663 Shannon's Apples

Shannon's Apples

oil on canvas

6x18"

$243

     I cut these apples from the tree in Shannon's yard. Apples are such a common fruit, supermarkets piled high with them, but when the branch comes straight off the tree, they become special.

 

636 Persimmon Pile Up

 Persimmon Pile Up

oil on canvas

8x16"

     These are the same persimmons as in Fuyu Family, but it is not the same painting.

     I love painting little orange fruits like persimmons and oranges. Just about the time I think I have painted enough of them, another harvest comes and I must paint again. 

641 Cut Bartletts

Cut Bartletts

oil on canvas

9x12"

$238

     Paint them whole or sliced, lying down or standing up straight, with stems or without. Pears have so much to offer. Especially that pretty little star when you cut them across.

 

638 Cherry Bowl

 Cherry Bowl

oil on canvas

8x8"

$140

     This is the final painting of last summer's cherries. I painted this one on an old canvas that had been washed down so many times I did not know if paint would even stick to it. It was pretty slick. I had a little trouble with it because of that, but it turned out that the worn out old canvas was good for something after all.

639 Bartlett Pears

Bartlett Pears

12x9"

oil on canvas

$238

     Pears have been a favorite subject of mine since the very beginning of my painting endeavors. They still charm me with their shape, color, stems, variety. Actually, any painting of a pear turns out kind of good no matter who paints it.

635 Fuyu Family

 Fuyu Family

oil on canvas

6x18"

$166

     Little orange fruits! I love to paint them. I was so happy to find these at Trader Joe's all carefully packaged so that their crazy little leaves were not scrunched. Sometimes they dry out and break, ruining their perfect beauty for my painting, but not this time. Even when the leaves turn brittle, the fruit still tastes good. I like mine with a wedge of lime.

634 Cameo Crisp

Cameo Crisp

oil on canvas

8x10"

$176

     When I cut into this apple for lunch, I gasped at the beauty of the colors in its glistening cut surface. So I hurried to take some pictures before I ate it.

     It tasted pretty good. It is a Cameo Crisp (never heard of it before). Fujis are my preferred apple, but I like to try new things, and I am glad I did because it gave me a whole new painting. Thank you.

631 Spilled Cherries Closeup

Spilled Cherries Closeup

oil on canvas

12x9"

$238

     Summer fruit always yields new paintings. And then you eat.

     Fall is here. I am hoping something beautiful and delicious comes my way.

582 Fuyu Line

Fuyu Line

oil on canvas

8x24" 

$288

     This year's series of persimmons has been fun. Next week we go to the Mandarin Festival in Newcastle CA where I hope to find my favorite little oranges with stems and leaves still on. I will be needing new material for next year.

     

Persimmon Crowd

oil on canvas

6x18"

$162

     Sometimes when I paint these little orange fruits, they begin to take on personality. I think of them as individuals, people, boys and girls, friends. But at dinner time I don't think about that.

578 California Apple

California Apple

oil on canvas

12x9"

$216

     It is harvest time for apples and persimmons in Northern California, so I must hurry to get my photography done before they are all gone to market. The trees are beautiful fully laden with their fruit. I just take lots of pictures of the trees, go home, download, and look for the paintings in the trees. One tree can give me several compositions to choose from. I feel so rich.

575 Peach with Leaves

Peach with Leaves

oil on canvas

18x6"

$162

     I had toned the canvas with Venetian Red and then found the reddish peach looked pretty on it. I decided to keep the color of the toned canvas but thickened the surface with more paint. The colors worked for me and I had very little more to do. It was like the painting said, "Here, Cheryl. We are going to give this one to you."

     Thank you very much.

565 Line Up with Leaves

Line Up with Leaves

oil on canvas

8x24"

$288

    It is fun to arrange the fruit in a long line and paint them on an extreme rectangle canvas. I have enjoyed including the crease in the linen.

     

562 Mandarin Leaf Closeup

Mandarin Leaf Closeup

oil on canvas

6x6"

$75

     Sometimes if I zoom in, I find lovely new possibilities.

Mandarin Leaf

oil on canvas

9x12"

$216 

     Must paint them fast. So good to eat.

557 Mandarin Shadow

Mandarin Shadow

oil on canvas

8x10"

$160

    It is a lucky find when the fruit still has stems and leaves. I bought the whole bunch and took lots of photographs. When I saw this one, I knew I wanted to paint it right away. At first I did not notice the crease in the linen. When I did, I had to decide whether to leave it in or leave it out. I am very pleased to have left it in. Don't know much about painting drapery, but I like the way this little wrinkle turned out.

555 Sliced Boscs

Sliced Boscs

oil on canvas

8x16"

$256

     Although bosc pears look quite brownish, they sometimes also have a lovely orangey color that goes well with blue. Because orange and blue are complementary, the orange came out really, really orange, and the blue really, really blue. They could have used a little neutralizing or some split complement work. Aside from that, I love that little star shape in the center when you cut a pear crosswise.

553 Pitcher with lemons

Pitcher with Gold Trim

oil on canvas

9x12"

$216

     I wanted to paint a still life in an analogous color scheme. The yellow lemons and napkin set the stage. I got my inspiration from Janet Rickus, and I plan to borrow more from her wonderful vision. One problem I have with that is I do not have a lot of crockery. She says she borrows from friends. I may have to do that too.

552 Persimmon Scatter

Persimmon Scatter

oil on canvas

6x18"

$162

     I have always enjoyed round orange fruits for my paintings. It is perfect when they still have a leaf or two on them, but that almost never happens unless I do the picking myself. The thing about persimmons is that stem section. Only four little leaves, what could be so hard? I don't know, but it is.

548 Persimmon Lineup

Persimmon Lineup

oil on canvas

6x18"

$162

     Breaking rules again today. This time it is the "Rule of Odds." There is an even half dozen persimmons in my lineup. Maybe it would have been better with five or seven, but it is six and I do not mind. It looks OK to me.