred days of the challenge, working primarily in a new medium for me: pastel pencils. I showed four of the drawings of flamenco dancers from this period at Sullivan Goss’s 100 Grand show.
Sean Cheetham Done-in-Your-Style Contest Painting · Oil on canvas · 7″x5″ · 2021
Portrait of Tenorio · Pastel on paper · 12″x9″ · 2021
Flamenco Dancer II · Pastel on paper · 8″x5″ · 2021
Portrait of Joseph Albers | Heroes Series Pastel on paper · 8″x5″ · 2021
Although in 2020 I moved into a nicer living and working environment, the pandemic years were difficult. It can be very hard to accept and cope with when a loved one suffers a health crisis and there’s not at all much you can do to help them. What has got me through it is continuing to make art, singing in two choirs, listening to audiobooks, and walking my dog in nature everyday. I frequently listen to audiobooks throughout both my art-making and excursions outdoors. I didn’t post much of my artwork on social media in 2020, but I did a few intricate colored pen drawings.