Spilled Peaches

What is happening to me with this crazy palette knife craze?

Perhaps I'm just in a style phase and it will pass.  

I hope not, because I love it.

What would Thomas Decker think? Would he be horrified? 

I hope not.

Basket of Peaches, oil on canvas, c. 1885, Joseph Decker

I can't fully explain why, but of all the wonderful and amazing works of art in Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art here in Northwest Arkansas, it's my favorite painting.

I suppose it's because there's an elegant simplicity about it.

Whenever we visit other museums, I always look to see if one of his paintings is there.

I used it as inspiration and set up my own basket of peaches still life.

I painted these versions in 2012 and 2020.

ME: (after opening my file of still life images for peaches) Hon, which one should I use?

RON: They all look the same.

ME: No! Look they have different backgrounds and different arrangements.

RON: Ok. The red one.

ME: Which red one? Red on the table? Or red on the background.

RON: Um, the  first one.

ME: But, it doesn't have very good shadow in the background.

RON: Then the next one.

ME: Well, it only has two peaches in front.  Don't you like three better?

RON: Sure.

ME: What color of background then?

RON: Why do you ask me this?

Ha ha... Good question. Why do I ask him?

The reason I revisited my Peach Still Life Folder? My Weekly-ish painting challenge was "Just Peachy." 

Original Oil Painting on 11"x 14" Wrapped Canvas

Click Spilled Peaches if you'd like to purchase this painting.

Just Peachy

Do they look good enough to eat?

They are... they were!

I hope this is the first in series of peachy still lifes.  

I've written about and often painted about our family garden.  Gardening is one thing my family knows and lives in the summer.  And, this year has provided a bountiful harvest that just keeps coming. 

Spring came early with no late freeze, so every branch on the peach trees was loaded.  What fun to fill a 5 gallon bucket of gorgeous, perfect peaches within 10 minutes!  
(FYI - that's my dad.)

Next comes the washing... sorry, but organic isn't a word that can be used to describe our garden... we have to wash off the same stuff that keeps the bugs off and the worms out.
Then comes the peeling, sprinkling with Fruit Fresh, and freezing.  Peel... peel... cut... cut... take a bite... peel... peel... cut... cut... take a bite...

Oh, but there was another step this year.  Set up some still life pictures to capture these peaches!  I'm fortunate to live in Northwest Arkansas were we have the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art.  Of all the famous, beautiful, huge, priceless paintings there, my favorite is one called "Basket of Peaches" done by Joseph Decker in 1885.  It's fairly small and not showy.  The first time I saw it, I knew I wanted to do my own basket of peaches.  I like to imagine that not long after the Civil War, Mr. Decker saw the knocked over basket, stopped whatever important job he was doing and captured that simple image.  I realize that his is worth about a million dollars more than mine... but I love them both!

"Basket of Peaches"

Thomas Decker 1885

Visit a lovely, yummy Etsy treasury (collection of related art pieces and vintage items) celebrating Peach Harvest.

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