Chinese Teapot 1989

Mary Fedden made this painting called ‘Chinese Teapot’ with oil on canvas, and I can just imagine her working away in the studio, pushing the paint around. There are so many pinks! It’s a still life, but the patterns behind the objects are so striking, they compete with the teapot and the cup. What was she thinking, I wonder? The teapot itself seems to have these funny markings on it, like some kind of code. The paint looks creamy and thick and delicious, and the way Fedden layers the colors makes it sing. It reminds me a little of Matisse, you know? The way he flattens space and uses color to create a mood. But Fedden has her own voice, her own quirky way of seeing the world. I think that every painting is a record of a conversation, artists riffing off each other across time and space. Each artwork builds on another artist’s discoveries.