.

   A collector at the Main St. Ft. Worth show, proposed this concept to me. It took a few months before I finally had time to tackle it, but I couldn't wait to get started. I started with the red apple. In fact, HERE is a link to a series of photos showing the progress of this piece. Each fruit posed it's own challenges. The apples with their vibrant color, had their glass-like shiny surfaces. These both took numerous layers of their respective colors to get that rich saturation into them. The peach has little specularity, but a whole buffet of color. I was amazed at how many different tones of yellow and orange and red streaked throughout the skin of this fruit. THAT was fun! Then there was the pear, which rested somewhere between the peach and the apples in terms of shininess, and in fact when very closely examined, displayed an almost leathery texture on the skin.  This one again, reflected way more colors than one might imagine. On each one, I went with stark, dramatic, yet simple lighting to create a distinct line between illumination and shadow. And I love the reflections of the wood surface on the underside of each piece!