Farmer's Market Figs

Figs are irresistible for painters. The subtle ribbing is a wonderful challenge to render. And the color is so rich. I couldn't wait to capture the blue/grey of the fig on the right. It has that powdery coating like a blueberry when it's at the untouched-and-dusty stage of ripening.

Painting in oils, you're supposed to get in the darks first - it's much harder to darken light colors. But I was anxious to find that dusty color so I tried starting with the lighter tones.

Live and learn. The initial light blue was not nearly dusty enough (too bright, too dark, too colorful). It needed neutrals and deeper tones for comparison.

 

These figs are sitting on a satiny silver surface. Starting with the neutral grey of the metal, probably would have helped. However muted, they will look more colorful against grey - it's all relative!

Here's the "final" version of "Standing Figs." I might tweak a bit later when it's dry, but I'm pretty happy as it is right now.

"Standing Figs" ©2013 Dorothy Lorenze