“FOUR PERSIMMONS” (4.5 x 11.5 in.)

This painting is of two different types of persimmons…fuyu and hachiya. The fuyu is round and has a more flattened shape (the two in the middle) and can be eaten as an apple. The hachiya variety is larger and is more pointed at the bottom (this is the kind you must let fully ripen, when they turn mushy… then you can eat them) Not only did I want this image to be informative to the mind but also pleasing in a visual sense. The composition is simple…very linear. The light coming from above causes some highlights on the top of the fruit but also casts a shadow on the white surface below. The shadows are not a boring gray but contain some purples and blues. (The color of the fruit is also seen in the shadows) The visible stems and leaves add more color and give more depth to the painting. The graded wash (black to gray) in the background plays a complementary role…it is not the monotony of a single value.