Phyllis Floyd

Pitcher and Bags depicts a line of shopping bags, envelopes and a jug, set against a simple background. Reflected in the jug is a mirror image of the artist herself. Although the artist carefully observes the objects in front of her, including the effects of light and shade, she aims for the painting to be read as an abstraction. Since the age of 10, Phyllis Floyd has worked in the genre of still life, painting objects such as jars, dish towels and kitchen utensils from observation. She carefully composes her tableaux, often returning repeatedly to the same subject matter and experimenting with different perspectives and interactions between objects. In 1994, Floyd founded an association of still life painters, named after the Ancient Greek still life painter Zeuxis. She continues to organise exhibitions of their work across the United States.