red tomato Archives - DONNA GRANDIN

Tomato still-life 2, 6"x6", acrylic on canvas, © 2014 Donna Grandin. $100. — Tomato still-life 2, 6″x6″, acrylic on canvas, © 2014 Donna Grandin. $100.

Last night I sliced the tomato from the previous painting, and painted this composition. What do you think of fruit & vegetables as subject matter? I’d like to try citrus next. I had a couple more tomatoes in the fridge … but they seem to have disappeared!

One week of the 30 paintings in 30 days challenge down, and three more to go – I am so happy to be back to painting every day. When I am in between projects my to-do list grows into this big monster, EVERYTHING seems important! A regular painting routine gives focus to my hectic day, helps me put things into perspective, and keeps me (and by extension my family) sane.

Can you relate to this – do you have a creative practice? Or does regular exercise do it for you?

I think gardening and cooking are also great activities for connecting to your inner self, there is a certain amount of repetition which is necessary for getting into that spiritual zone.

Contemplating art can also focus your thoughts, and serve as a reminder of what is important to you. Is it creating delicious, meals, and entertaining your friends and family? Do you grow your own food, or shop at Farmer’s Markets to ensure a supply of healthy ingredients?

I think paintings of fruits and vegetables are appealing because they celebrate both Nature’s bounty, and the comforts of domestic life.

Tomato still-life, 6"x6", acrylic on canvas, © 2014 Donna Grandin. $100. — Tomato still-life, 6″x6″, acrylic on canvas, © 2014 Donna Grandin. $100.

Looking through my digital photographs last night, I could not settle on something to paint. I wanted to do something simple and fast because I was starting late, and the images that were appealing to me were detailed, more appropriate for larger canvases. So I decided to grab something from the kitchen, to try painting a still-life arrangement from life.

The longer I painted, the more I saw to paint. The thing about realism is that it is seductive. I did not plan on doing a realistic painting, but it is such a thrill to add a highlight or a shadow and see the image in front of you appear to have volume, it’s like a magic trick. And the longer you look, and paint, the more realistic the painting becomes.

I will have to make a conscious effort to avoid this tendency if I want to do more semi-abstract art. Some artists put away the paintbrushes to achieve this … working with a palette knife, or another medium.

You’ll just have to wait to see what happens next. I am really liking the idea of working in multiples of 3’s for the rest of the challenge. So, I could do 2 more tomato paintings.

DONNA GRANDIN

Tag Archives: red tomato

Tomato Still-life 2 – 30 paintings in 30 days, #7

Tomato still-life – 30 paintings in 30 days, #6

BLUE ROOTS ART STUDIO – acrylic paintings of Caribbean & Canadian landscape, flowers & foliage. Burlington, ON, Canada. 905-639-3419