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. 

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.

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.

    

547 Four Fuyus

Four Fuyus

oil on canvas

6x18"

$162

     These extreme canvases, 1:3 ratio, are really too long for good compositions but still fun to do. I like the challenge of arranging the subject, and I find that people enjoy them for just that crazy space on the wall that will not take a traditional canvas.

546 Persimmon Extreme

Persimmon Extreme

oil on canvas

18x6"

$108

     A funny thing about a persimmon tree is that all its leaves can drop and the fruit still hangs on. You see an old bare tree full of fruit. Persimmons are a good crop in California. The Fuyu, the kind shown here in my painting, is my favorite for eating because it is nice even when a little firm.  The Hachiya, the longer pointy ones are often bitter and make your mouth pucker up unpleasantly. But both can make a lovely painting. Such a color!

Persimmons on Gray

Persimmons on Gray

Oil on Canvas

6x18"

$100

     Extreme rectangles--too long to be truly pleasing to the eye, but interesting anyway, I think. Maybe it is because of that little discomfort that comes from being the wrong size.

     And gray--for a long time I stayed away from gray, thinking it was a dull, boring color. Now I love it. Now I think it is beautiful. Besides, orange persimmons are so very, very orange against a gray background.

Persimmon on Gold

Oil on Canvas

5x7"

$70

     Another orange-red globe, but this time on an analogous background, not complementary. I even tried to put orange in the green leaves. It is really, really warm. I love it. I liked the cool backgrounds, but this change feels good.

Persimmon in a Tree

Persimmon in a Tree

6x6"

Oil

$72

DPW $60

     I have had this image in my files for a long time and have tried to paint it a time or two but always ended up dismissing it. I decided to give it one more chance, and if it did not work, then I would dismiss it permanently. I guess I decided it turned out all right this time.

     You might think you could hardly go wrong with that simple lovely shape and that great color scheme straight from nature. Nevertheless, I had to try and try and try again before I gave it the OK.

Persimmon Extreme

Persimmon Extreme

18x6"

Oil

$100

DPW $90

     These extreme rectangles are fun to do. Choose to place the subject at the top, bottom, left, or right. I love choices, but not too many. I have not chosen to place the subject in the middle, but if I did, I would then have the choice of horizontal or vertical. The possibilities!

     However you place a persimmon, you will have that fabulous orange color to paint. It can go from pale yellow to deep scarlet. And then there are those goofy little petals at the stem. I find them to be a challenge, but if you get them right, that fruit is none other than a persimmon even if you paint it blue.

Sutter Persimmon

Sutter Persimmon

5x7"

Oil

$70

DPW $50

     When I find a good tree of "small scenes of nature," I usually enjoy painting two or three in a row and then feel ready to move on until another day. These persimmons are from a tree in Sutter Creek, California, another historic town in the Sierra Foothills. This time, I enjoyed trying to make the dark edge of the fruit, red, as dark as the leaf, green, so that no distinction of color shows. Then with the warm bright orange against a cool neutral negative space, I am pleased.

Persimmons

Persimmons

5x7"

Oil

$70

DPW $50

     I love the genre I call "Small scenes of nature," so I go out into the orchards and climb trees or stop alongside the groves as I travel in order to photograph the beauty. So often nature provides just the color scheme you need as well as the composition. Here we have red and green. What could be better? Of course, there should also be some controlling idea for the painting, the "big idea." Sometimes the idea is not so "big." Here it simply is the light on the main persimmon and the smallest leaf casting a little shadow. Very little "big idea" but very necessary.