Farm Fresh Strawberries

"Red & Ripe"  18" x 18" $850 Framed

There is nothing like the taste of real fresh strawberries, picked red and ripe and sweet! They hardly resemble the grocery store variety. And there's that lovely fresh strawberry smell....I just can't wait for things to begin growing again and the fresh berries to arrive at the local farmer's markets! 

This larger-than-life painting was great fun, though it took me wayyyy longer than I expected. Each strawberry is a simple shape but contains so much intricate detail, with the rows of seeds and juicy highlights. I used quite a lot of masking fluid to preserve the seeds and the highlights, but then each tiny shape had to be softened and refined once the masking was removed. I enjoyed mixing all those rich reds and pushing the intensity of the color.

This painting will be on display beginning Friday, March 21 at Sky River Mead in Woodinville, Washington as part of an exhibit of my watercolors. Please join me for the art show reception at Sky River Mead on Thursday, April 3 from 4-8pm! 

"Red and Ripe" detail