Heirloom Tomato #10, 8 x 8 inches

Heirloom Tomato #10

This is another view of an heirloom tomato from my garden.

When painting tomatoes I am always drawn in by the geometric shapes of the stems and how the color of the flesh is not a uniform red. To me, painting a dark local value object, like a red tomato, can be a fun experiment in trying to express a three dimensional form convincingly. I cannot go too light in color or else I will end up with a pink tomato, or if I hold too much to the dark red of the flesh, my red tomato will look particularly flat.

Its a fine line between each value shift, and when painting tomatoes, it is important to really pay attention to those subtle shifts in value. So when painting, I slow down and really try to pay attention to what is in front of me, which in turn really makes me appreciate the moment.