Again a figure reading in the backyard, in a
chair, at a table under an umbrella. The chief difference here is the side view of the figure and the bright afternoon sunshine that makes this view almost into a landscape.

A model in blue is seated in a chair in the left of the studio space. One foot is raised under her
while her chin rests on her arm. The sunlight coming behind reveals a long work table with flowers. The table and its shadow help to balance the model.

Framed in a light colored wood.

Two figures mirror each other as they recline on a grassy quad. Above and to the side, behind the figures, the landscape continues with trees, shrubs, and geometric shapes which suggest buildings. It’s a very quiet campus. Framed in a light colored wood.

A single female figure, seen from the back, seated on a sandbank, overlooking a body of water is the subject of this small painting. The figure, placed left of center turns towards the light; opposing this, the head looks
right into darkness and empty space. This natural contraposto brings with it a history of references to Western art. Framed in a light colored wood.

This 1990 painting was inspired by my anticipated departure for California. It is winter in Minneapolis. The figure holding a parcel or suitcase of some kind stands for myself ( I often wear plaid shirts). The setting is my studio. I am at the window looking out onto a snow-covered street below. Bright sunlight is reflected off the table top and windowsill. A single flower still blooms in the vase. Framed in a light colored wood.

Figures reading books or newspapers, were a staple of California academic painting in the 1960’s when I was in graduate school at Berkeley. Decades later I returned to the subject, twisting the space and pushing
contrasting values, to achieve an expressionist
feeling.

Two boys and a dog on a small sailboat raising the sail and securing the lines is the subject of this painting. The boys represent my nephews
Willi and Lindsay Hoyt. The dog was made up.

A strait forward composition with the figure at a table reading a newspaper. The strong light coming from the green and yellow curtain is softened in the foreground objects including
the central figure whose blue and pink striped dress harmonizes with the colors around it. Framed in a black colored frame.

This scene reduces the movements of figures
to simple shapes in a complex of geometric background forms. This architectural look melds the formal design with minimal human
Interaction. Framed in a light colored wood.

In this painting an earlier painting, Scene in Milton Square , becomes more animated with the presence of a skate boarder who enters dramatically from the right. Lighting and depth are both made clearer and stronger. The figures in their solidity reflect my then-interest in contemporary neo- classical painting which I saw at the Robert Schoelkoph Gallery in New York. Framed in a light colored wood.

A street scene with two skateboarders leaning into their movement to the right. Big blocks of bright color help identify the space as urban,
and contrast small blocks of similar color which suggest an exit in the upper right-hand corner of the painting. Thus one visual tug of war
between near and far is complemented by a second between surface and depth. Framed in a light colored wood.

A small boat heads out into the lake. The blue
water is divided by the wake from a larger craft. In the center of the painting is the redshirted figure of a man seen from behind (my dad?). He is standing erect in the prow of the boat while he surveys what lies ahead. In painting this I thought of my dad who in his own way was an adventurer. Framed in a light colored wood.

Framed in a dark brown wood.

Janet Tapley is the very patient sitter for this painting.

Based on drawings done at site. The aim here was to use traditional observation to record a brightly lit street scene with some rich color and strong values.