Beginning with an impossible painting commission of 52 larger-than-life still lifes while in graduate school, I began a love affair with the still life, especially with the simple and elegant shapes of pears and apples. There is a solidity and familiarity that is a natural digression for a figurative painter. I love arranging them in groupings, like small family portraits and the extreme closeups elevate these ordinary objects to icon status. Adding a metal leaf background pokes fun at traditional religious paintings and gives an internal glow to the painting, lending a different texture to the negative space surrounding the still life inhabitants.