Green Mangos

Yes, mango season is at its peak. Even though looking quite green, these mangos are ripe and sweet. I enjoyed the challenge in which the fruits and their stems work nicely together as a composition.

Apricots in a Jar

... and more apricots in a Mason Jar. As you probably notice, the painting surface seems different than usual. The reason is that I used a "slippery smooth" pre-gessoed press-wood panel. I had difficulty to make the oil paint stick. It seems it picked up the bristle marks of my brushes, maybe sable brushes would work better on this surface. However, I think I like the rather "scratchy" look. What do you think?

Kirbies

Happy to be back painting. Here a batch of Kirby cucumbers. The crunchy texture makes them one of my favorites and I had to paint them.

Yams

I found these beautiful tubers in an ethnic supermarket the other day. They were labeled as "Japanese Yams". Despite the outer redish color they were white on the inside. Very different from the standard American sweet potato and very fun to paint the different shades of red....

Doggy

This cutie used to be my youngest son's favorite, always watching over him when it was time to go to sleep. Recently, I have seen more and more of his stuffed animals piling up in the corner of his room. I wonder if turning 13 had anything to do with that??? Sigh... no more little-kid-stuff.... For me, painting this brought back fond memories.

Sneakers

It seems that these are currently the shoes of choice for teens here in South Florida. Reason enough to take a closer look. It was fun to do this painting, in particular seeing the warm tones of black under the spot light.

"You like Sunshine and Fresh Air"!

... is the quote of the fortune cookie from this painting... I guess it is generic enough to fit any non- night active, non-burrowing creature also known as plein-air painter ;) - This painting is from before I left for Germany, just when the Florida strawberry season came to an end.

I am back in Florida now, re-adjusting to the local time and climate which always seems to be a bit of a challenge for me. I also felt I had to do a couple of painting warm-ups over the weekend, almost as if I forgot how to paint for those couple of weeks - this sounds irrational - playing with paints, however, brought back confidence.

Sweet Tangerines

I am traveling in Germany right now, visiting family and friends. Leaving my oil painting equipment behind, I am filling in with a painting that I did just before getting ready for the trip. Coming from South Florida I am not used any more to ice, snow and cold temperatures. Sipping hot tea, sitting next to the heater is the place for me to be..... nature and people are soooo ready for spring to come!!!! 

Tomato Dinner

...and more tomatoes - still studying the color red, this time on a white table cloth with mid toned background. I can not decide which tomato painting I like better... 

Homegrown Tomatoes

As you can see, not just strawberries are in season now - these tomatoes were difficult for me to paint as the color red with all the lights, darks and reflections just seems to challenge me every time. Here they are fresh from the garden just before they turned into a delicious salsa!