What is a Vanitas Painting? An image chosen to remind us that life is
fleeting, ultimately all is vanity. It
directs us to contemplate what is important in this world.
Lately I have been returning to the idea of simplicity, in life and in my work.
This Summer I have been reading Carolyn Merchant's "Death of Nature” It has given me pause to think about  the materialism that weighs on our culture.I have always gravitated toward the less is more philosophy. I am sure that is why I latched on to the idea of a limited palette.The limited palette makes using color theory simple and uncluttered. In this painting Terra Cotta Vanitas, I based the color composition on two complements, blue and orange and created most of the grays with a complementary combination of ultramarine and cadmium orange.
As the painting progresses I will expand with warms and cools :ocher, burnt sienna and purple- all mixed from the limited palette of primaries.