Flowers jump from vases in explosions of color.

Domestic scenes splash a profusion of hues across canvases.

Craig Britton’s latest show at Benicia Plein Air Gallery, “Florals and Domestics,” is a collection of just that: floral arrangements, scenes from the kitchen and other domestic snapshots, in ways only the long-time Crockett artist can.

“I chose to concentrate on florals because they are a perfect opportunity to go into abstraction while still being recognizable forms, which I really enjoy,” Britton said. “It’s part of where I have been going for the last three years or so.

“I’m moving in a more contemporary direction while still using realism as a starting point. It offers me an opportunity to explore more, which I find a lot of fun — an opportunity to walk over the edge.”

Britton said in his latest work he has focused on things that are in his immediate sphere. Food, for one: “Garlic is a big part of it, it’s something I use every day,” he said.

The depictions, vivid and bright, are vehicles of exploration — and humor — for the artist. “There is a painting of rubber gloves, occasionally veering into humor, because that is a part of our lives,” he said.

Britton created some smaller paintings than he normally does, and he said he delved into using a traditional approach in painting, bringing the work into a more pictorial language “as far as simplifying backgrounds and approaching them from a more graphic sensibility.”

And then there are the colors. Britton said he has put special focus on color exploration in hopes of creating a “more effective delineation of spatial issues. Colors can create a mood and a more graphic sense of space.

“To me, painting is more like composing a piece of music, or cooking, in that the objective is to have the colors react with each other to created a nuanced effect.

“Out of the tube, the paints don’t do much on their own — until you make them interact.”

If You Go
Craig Britton’s “Florals and Domestics” will be at the Benicia Plein Air Gallery through April 5. Benicia Plein Air Gallery is located at 307 First St. Hours are Thursday to Sunday, noon to 6 p.m.