With all the Plein Air painting I've been doing this summer and teaching it took a little while to finish this Still Life. It will be making it's debut at Crossroads Art Center and Gallery at this weeks opening reception, Sept. 19th, 2014 6-9 PM. But since I have been doing several landscapes I kind of see the landscape of this work too. I may have to get this photographed again as it looks a little more bright than the original piece. But at least you get to see it.
The story behind this reference starts with my daughter in law and her new red shoes. You see the kids came home for a costume party a year or so ago, one that fit the TV show Mad Men's theme. Her new red shoes looked killer on her with a strand of pearls at her neck, red cardigan, white blouse, and dark skirt. A true 1960 look for her and my son in his skinny tie and suit. Off they went to have fun, however the next morning I saw those pretty red shoes kicked off on the floor of my kitchen with their reflection in the floor.
Well by now if you have been reading my blog you know this gal cannot pass up a good reflection to save her life. Ideas were "a poppin" in my head. When my daughter in law came downstairs I asked if I could borrow her shoes for a photo shoot. Her comment tickled me, "Those shoes killed my feet all night, I won't be wearing those anytime soon. Of course you can have them." I was so pleased since that meant I needn't hurry to photograph them before they left.
A week later I set up the still life with my old pearls and a few perfume bottles on a shinier surface and snapped away. This would be so cute in a woman's bedroom or dressing area! A reminder that we ladies will do anything for fashion at least once, and a killer pair of shoes has a double meaning!
Does it make you remember such an evening? I think maybe several in my case since as a young girl I had a hard time resisting a "cute" pair of shoes or how they can make an outfit!
Gloria Callahan
