Quinces (31 cms x 22 cms mixed media 2015)
We’ve harvested the first quinces from the tree we planted when we moved house a couple of years ago. They’re beautiful, like fairy-tale pears: great golden Maurice Sendak fruits that look like they might make the woodcutter’s daughter fall asleep for half a century after one bite. But too perfect to draw.
So when my beloved told me that she’d seen a boxful outside a cottage for passers-by to help themselves, it was worth the drive of some miles into the countryside to investigate.
They were splendid: misshapen, bruised, speckled, downy, knotty things, like angry little fists. I’m sure they’ll make wonderful quince jelly later this week, but in the meantime they’ve been willing models for a series of drawings.
Quinces on a hand-made plate (32 cms x 24 cms pastel on Hahnemuehle Velour paper 2015)
The sheet of twelve started off as a sort of morning pages exercise, but I decided to ink over the original pencil sketches and paint them with watercolour and watercolour pencils. The plate of three on Hahnemuehle Velour (above) was more challenging for me, being unused to the intriguingly soft texture of this paper.
Quinces on a hand-made plate 2 (30 cms x 23 cms pastel on watercolour paper 2015)
So I did a third on watercolour paper. This is probably enough quince drawings for one day, but I would just like to try one more after supper…
PS I was thinking of calling this post ‘An artist formally knows his quince’ but happily for all concerned decided against it.
Love these drawings. I can feel the texture of that fruit…
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Thanks Sheen a!
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Wonderful, Michael
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Much appreciated, Sarah.
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Hi Michael, each rendering gives the Quince a proper appreciation. Thank you for sharing your creative narrative and beautiful art work.
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Many thanks, Sharon.
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This was such a pleasure to read.
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And to write – many thanks.
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Great stuff Michael – each one fresh, and very enjoyable description. Love the likening to an angry fist, it’s spot on; the renderings carry suitable punch for such observation!
(The ditched title is also *marvellous*.)
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Thanks, Jacob – on all counts!
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All drawings worthy of limited edition prints in my view. They are lovely.
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Charlotte, thank you for your kind support.
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I have a friend in Nova Scotia who always posts about making quince jelly; between your paintings and her jelly photos, I am wanting to plant some on our property! So sunny and gorgeous!
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Do plant quinces, they are so lovely.
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I just want to eat quince jelly while admiring your paintings…I don’t actually want to do any work myself! 😀
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Hee Hee, why not?
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These are beautiful. Clear, bright, simple, but not simple. I like the different aspects of quince personality each paper/medium reveals.
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Thank you, Claudia, it felt exactly like that.
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hahaha, lovely quinces, great Prince pun 😀
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Thanks, Rosie!
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These are so good, I especially love the sultry plate of three on the velour with the darker ground, but I also love the first one; the illustration style is lovely. We have a quince tree in our garden, which is also dropping fruit right now, and they are proper knarly and as hard as walnuts. Personally I’d have gone with the pun 🙂 Lovely work.
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Many thanks for your comments. Glad you liked the pun – in the end I chickened out just before I pressed publish!
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Feel the fear and do it anyway
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Hee Hee!
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I loved the colors and style. Sort of reminds me of a laid back autumn harvest on the country side, perhaps, a nice large farm house with brilliant lighting.
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The quinces are luminous! Wonderful!
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They smell so exotic too! Lovely studies
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You have a really appealing style that’s easy to appreciate. I also find your writing quite enjoyable to read as well, and I’ll look forward to seeing more from you in the future!
Cheers.
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Many thanks, Marick, kind of you to say so.
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