I have already talked about how much I love painting cherry stems (and cherries in general) - but have I mentioned that there is something almost as cool as cherry stems?  Tomatoes on the vine!  The vine has the same crooked linear shapes that the cherry stems provide - and the tomatoes offer a rich reddish orange color with soft highlights.  They are enjoyable to paint, but I do find the color of the tomato a little more difficult to nail than the color of a cherry.  I guess that is what practice is for!  

Tell me what you think!

I have been having some recent success selling paintings of cherries.  I don't know why, but they are very popular right now.  I don't like to paint only because something will sell - I am not a commercial artist, but lucky for me, I LOVE painting cherries.  The glossy surface, the range of reds to purple and of course the funky crooked stems all make for a great time spent in the studio.  

To the right you can see the sketch phase and the finished product of this latest cherry painting.  What do you think?

So, this has been a hard few weeks for some really close friends of mine.  Our friend, Trae unfortunately succumbed to the disease that he has been fighting for some time.  It is so difficult to reconcile the passing of a friend that is only 41.  Trae lived life in the good lane, pulling all those who knew him along in his positive 'draft'.  He will be missed greatly.  

I created this bow tie painting as a way to honor Trae (he was often seen dressed very dapper, with a well tied bow tie).  I auctioned this off as a way to raise money for any expenses his wife might incur.  I am pleased that the painting earned a very good number, and that a second person has approached me to create another bow tie painting (with their matching donation to his wife).

Is this the real life?
Is this just fantasy?
Caught in a landslide,
No escape from reality.