Queen Anne Cherries

Original Sold

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I love stone fruit growing from trees – as painting subject matter, it provides me with delight and enchantment. I’d already painted peaches and apricots. Next, I was on the hunt for some cherries on the tree to paint.

It was June 2008 when my friend Brenda called to tell me that people were flocking to the self-pick orchards in Brentwood near where she lived. They were quickly stripping the cherry trees, so if I wanted some pictures of cherries, I’d better get out there quick, she told me.

Life is always so full. The thought of dropping everything and driving an hour and a half each way in who-knows-what kind of traffic, to take photos of cherries made me nuts.

That very evening, as Joe and I walked to the store in town, my eye was caught by color off to the left. I looked over to Jen’s yard, the source of several previous paintings, including the persimmon tree and some Graham Thomas roses that became Blossoming Hope.

The tree RIGHT NEXT to the persimmon tree is a Queen Anne cherry tree, and it was full of shiny red and yellow fruit. Next to that is a Bing cherry tree. Bounty right here in our neighborhood. A walk down to a garden fewer than ten houses away gave me all I the cherries I could ever paint.

This is such a message that life really can be simple and easy – and full of delightful surprises.

Shiny cherries posed the painting challenge on this one. It’s tricky to shift color and keep the surface appearing smooth and continuous. The blues and purples I used in the peach tree leaves in Tropical Peaches gave me the permission to paint blue leaves in this painting too. I love how all the colors came through so bright and clear.

April 2009 – 22″x30″ – Watercolor on paper