Monday, December 30, 2013

SweeTango


SweeTango

6" x 6"

watercolor on paper

"SweeTango" is a portmanteau of the two adjectives used to describe its flavor: sweet and tangy.  Very clever, guys. At #29, SweeTango marks the penultimate painting in the apple-a-day series. This apple cultivar was only created in 2009, making it the youngest variety I've painted. The marketers of this apple are hoping it will be the next Honeycrisp, the popularity of which I can attest to as it was easily the most commonly noted favorite amongst those I've discussed this project with.  Good luck to you SweeTango. I think your name is a little too twee for the mass market, but what do I know?


Sunday, December 29, 2013

Ambrosia


Ambrosia

6" x 6"

watercolor on paper

Watercolor is a tempestuous beast of a medium. When I was growing up, my mother had a technique book she referenced from time to time called "Watercolor Free & Easy."  It's true that in many aspects of watercolor painting it does help to have a relaxed approach (laying down the sky in a landscape for instance), but the idea that one must be in a perpetually mellow state to come up with anything successful is actually a stress inducing concept to me.  I like to think I spend the vast majority of my life feeling free and easy, but I assure you this is not my reality.  Something to aim for, yes, but in the day to day tumult of life it's not always possible.

Watercolors can go from beautiful to dreadful in only a few brushstrokes which is why by the time you realize you might be onto something worthwhile, you may have nearly lost it.  Sometimes you can correct for minor mistakes, but for the most part you have to live with what you've done.  Learn to appreciate it or move on to the next painting.  


It's this mind game that keeps me coming back to watercolor.  It is difficult, yes, and I always say that for every good painting I have a stack of ten bad ones (which is true).  But, that's life, isn't it? Some days are just going to be shit.  Some days you'll be brilliant. 

I don't love this Ambrosia apple painting. I did at one time in it's process, but I think one of the major points in taking this project on (painting an apple a day) is to accept imperfection and keep going, to remind myself to be "free and easy" about it.  Apples can still be delicious, even with their spots.  

Saturday, December 28, 2013

Junami


Junami

6.5" x 6.5"

watercolor on paper 

It's impossible for me to refer to this Switzerland born apple by its actual name. I read the sticker and my brain only sees:  "Jumanji." 

Friday, December 27, 2013

Jazz


Jazz

7" x 8" 

watercolor on paper


The Jazz varietal is a cross between Gala and Braeburn. For the sake of accuracy, I should divulge that Jazz apples tend to be more uniformly red, but I sought out a particularly yellow-green specimen to better diversify the colors in this series of thirty apples. 


Thursday, December 26, 2013

Sonya


Sonya

6.5" x 6.5"

watercolor on paper


When I began this project of painting an apple each day for thirty days, I wasn't sure if I'd be able to get my hands on enough varieties of apples without having to repeat some.  I'm here to report that there is no shortage of apples types!  I'm continually amazed by how many different apples are out there and how they are being marketed.  The Sonya apple comes from New Zealand and is a cross between Gala and Red Delicious.  It has the narrow base that is common to both those varieties, but its flavor and texture are distinct.  

In my selection of which pieces of fruit I choose to paint, I try to find ones that are the most emblematic of their type.  I want to paint the greenest Granny Smith or the tallest and most angular Red Delicious I can find.  This leads to a lot of time spent comparing pieces of fruit at the grocery store and farmer's market and, consequently, a lot of strange looks from people.  



Monday, December 23, 2013

Pacific Rose


Pacific Rose

6" x 6"

watercolor on paper


This apple is dedicated to all my Pacific Roses on the West Coast. You know who you are.

Sunday, December 22, 2013

Envy


Envy

6" x 6"

watercolor on paper

An inevitable name for an apple variety. The Envy cultivar is a mix of Gala and Braeburn, and was conceived in New Zealand, along with the Pacific Rose in my next post. 


$95.00
Please allow 1-2 weeks for delivery.

Saturday, December 21, 2013

Jonagold


Jonagold

5" x 5"

watercolor on paper

I have yet to find a Jonagold specimen that is particularly noteworthy or beautiful.  As this project winds down though I feel the need to document everything I can get my hands on.  I may have taken some artistic liberties with this one in my attempt to give its appearance some much needed pizzazz.  

$95.00
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Friday, December 20, 2013

Golden Delicious


Golden Delicious 

5" x 5"

watercolor on paper

This Golden Delicious specimen is typical of many of the apples found at the farmer's market in that it's a bit pale and smaller in stature than its heroically large and waxed-shining super market counterpart.  Still beautiful, and with its leaf intact, a rare bonus.


$95.00
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Thursday, December 19, 2013

Opal


Opal 

6" x 7"

watercolor on paper

This apple was so beautiful I felt the need to paint it twice to try and capture some of its fire.  I painted this while listening to Julee Cruse's Floating Into the Night album and I think the ethereal nature of her voice was the perfect soundtrack for painting such an enchanting specimen. I'm happy with both versions.  (see the previous post for my first rendition)

$95.00
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Opal (second version)


Opal 

6.5" x 6.5"

watercolor on paper

Opal is a cross between Golden Delicious and Topaz varieties.  It comes from the Czech Republic and is really delicious. 

$95.00
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Tuesday, December 17, 2013

Esopus Spitzenberg


Esopus Spitzenberg

6" x 6"

watercolor on paper


I did several double takes when I read this name for the first time.  Esopus Spitzenberg is an antique apple variety that was supposedly a favorite of Thomas Jefferson.  The more literate visitors of this blog may appreciate that the E.S. apple is mentioned in Herman Melville's Bartleby, the Scrivener --

....“Copying law-papers being proverbially a dry, husky sort of business, my two scriveners were fain to moisten their mouths very often with Spitzenburgs, to be had at the numerous stalls nigh the Custom House and Post office.”
$95.00
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Monday, December 16, 2013

Mutsu


Mutsu 

7" x 7"

watercolor on paper

This descendent of Golden Delicious was developed in the Mutsu Province of Japan in the 1930's.  Sometime later it was rechristened "Crispin," but now it's marketed under both names.  I think Mutsu has a better ring to it.  Crispin sounds too much like Pippin (another variety) which will presumably show up on this blog one of these days...

$95.00
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Sunday, December 15, 2013

Piñata


Piñata 

6" x 6"

watercolor on paper

After smashing this open with a baseball bat I can report:
NO CANDY INSIDE.


$95.00 
Please allow 1-2 weeks for delivery.
 

Saturday, December 14, 2013

Golden Supreme


Golden Supreme

6.5" x 6.5" 

watercolor on paper


I picked out this apple for its heart-shaped blush.



SOLD

Friday, December 13, 2013

Pink Lady


Pink Lady

5.5" x 5.5" 

watercolor on paper

Through the course of this project I've learned that the same apple cultivars can look drastically different when sourced at the grocery store vs. the farmer's market.  This Pink Lady apple I found at the Union Square Green Market was the most beautiful, all-over nail polish pink.  All of the ones I've seen at the grocery store are a more striated pink and green and much larger.  This one was small and delicate - perfectly pink. 
 
SOLD


Wednesday, December 11, 2013

Red Delicious


Red Delicious

6.5" x 6.5" 

watercolor on paper


On every Christmas morning of my childhood I would wake up to find that Santa had left me a stocking full of treats, and without fail there would be an enormous orange and an equally giant Red Delicious apple at the bottom of that stocking.  I have to believe the Red Delicious was chosen for its stocking filling potential rather than its taste or texture.  I know it must be someones favorite, but it isn't mine.  For reasons of nostalgia though, they'll always hold a place in my heart.

SOLD

Monday, December 9, 2013

Granny Smith


Granny Smith

7" x 7"

watercolor on paper


The green apple.  

I've been sick the last few days and I'm just now starting to feel better. Maybe if I'd been eating these apples every day rather than painting them I wouldn't have found myself in this condition.

SOLD

Friday, December 6, 2013

Gala

Gala 

6" x 6"

watercolor on paper

Fittingly enough, I threw a party on the day I painted this.

$95.00 
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Wednesday, December 4, 2013

Braeburn


Braeburn 

5" x 5"

watercolor on paper

I love the the orange markings of this apple against it's yellow-green skin.


$95.00 
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Tuesday, December 3, 2013

Rome

Rome

7" x 7"

watercolor on paper

I once forgot three of these apples in the scarcely opened fruit bin of my college fridge.  To my surprise six months later they were still good!  It's worth noting, however, that my criteria for what passed as "good" food may have been a bit more relaxed in those days...

SOLD

Monday, December 2, 2013

Apples for Sale (not by the lb)



I'm happy to announce that my Apple-a-Day paintings are now available for purchase through this blog.  Look for the "click here to purchase" button on each blog post.  Order today (Monday 12/2/13) and receive free shipping. 

These original works of art make a great gift for the teacher, doctor, New Yorker, Adam-and-Eve enthusiast, or small-batch cider brewer in your life.  For that matter, they would be perfect for anyone with an appreciation for art or nature. 

Paintings are beautifully and carefully packaged and shipped to your door. 

Support the arts, buy local, buy American.

Sunday, December 1, 2013

McIntosh


McIntosh

6" x 6"

original watercolor on paper

I've eaten this apple more than any other in my life, but until today I thought it was spelled "Macintosh." 

SOLD