Cecile Baird

Any Way You Slice It

Ah! It's so real-looking, I can't take it!! But yep, these are colored pencil drawings by Cecile Baird. She has taken drawing fruit still-lifes to a whole new level!

Juicy Fruit

Artist Statement (taken from her website):

"Light is the main source of inspiration for my art.  Through the still life genre I love to explore how light can transform simple objects into works of art. I often employ back lighting to enhance the transparent qualities of objects such as grapes, oranges or flowers that most people never notice. Using a realistic style, strong composition and dramatic values I turn simple still life arrangements into dynamic art pieces. I want the viewer of my work to share my sense of wonder and joy in the ordinary objects of everyday life."

Orange Delight

I see what she means in her statement. When I was first looking at these drawings, I was just astonished by her ability displayed in the photorealistic portrayal of the fruits and eggs. But after reading her statement I looked at the drawings again to see how they could be appreciated, not just for the skill displayed in them, but also for being art, in and of themselves. Her use of lighting certainly adds to the artistic quality of the arrangements.
She shows the repetition of the circular shapes of the slices of banana, the repetition of triangles in the slices of citrus fruits, as well as the whole slice's symmetrical properties. She looks at the repetition of form in the slices of an orange, as well as the repetition of form in the shape of the eggs, that is, until one of them is cracked.

Sunny Side Up

I appreciate her search for artistic beauty in the every day things.

-Maria

http://www.cecilebairdart.com/home