The secret life of ordinary daily objects.

Perhaps it is my Dutch hertitage but I am very drawn to still life painting. The magic of ordinary objects grouped in a seemingly spontaneous manner, frozen in time…utterly enchanting!

One painter in particular is my absolute favorite: Willem Claeszoon Heda (1593/1594-1680/1682)

I was fortunate to have enjoyed many a glass of wine sitting under a real Heda painting in the private collection of an old friend in Paris. Most of Heda’s paintings are in the great museums of the world, but like Vermeer, there exist only a limited number of his paintings. So when you have a chance to see one, take it!

Creating table settings or an interesting grouping of objects in the house to tell a “story” is my passion. It is easily done, with ordinary everyday objects, and you can change the “scene” constantly!

At my Normandy chateau we amused ourselves “creating” this “Still Life” on an old farm table:

 Here are some of my “stories”:

“Still Life” with keys…very simple…

An old fire place…

A simple meal on a farm table by the open fire…

Last four photographs by Rene Stoeltie