FRESH FRUIT

I’ve just finished a new painting which I’d like to show off.  I recently purchased a graniteware colander on EBay and decided to use it as a prop for a still life.

I filled the colander with fruit and placed it on our dining room table on a sunny morning.

 I took some reference photos, made some preliminary sketches and finally settled on this composition.

 The next step was to add more detail and some shadows.

 I forgot to take pictures of the stages that brought the work to this conclusion.

 I’m pretty happy with the way it turned out.  It is available for purchase on my Etsy Shop, Watercolors by Leenie. 

I’m not through with playing with the colander and the fun shadow it casts.  Now I’m working on painting a picture of it full of eggs.  I’m finding them to be difficult subjects even though they hold very still.  Trying to make a smooth transition from shadow to highlight is really scrambling my brain.  Maybe I shouldn't put them all in one basket.