Tuesday 12 February 2013

Lemons, Lemons and More Lemons





It's that time of year again when lemons and oranges line my dusty lane, so of course I had to paint some.




This was my first rough sketch, then I went on to paint some more in the evening.  
At first I thought the elecric light was changing the lemons to a warmer colour.





But then I realised the second lot of lemons that I'd cut up were actually a different colour and their skins were thinner.   Sometimes  we get a cross between oranges and lemons when the trees grow wild and unattended and I think that had happened in this case.







18 comments:

Unknown said...

Top is my favorite there is something about that style that makes me think of the taste of the juice

Laura said...

What lovely lot of lemons. Fresh and citrusy.

Jane said...

Lemon picture no 1 is my favourite too, though no 2 runs it a close second, and they are all really vivid. No 1 is so alive my juices are literally running, thinking about the taste of those zingy lemons! Cathy you are a wizard with a paintbrush.

Cathy Holtom said...

Thank you Jane, the first is my favourite too.

Made.by.Fay said...

Beautiful~ lemons that look fresh and juicy. And I love yellow. I've been eating something from every color of the rainbow every day. I have not eaten a lemon for Yellow yet. :)
Thanks for sharing.

Blessings,
Fay

Rebecca Stahr said...

Gorgeous color! The loose wetness is perfect. I love them!

Dan Kent said...

Really nice - what a study! Nicely done. I can smell the fresh scent of your studio from here.

Melliott said...

Or, you just got "young" lemons and "old" lemons. My tree has a few left over from last year alongside the brand-new ones, and the old ones look more like oranges. They do turn darker as they age.

Nice paintings! Love the runs and the splatter.

debra morris said...

Lovely Cathy great looseness and citrusy colours

Unknown said...

Your lemon paintings are wonderful! Do you have alot of citrus trees? I have only one.

Cathy Holtom said...

Thanks Barbara, oranges, lemons and olives are all grown in the area where I live, I am surrounded by them!

Unknown said...

You are a lemon expert, I can tell. I wouldn't know if the skin was any different from one to the next. But that's interesting that you are able to also paint them either warmer or cooler. I admire how you do that, especially on the last painting, with the lemon in the middle... you do such an amazing job with the shadows and highlights.

martinepittet said...

Wonderful juicy series ! Each one has a particular and original quality ... so I love them all, and I can just imagine the sight and the smell of these lemon trees ! Thanks for brightening another dull, cold and rainy day !

Unknown said...

These are beautiful paintings, love the colours you have captured and the juiciness.

I also like your rooftops a couple of posts ago (sorry I'm behind on visiting)

fados do lar said...

awesome lemons :D
great job!

Alex said...

These are awesome! I could taste the sourness in my mouth just by looking at them >.<

Claire M said...

Wow - I just stumbled on your blog and I must say that I'm quite smitten with your work. These lemons really caught my attention - I have a Meyer lemon tree in the backyard that is just overloaded with lemons. I'd love to paint some in a similar style but I'm puzzled as to how you've painted these. Is it a mix of wet in dry and wet on wet? Do you start with just wet paper and no color? Any hints?

Cathy Holtom said...

Clare - I painted each one slightly different but in general I paint wet on dry, letting the paint run & mingle.