My First Persimmon

It was class number three (of four) with painter and teacher Eli Cedrone and I arrived a little late and unprepared.   I hadn't brought any objects for a still life painting.   (Now that I am older and wiser, I was not sweating it however -  I knew that between my painting bag and my car, I would be able to come up with some objects.)

Persimmon and Tomato Set Up

As it turned out, my classmate had extra fruits and vegetables, and she invited me to help myself in creating my still life.    Had it not been for her generousity, I would not have gotten a chance to study my first persimmon. 

What is a persimmon?   It's a golden yellow oval fruit with a flavorful, smooth texture.  It's a healthy delicacy native to China and is used in cookies, cakes, muffins, puddings, salads and as a topping in breakfast cereal.   At this writing, I still haven't tried one yet.

Persimmon and Tomato

I placed a persimmon and a tomato on my fabric (my sweatshirt) trying to have them overlap and throw shadows that would make a pleasing abstract pattern.

The warm orange and red of the fruit picked up lots of light and even cast light and color on each other.   Although I didn't see their colors reflected on the fabric, I pretended it did and spread some of the color into the neutral gray for more excitment.

I bought my own persimmon on the ride home and am waiting for it to ripen on the counter.    I'm hoping I like it...I'll let you know!