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?

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.  

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." 

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. 

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.  

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.

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. 

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