Life is Short, Eat Dessert First

I did get out to do a small sketch down at the lakefront yesterday but decided it was not good enough to post.  Instead I am showing a painting I did last summer on the theme of" What Matters Matter".  This is a direct quote from Donna Zagotta's blog article of the same name in which she talks about the "best" subjects to paint.  Among other things she says, "You are the first and final authority on what matters to you."   The still life here all depicts hugely familiar artifacts from our cabin in the north woods of Wisconsin.  My tea/biscuit jar, an old chipped tea cup that I just can't throw away, the teapot that belonged to my husband's mother, the pitcher I found at the flea market, the cookie tin that has been a part of the cupboard here for eons, the little ceramic wall hanging with those special words that was a gift from my good friend, Kendra, and the little tea holder.  

Tea Time is big thing here at the cabin and something the grandkids will always remember about it.  It is the time we gather on the screen porch in late afternoon for homemade blueberry buckle, a glass of lemonade (or tea for those that like it) and a chapter of reading from Gram.  

The painting is watercolor on Bristol Board 11 x 15.