Colorful Modernist Still Life with Fruit and Water Jug by Ellis Hopkins (American, b. 1952). This bold still life depicts a bowl of fruit resting on a table with a large green jug. The various components are depicted using large swatches of bright colors, emphasizing the planes of the different shapes. The paint is applied with bold palette knife strokes, adding an interesting textural component to the piece. The central area of the still life is primarily rendered in blues, cyan, and greens. This cool tone is then offset by the bright reds and magentas which bracket the objects, providing a sense of depth to the piece. Reminiscent of Kandinsky and Hofmann and Emily Sillman, the piece celebrates the interplay of spontaneity and structure within a modernist vocabulary. Unsigned but acquired from a collection of the artist's work. Board size: 36" H x 30" W Second painting, an abstract composition, on back of board, see photos. Ellis Hopkins (American, b. 1952) was born in Lawrence, Kansas, but spent most of her life in California. She lived in Monterey and Carmel Valley, where she was a prolific painter, focusing mostly on gestural abstraction, color blocking, and abstracted still lifes. She studied at the Carmel Art Institute. Exhibitions: 1981, Monterey Conference Center, Monterey, CA 1974, Pacific Grove Art Center, Pacific Grove, CA