I went to the Art Institute with my favorite art show buddy on Saturday to see the Matisse exhibit...let me just say…you've got to go!

It’s a chance to be able to get close to the pieces and see his handling of the surfaces...really yummy!

My palette started with Matisse; Hans Hoffman was inspired by his colors and introduced them at a school he ran on Cape Cod attended by Wolf Kahn.

Wolf Kahn applied the wonderful use of color to landscape paintings and was brought to the Midwest by Rodger Bechtold, a wonderful artist I have studied with for several years.

Hence the lineage of my color choices.

My favorite piece in the exhibit was  “Still Life” after Jan de Heem's "La desserte”.

As an art student Matisse copied this painting of Heem's, and revisited the subject as an established artist in 1915 resulting in this wonderful piece.

Heem's Painting (below)

The Art Institute has Matisse's copy of Heem's work and his abstract "Still Life" hanging next to each other.