When my neighbors saw me painting their trash cans, with my easel set up in the driveway, they didn’t even look surprised. They know I’m a nutty artist and so they just apologized for interrupting my painting to throw some bottles in the recycling bin.
The truth is, I am easily amused and can find almost anything interesting to paint or draw. Seeing these city-issued garbage cans glowing in the sun, transformed from their usual blah colors, seemed a perfect subject for a quick oil sketch last weekend.
When I showed the painting to my painting teacher Camille, she said I’d done a good job with showing that it was a sunny day, but that I should lose the detail and focus more on the difference in value between top, side and front, to better indicate the direction of light and dimensionality of the cans. And she’s right, of course.
What’s the weirdest, oddest, or nuttiest thing you’ve drawn or painted?
Jana Bouc, Artist 
5 replies on “My neighbors’ garbage”
The most beautiful dustbins I have ever seen!- Really surprising motif!
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I got desperate for an assignment one night and grabbed a roll of toilet paper and a can of soup I think! I ended up really liking the composition and the use of subtle whites.
I love your blogs, by the way! I would love to have some time to do this. Thanks for the art entertainment:)
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Great colors! Funny that garbage can look that good!
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Hey, who’d have thought that rubbish (I mean garbarge) could look so pretty.
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I really like this painting! I would agree with your teacher about the values, but really, at first glance I just smiled and could see it hanging proudly in my house!!!
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