Still Lifes--Two Pears and an Orange

Two Pears and an Orange.  Watercolor.
Just smaller than 9 x 12 inches.

I had to take a little break.  After finishing 30 paintings in 30 days (ok, for me it was 24 paintings in 30 days, but still a super productive month) I had to get ready for a show, and then I was so tired, I just needed to breathe for a minute.

And, when I was thinking about what I want to do next, I was thinking about how I'd like to improve the way I see the world.  (Hopefully, kind of optimistically, but technically, I think I'm cynical.) And, what better way to practice my alla prima technique than some still lifes.   Normally, I look, and then don't look again.  This time, I set up a still life, and then tried to stay reasonably tied to what I'd set up.  It's an interesting exercise.

That silver container in the background is for compost (don't laugh), and it's intended just to serve as a guide for some kind of....background.   I don't think I took my photo from the same angle I was painting, but you get the idea.

You can see an earlier iteration of this painting on instagram (I'm @a.bryce there).  Then I went back and corrected some edges and values for the cohesiveness of the painting.....I have no idea what I'm talking about, but it sounds good, yes?

ultramarine blue, permanent yellow deep, and azo nickel yellow on kilamanjaro cold press 300 lb paper.