Katie Trinkle Legge

Pears, plums, pomegranates, apples, lemons. It makes perfect sense that

PHOTO BY PETER B. BRACE Katie Trinkle Legge artist Katie Trinkle Legge, whose work is synonymous with still lifes, finds inspiration in the produce aisles of Stop and Shop.

"It's true," she said, taking a break in her bright, comfortable studio from painting a series of small still lifes for an upcoming show at the Artists Association of Nantucket.

"I do pick my pears. I pick my fruit. And also, the light on Nantucket this time of year is phenomenal. Even though I'm not necessarily outside painting in the field, the light does inspire me. It comes through my windows, and often times, what is on my kitchen table becomes a painting," said Legge.

Legge was born in New York City, but raised in many places because her father was a career Army man. He loved to paint, but found it hard to find spare moments to create.

When Legge was nine, her father bequeathed his wooden box of oils to her after carrying it from town to town as the family moved. She had been drawing since the age of seven, but when she was given the box, which she still has, she took weekend art lessons at the Bethlehem Art Gallery in Hudson Valley. Later, she enjoyed her high school art classes and went on to study at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia.

PHOTOS COURTESY OF KATIE TRINKLE LEGGE "Red Pears" "My grandfather was an architect, so there were drawing lessons whether I wanted them or not," she recalled of visiting him on Nantucket in the summers.

Legge moved here semi-permanently in 1989. That was when she met her husband, Darren. After the couple married in 1991 they settled here, much to Legge's delight.

"I always thought I had to live in a city because that's what artists were supposed to do, but I couldn't take it," she said.

Her first work produced on the island were "tidy watercolors" that captured the admiration of gallery own- ers. She painted in that vein for a full decade before recognizing that she needed to take a looser approach to her art, to create larger canvases, and also because her back hurt from bending over to do the watercolors.

"Near Cornwall" Legge switched to using oils; however, she continued to focus mainly on painting still lifes. Over time she has also painted landscapes, and within the last three years, she has introduced animals, primarily sheep, and even dog portraits, to her chosen subjects.

"The sheep are the alter ego of the still lifes because they don't sit still. I tried some landscapes this year and especially enjoyed the small ones done in Polpis where I found a lot of color. I come back to still lifes because it's a comfort zone for me," explained Legge. "They are pleasing to do and I like to do them, so it will always be there."

Legge said she lives in the moment when she is painting, so though she likes to explore different mediums, including pottery and printmaking, she does not think ahead about what she might want to paint in the future.

"I like to think I'm pushing the boundaries of still lifes in color choices, composition and scale. I really love doing the big ones. To me, there is something when there is a big plum — sometimes they're funny," she said, adding that, in her view, one of the most important things about being an artist is to continually challenge your talent.

"Near Keri" "I think if you ever think you've reached it, you don't keep experimenting and taking risks. If you stick to a formula, it's deadly," she said.

Besides exhibits at the Artists Association and Old Spouter Gallery and having paintings for sale at Nantucket Looms, Legge's work is shown at the Left Bank Gallery in Wellfleet, Mass. I