Tropical Treats

In Tropical Still Life, Janet Fish has created a fascinating composition using what seems like a limited palette and a random arrangement of objects. Actually, she has used 15 colors to make this print. She draws our eyes onto the zigzag design of the tablecloth that supports a glass plate and the fruit scattered about. Fish creates depth and dimension by allowing us to see the cloth through the dish, perching a parakeet on a carambola and welcoming some green fronds onto the page. She reinforces our read of three-dimensional space by repeating the green of the plant in the wing of the bird, the skin of the fruit and the leaf pattern in the cloth.

Still Life comes alive as we contemplate the parakeet about to take flight or a breeze swaying the palm leaves. Time is defined by these elements as well as the urgency to eat the sliced fruit. The phrase "still life" comes from the Dutch, who used the word stilleven to describe compositions like this that remind us of the temporality of life and the fugitive quality of taking pleasure.

This print and other work by Janet Fish can be seen at Marianne Friedland Gallery, 259 Broad Ave., Naples.

-Mark Ormond

Mark Ormond is a Southwest Florida art curator and consultant.