the very small paintings, click on the title below for purchase information
The Very Small Paintings of David Oleski
- Espresso Cups
An Espresso Cup #1, 5 inches by 7 inches, December 2011Sold! Private collection, Winterpark, Florida
An Espresso Cup #2, 5 inches by 7 inches, December 2011Sold! Private collection
I decided to study the simple wonder of an empty espresso cup, with two slightly different angles of the same cup. As always, I'm surprised to find so many subtle colors within the depths of the porcelain. These are some nice little paintings, and one of these days I'll actually make a plan to keep one of these studies for myself. - Three Blueberries
Three Blueberries, 5 inches by 7 inches, January 2012
As I'm getting ready to dive into my first tulips painting of the winter, I decided to warm up with a tight little study of three blueberries. This is always an exciting subject, as I'm always surprised with some of the bright blues and violets I can pull out of an arrangement of blueberries.
- Three Strawberries
One Strawberry, 5 inches by 7 inches, December 2011Sold! Private collection, Henrico, Virginia
Two Strawberries, 5 inches by 7 inches, December 2011
I have to accept my limitations on realism sometimes, especially when I paint something as detailed and articulated as strawberries. While I do my best to defy being guilty of relying on a style instead of actual observation, strawberries always represent some aspect of color and texture that just leaves me flummoxed and bamboozled. - Two Zesty Fresh Limes
One Lime #1, 5 inches by 7 inches, December 2011
One Lime #2, 5 inches by 7 inches, December 2011
By setting two limes on the counter, I decided to explore what makes one of these almost identical pieces of fruit different than the other. Some colors were different, as well as the strength of the sheen, the reflections and the gradations, and in the end I believe they each have their own character. - Five Thai Chili Peppers
Three Thai Chili Peppers, 5 inches by 7 inches, December 2011
Two Thai Chili Peppers, 5 inches by 7 inches, December 2011Sold! Private collection, Brooklyn, New York
In celebration of all the great things that my lovely wife can do, I decided to paint Thai chili peppers from yesterday's side trip to the Asian grocery store. The biggest challenge in this subject was to find the miniscule details that helped these to sit solidly on the table top. With such tiny subjects, I'm realizing that my smallest brushes aren't quite small enough. - Vine Ripened Goodness
Vine Ripened Tomato #1, 5 inches by 7 inches, December 2011
Vine Ripened Tomato #2, 5 inches by 7 inches, December 2011Sold! Private collection, Henrico, Virginia
For some reason I found that two tomatoes made a nice enough set without slashing either apart. Although in retrospect, it might have been fun to explore all the complexities within a sliced tomato. Maybe next time... - Three Green Apples
One Green Apple, 5 inches by 7 inches, December 2011Private collection, London, United Kingdom
Two Green Apples, 5 inches by 7 inches, December 2011Private collection, Tampa, Florida
Of course sooner or later, I have to paint apples that are green in color. - Avocados
An Avocado, 5 inches by 7 inches, December 2011
A Sliced Avocado, 5 inches by 7 inches, December 2011
The challenge of the simplicity of one avocado is amplified when an avocado is sliced open, revealing so many complex shapes and colors. Of course it's always nice to eat them when the paintings are finished. A very limited quantity of these very small paintings are being made available as a special offer, at a price of $300 each. The price includes a dark red contemporary hardwood frame, plus $10 for shipping and handling. - Refreshing Pints
A Refreshing Pint of Guinness #1, 5 inches by 7 inches, December 2011
A Refreshing Pint of Guinness #2, 5 inches by 7 inches, December 2011
Painting a rich and dark pint of delicious Guinness on a fairly dark and overcast day just wasn't working, so I properly disposed of the subject and decided to finish my painting adventure in the morning. Of course nobody should be pouring a pint of Guinness in the morning, so early the next afternoon I managed to finish these studies. A very limited quantity of these very small paintings are being made available as a special offer, at a price of $300 each. The price includes a dark red contemporary hardwood frame, plus $10 for shipping and handling. - Cheese and a Cracker
A Slice of Brie on a Cracker #1, 5 inches by 7 inches, December 2011
A very limited quantity of these very small paintings are being made available as a special offer, at a price of $300 each. The price includes a dark red contemporary hardwood frame, plus $10 for shipping and handling.
A Slice of Brie on a Cracker #2, 5 inches by 7 inches, December 2011Private collection, London, United Kingdom
I have to admit that I was thinking about a set of paintings when I picked up the small wheel of brie and a package of Carr's Table Water Crackers. Of course we ate half of the cheese and crackers with some ripe pears before the paintings were even begun, right on the heels of disposing of yesterday's unfinished Guinness portrait subjects. Sometimes it's like an art opening here, and everything is just delicious. - More Apples
A Honey Crisp Apple #1, 5 inches by 7 inches, December 2011Private collection, Richmond, Virginia
A Honey Crisp Apple #2, 5 inches by 7 inches, December 2011
A very limited quantity of these very small paintings are being made available as a special offer, at a price of $300 each. The price includes a dark red contemporary hardwood frame, plus $10 for shipping and handling.
- And More Apples
A Honey Crisp Apple, 5 inches by 7 inches, December 2011
A very limited quantity of these very small paintings are being made available as a special offer, at a price of $300 each. The price includes a dark red contemporary hardwood frame, plus $10 for shipping and handling.
Two Apples, 5 inches by 7 inches, December 2011
- Christmas Day
Two Apples, 5 inches by 7 inches, December 2011
A very limited quantity of these very small paintings are being made available as a special offer, at a price of $300 each. The price includes a dark red contemporary hardwood frame, plus $10 for shipping and handling.
Two Apples, 5 inches by 7 inches, December 2011Private collection, Davidson, North Carolina
This is the end of the holiday promotion of the year 2011. Season's greetings to everyone, and a happy new year. - Steel Steaming Pitcher, Revisited
Steel Steaming Pitcher, 5 inches by 7 inches, December 2011
Because the first version of the steel steaming pitcher disappeared within seconds of being listed, I decided to revisit this subject a second time. Once again, my education in paint was distilled by the subject being almost invisible, leaving me nothing to study except reflections to describe the subject. A very limited quantity of these very small paintings are being made available as a special offer, at a price of $300 each. The price includes a dark red contemporary hardwood frame, plus $10 for shipping and handling.
- The New Year
Here is a short movie from our recent trip to UK.
Cheers. - Tangerines
One Tangerine, 5 inches by 7 inches, December 2011Sold! Private collection, Wayne, Pennsylvania
Two Tangerines, 5 inches by 7 inches, December 2011Sold! Private collection, Bondurant, Iowa
Today I decided to carve out some little studies of tangerines. The surfaces were almost nothing but shine and gloss, and every part of the sky and the sun were reflecting in these subjects. The lost and found edges were a fun exercise in allowing shapes to turn in space. - Cream in your Coffee
Steel Steaming Pitcher, 5 inches by 7 inches, December 2011Sold! Private collection
Coffee Cup and Saucer, 5 inches by 7 inches, December 2011Private collection, Chapel Hill, North Carolina
I like to revisit the steel steaming pitcher, just to study all of the things that create an object that are nothing but the distorted reflections of everything except the object. Always a challenging study. - Chocolate Macadamia Nuts
Two Chocolate Covered Macadamia Nuts, 5 inches by 7 inches, December 2011Private collection, Pheonixville, Pennsylvania
Three Chocolate Covered Macadamia Nuts, 5 inches by 7 inches, December 2011Private collection, King of Prussia, Pennsylvania
Some friends of ours recently returned from a short fun-filled vacation in Hawaii, and brought us a small can of chocolate covered Macadamia nuts. Rather than merely enjoy eating them all in short order, I decided to see if I could actually capture the colors of chocolate with paint. There's an aspect to the opacity of the surface that should keep them from being confused with olives, although immediately another artist confused the unfinished painting with olives. I spent more time studying the details before they once again became tasty little souvenirs of a trip to Hawaii. - Winter Solstice
On this shortest and darkest day of the year, I realize I'm not keeping up. Too many dismal and dark days means the holiday promotion screeched to a halt, and as of right now, my entire website is offline due to some debilitating database error. I switched on the artificial daylight balanced lights, and decided to get started on a long overdue commission painting, and at almost midnight I'm finally done for the day, after a few hours of carving it out and laying it down under artificial lights. If the sky lightens at all tomorrow, I'll see this piece easily finished, and I may actually get things back up and running for a last ditch effort to complete the holiday promotion series. However, there is a remote chance that this will be remembered as the year I didn't finish it, and on December 25th, I will focus my sights on the brighter days ahead. - Pomegranates
Pomegranate #1, 5 inches by 7 inches, December 2011Click here to purchase this painting
Pomegranate #2, 5 inches by 7 inches, December 2011Click here to purchase this painting
Pomegranates are always a challenge for me, as they have an odd shape, and the leathery skin defies the identity of color or sheen. I had to come up with a different kind of shorthand mark to define the surface and all the turning planes and facets and edges. - Fresh and Crispy
One Gala Apple, 5 inches by 7 inches, December 2011Sold! Private collection, Chapel Hill, North Carolina
Two Gala Apples, 5 inches by 7 inches, December 2011Sold! Private collection, Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania
And as most things with me either begin or end with apples, I carved out these two little studies of Three Royal Gala Apples. It's always a surprise to discover how much color is in the simplest of things. - New and Improved, With a Lemon Fresh Scent!
One Lemon, 5 inches by 7 inches, December 2011Sold! Private collection, Ellicott City, Maryland
A Sliced Lemon, 5 inches by 7 inches, December 2011Private collection, West Chester, PennsylvaniaFor the fresh smell of excitement, I decided to slice a lemon. Rarely do I slice my fruit, but pieces of citrus seem to become very interesting when slashed apart, to become new and different shapes. These paintings were very exciting when they were just roughed in, so I tried to retain some of the raw "sketch" quality of the original layers of paint. - Reflections
Aside from all this most recent buzz of activity, only a few short weeks ago I was on the other side of the planet, in a completely different world. For the third time in as many years I returned to Thailand. As the crush of noise and heat was rising from the street down below, I could ponder the vastness of it all from my hotel balcony. Being an entire planet away from all of this that surrounds me gave me a startling perspective on everything. It's hard not to be reminded of how very small I am. Being nobody on the endless winding streets of a small village reduces me to nothing more than a point of perspective, just another set of footsteps on a dark and nameless alley. Late one night I realized the massive dark form in front of me was an elephant, grazing on the trees growing over a fence. Two men were quietly talking a short distance away, while the elephant forcefully tore down branches, crunching them noisily in its mouth. I paused to take it in, all of us were as anonymous as shadows in the alley, the two men, the elephant, and myself. I suppose this is what I embrace about these short escapes, the feeling of being nobody, of being almost absolutely nothing. - Sweet and Tasty Blueberries
Three Blueberries #1, 5 inches by 7 inches, December 2011Sold! Private collection, Henrico, Virginia
Three Blueberries #2, 5 inches by 7 inches, December 2011Sold! Private collection, Oceanport, New Jersey
Despite the day being so dark and dismal, I managed to carve out these two little studies of some surprisingly sweet and tasty blueberries. While I sorted through the box to find the perfect models, I did wind up eating quite a few of these little treats. It was a nice preview of the taste of the subject, as the day quickly grew darker and darker by the minute, and the rain continued to come down in a quiet roar outside. - Three Bartlett Pears
One Pear, 5 inches by 7 inches, December 2011Sold! Private collection, Chevy Chase, Maryland
Two Pears, 5 inches by 7 inches, December 2011Sold! Private collection, Chevy Chase, Maryland
Some day I'd love to figure out how to capture the same efficiency of brushwork on a larger canvas, as I show on these smaller pieces. There something in the brevity of color and application that compliments the sweet and refreshing taste of a pear, which gets lost when I labor of a larger version of this same subject.
