Fruits and Vegetables

This weeks subject at AVA was 'Fruits and Vegetables'. It's a lovely time of year for this sort of subject as the hedgerows are still full of blackberries and elderberries and there are lots of plums and damsons and apples to be found.

I picked up a punnet of figs and a punnet of plums at the local supermarket (I should have saved a few from the bagful given to me by a kind neighbour, but they all went into making jam!) To these I added a sprig of blackberries from the hedge outside the hall where we paint and a reddish apple and thought this might make  a good still life arrangement with a lovely copper jug and a bunch of small sunflowers.

I did the drawing first and then painted the individual items and finally added the background. As usual, the final addition of the shadows had me worried and I still do not think they are right, but I am always so afraid to spoil the painting at this stage, and I never really know what colours to choose. One day I will read somewhere an artists simple tip on how to make the shadows really work and I will wonder why I found it so difficult!!

                                                 'September Fruits'   46 cms x 32 cms
                                       Fabriano Artistico 300gms Rough Extra White paper.