I’m not a big fan of still lifes. I find them rather mundane compared to portraits. Nevertheless, in order to go to art school, it’s necessary for one to complete a few of these for the ol’ portfolio.

Salt ’n Pepper. Chalk pastels.
Of all the pieces I ever did in high school, this is the only one that ever got the elusive 100% grade (the highest I had ever gotten up to that point was a 99, and I figured the “100” was impossible)! Looking at it now, I’m not sure this piece really deserved it. The shadow of the pepper shaker looks waaaay funky.

Lemons. Watercolor.
I’m not so fond of paint. There are...control issues. I find watercolor to be a particularly tricky medium.

Kitchenwares. Charcoal.
You can tell this one was done solely for the art school portfolio. Yes, I too, can draw a bunch of random objects arranged just so on top of some drapey material.

Tiffany Decanter. Chalk pastels.
I started gaining confidence with the chalk pastels and discovered that glass makes a nice subject matter for this particular medium.

Cartier Necklace. Chalk pastels.
Drew this while on vacation in Monterey, CA. I had just started seriously experimenting with chalk pastels.

Laundry. Pencil.
All I remember about this piece is that I spent about 4 hours on it, and consequently didn’t get any AP Chem homework done that night. Well, who needs to learn chemistry, anyway? I was perfecting my craft. Sort of.

Silverware. Pencil.
One of my earliest high school pieces. Ah, the memories...