Mastering the egg-stra challenge
Susan N. Jarvis, Mixed Family, oil, 36 x 36.
This story was featured in the June 2019 issue of Southwest Art magazine. Get the Southwest Art June 2019 print issue or digital download now–then subscribe to Southwest Art and never miss another story.
HAVING PAINTED dozens of creative still-life arrangements over the years, Salt Lake City artist Susan N. Jarvis has encountered her fair share of humorous mishaps along the way. There was, for example, her still life featuring an ice-cream cone loaded with six scoops that nearly toppled over. And the time she tried to photograph an egg, sunny-side up, atop a slice of toast: “My setup was tilted slightly because of my camera angle,” explains Jarvis, who—upon returning to her camera after arranging her props—discovered that the half-cooked egg had slid right off the toast.
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- Susan N. Jarvis, A Stitch in Time, oil, 12 x 12.
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- Susan N. Jarvis, Celebration, oil, 12 x 12.
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- Susan N. Jarvis, Midnight Snack, oil, 12 x 12.
Eggs have proved to be among the more challenging subjects in the contemporary realist’s diverse repertoire. In fact, her very first egg painting came close to being her last, recalls Jarvis. Entitled MIXED FAMILY, the still life was inspired by a carton of eggs her friend Dean gave her, courtesy of the exotic chickens he raises. Boasting shells in all-natural hues like coral, pink, green, and blue, these eggs were stunning. “When he opened the carton, I drew in a breath,” she says. “It was like showing a sugar addict a box of chocolates.” Jarvis planned to paint one egg. In the end, she couldn’t resist painting nine colorful eggs assembled together in their cardboard carton. “It was so hard,” chuckles the artist, remembering the challenge of portraying their delicate shells. “I thought, ‘I am never painting eggs again!’”
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- Susan N. Jarvis, A Curious Glimpse, oil, 36 x 48.
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- Susan N. Jarvis, Chasing the Dream, oil, 20 x 20.
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- Susan N. Jarvis, Portrait of Zach, oil, 20 x 20.
But Jarvis did paint eggs again. And again. “I had been using bristle brushes, and you can’t get smooth textures easily with them,” she explains. An artist friend suggested switching to a sable paintbrush, known for its soft, fine bristles. “Then I had fun,” says Jarvis, who now has a whole series devoted to these classic beauties in their oval, porcelain-like sheaths, including a piece that was juried into American Women Artists’ competitive spring online show.
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- Susan N. Jarvis, The Gathering, oil.
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- Susan N. Jarvis, The Offering, oil, 20 x 16.
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- Susan N. Jarvis, They Were Twins, oil, 16 x 20.
When Jarvis isn’t painting still lifes, chances are she’s working on a figurative painting. Many of the portraits in her oeuvre depict children in scenes that capture their innocence, curiosity, and carefree spirits. In a Jarvis painting, everyone and everything has a story to tell, eggs included. “Eggs are one big metaphor for life,” the artist muses. “Everyone starts out as an egg, and where they go is their own unique journey.” —Kim Agricola
representation
15th Street Gallery, Salt Lake City, UT; www.susannjarvis.com.
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- Susan N. Jarvis, Toasted, oil, 36 x 36.
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- Susan N. Jarvis, Trio, oil, 10 x 12.
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- Susan N. Jarvis, It’s Great to be Eight, oil, 18 x 24.
This story was featured in the June 2019 issue of Southwest Art magazine. Get the Southwest Art June 2019 print issue or digital download now–then subscribe to Southwest Art and never miss another story.
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