Park Avenue and Tea 2021

Carrie Graber made this painting, Park Avenue and Tea, and wow, does it glow! The light in here makes everything feel so luminous, like it's lit from within. Look how Graber has handled the tea in the glass teapot. It's see-through, reflecting light in ways that are almost abstract. It feels like a conversation between realism and something much more dreamy. It’s all about layering and glazing, thin washes of color building up to create this incredible depth. I keep looking at the silver bowl holding the flowers – how the light catches on the rim, reflecting those warm yellows and oranges from the roses, then cascading into shadows. It puts me in mind of a painter like Manet, how he used light to bring an everyday scene to life. And like Manet, Graber makes you see the extraordinary in the ordinary. It’s not just a bowl of flowers and a tea set; it's a world of light, reflection, and sheer painterly joy. Art isn't about answers; it's about the questions it opens up.