Hot Sauce and Goodwill, 16x20", archival oil on panel, 2026. (Glazed & 72dpi above for online use; more vibrant in the below video clip)
This painting began with an Italian hot sauce bottle from my refrigerator. After cleaning it, I repurposed it as a small bud vase. Later, while visiting a Goodwill store in north Seattle, I found a glossy deep red vase whose color immediately stood out to me. When the two objects came to rest side by side in my kitchen, they felt naturally complementary and similar in tone but different in origin and history.
Soon after, I found a bundle of richly saturated red carnations at my local Trader Joe’s. Their color closely matched the vase, completing the still life. I painted the arrangement in my studio intending to finish it before the winter holidays. The work was completed shortly after returning from holiday travel to the east coast, in January 2026.
The painting reflects my ongoing interest in how ordinary, found objects (often sourced locally and reused) can carry visual harmony and meaning when brought together with care and attention.