Still Lifes

For still lifes, I like to choose subjects that are meaningful to me—that are personal. Take the painting of the bag of King crisps (“potato chips” here in America). Growing up in Dublin, Ireland, I walked past the crisps factory every day to and from school. The tangelos, in a different painting, were from my garden in Phoenix. The plum series reflects fruit from a tree in our backyard in California. The desserts include a sterling silver spoon and fork made in Norway in the 1950s, which I bought for $5 at a yard sale outside Clear Lake State Park in California. Still lifes are a great way of capturing memories.