Lemons, lemons, lemons...one of my favorite fruits to paint (along with pears and green apples if I want to be completely honest). If you're one of my painting buddies you know lemons show up in my work every now and again...this is one of those times. I did a commission piece for my wonderful client roughly seven years ago...and she, like many of us, wanted to change things up a bit. So she dropped the painting off at my home studio with a few instructions...lighten it up and keep the lemons!

You can see the progression from the original on the left, to the second stop in the middle but not quite there yet...to the final stop on the right with a little more of a sophisticated setting for these tumbling lemons. I love the simplicity in the design...the texture from layers of paint and gesso, neutral colors let the lemon yellow speak up, with my favorite Stabilo lines for movement...and gold leaf for a touch of bling! I am complete!

I used oil pastels to bring the lemons to life and make them a little more three dimensional. It's kind of like coloring with crayons and pastels offer up a different texture to the painting, which I love! Of course I posted a video last week on my YouTube channel of painting these little lemons...happy to share that with you if you hit the link below, it will take you there.

 When Life Gives You Lemons...grab your oil pastels and paint them!