One cut in half

Strawberries are in season!  Actually, they pretty much stay in the grocery stores year round now, but they definitely are tasting better than in the middle of winter.  Anyway, I have had this canvas sitting around my studio for awhile that is 4"x12".  It is an odd dimension, and I didn't know what to paint on it.  I thought, maybe a line of strawberries.  Here is the result! Strawberries are a challenge.  That red is kind of orange, and kind of purple in the shadows.  And the question arises, do you paint all the seeds?  Or do you just imply them?  I opted for the latter!

One Cut in Half, 4" x 12", oil on canvas

Sweet and Sour

Still lifes present unique challenges.  The initial challenge being what do you put into the still life?  I am forever pondering this and often the things I put in are a combination of things I find interesting aesthetically and things that need to be there for the composition to work.  This particular still life includes two pitchers that I found at the Good will and I liked their profiles.  Marbles are just fun to paint.  Jelly beans and the lemon?   Color, baby!  I am still learning the intricacies of painting white.  Not as straight forward as you may think, as white objects, especially shiny ones, reflect the color that surrounds them.  Lots of looking!

Sweet and Sour, 12" x 12", Oil on canvas

Orange slices on summer

There are so many great artists out there painting oranges..... (seriously, just google paintings of oranges...)  so I decided I needed to give them a shot.   Believe it or not, orange is a tough color to paint and maintain it's vibrancy.  And, when you have orange slices strongly lit, there is this gem like glow that happens that is fun to try to capture.  Definitely a subject matter I will return to.  The plate reminds me of summer with its bold colors and fresh flowers... Hence the title, Oranges slices on Summer.

Orange slices on Summer, 6" x 6", oil on canvas

More little paintings of fruit

I completed these two paintings this week to continue with the small paintings of fruit theme.  Lemons are just as nice to paint as pears and I think they look pleasing together...

Pear and Lemon on stripes, acrylic on canvas, 6" x 6", 2012

Lemon and Pear, acrylic on canvas, 8" x 10", 2012