2025

10 x 8 inches

Oil on panel

I set up Ingredients from Italy right in my own studio, inspired by my weekly ritual of cooking from my beloved Williams-Sonoma cookbooks on Roman and Florentine cuisine. Every time I open those pages, I’m transported back to Italy—the flavors, the traditions, the joy of preparing food that feels soulful and time-honored.

For this painting, I gathered a bottle of golden olive oil, a wedge of Parmesan, a jar of vibrant red peppers, ripe tomatoes, and sprigs of fresh basil. I arranged them with the same reverence I feel when cooking—because these ingredients are more than food, they’re culture, family, and memory.

Painting them in oils allowed me to linger over each texture: the glass sheen of the jar, the velvety leaves, the rough edge of Parmesan. My hope is that this piece invites you to savor life in the same way—through beauty, nourishment, and the everyday rituals that connect us to something bigger.

An original oil painting of a still life in a traditional style.