Peach Still Life - Realism - Karen Winters
Peach Still Life
5 x 7 oil
Our peaches are finally ripe - time for cobbler, scones and painting still lives. The peaches in the market don’t usually have leaves attached, and I think that makes all the difference in setting up a small study. This one’s soaking wet, a little hard to photograph. If I paint it again I’ll have to pick some fresh leaves, they wilt in just a few hours.
I’ve painted blackberries, avocados, lemons, oranges, persimmons, pomegranates and various vegetables but I think this may be the first time I’ve attempted a peach. The difficulty is that the skin is very soft with a “matte” velvety finish. It needs to look rounded but without the specular highlights that suggest shininess. And there is certainly reflected color but not so much that it seems shiny, like a glossy skinned item. Tricky … but instructive. And I love a good challenge.
Karen, this is really appealing. THe dark background makes the image really stand out. Maybe I’ve just had peaches on the mind, because I got a couple from the store today.