How can I explain my prolonged absence from the blog without a laundry list of pitiful excuses? Is earning a living and attending to the daily ups and downs of life enough reason?
Anyway, I am back and slowly returning to the rhythm of creativity. With no formal art training, one of the hardest things for me is to practice the discipline of drawing. So during "the break" (that is what I prefer to call my absence!), I decided that I would devote much more time to drawing before putting medium to ground.
The still life that I share here was inspired by a visit to a local farmer's market. North Carolina's long growing season allows for local produce to be enjoyed well into the fall. Among the most enjoyable bits of it involve tomatoes, especially heirloom tomatoes. Grown au naturel, they have all the imperfections nature intended -- including the surprise sweet-and-sour taste of a fresh fat fruit that is far from grocery-store perfect.
I arranged the large heirloom tomato next to sundried tomato halves (NC grown, of course) lit from the side. I drew a rough sketch that I could not finish in the few minutes I had so I took a number of photographs from which I completed the sketch.
Stay tuned for the completed painting.
