Apricots and Peaches painting by Enzie Shahmiri
Apricots and Peaches
Oil on Canvas
18 x 14 inches
I am very excited with the outcome of this painting and just love the rich colors of the peaches against the more pale apricots. Once it is entirely dry a protective coating will be added and the colors will just start to glow. I really wish you could see it up close the photos don't show the amount of glazes this painting received. Anyhow, here are some close-up shots...
The jumble of curves on this pattern just about drove me crazy at points, but I really wanted to see if I could pull off a busy pattern and yet have it convincingly wrap around that bowl. Note that n the lighter areas the color values become closer and more muted in comparison to the dark area where everything is kept in sharp focus.
My husband asked me why I showed the pit. I wanted to break up the the shapes of the fruits and figured that sometimes as fruit gets too ripe it pops open. All a part of the natural cycle of growth and decay.
Update:
I love to hide hidden messages through carefully planned elements in my paintings. Before you read on - can you guess it's meaning?
Persian Bowl:
In Iran metalwork has always been held in high regard and many examples of beautiful crafted objects can be found in museum collections world wide. Metal gives the assurance of permanence in a world that continuously faces upheavals and destruction. I have chosen this orante metal bowl as a symbolic counter balance to the fruit which symbolizes the cycle of life.
Apricots are considered a stone fruit (because of their stone like pit) and have been cultivated in Iran since antiquity. Although the appearance of an apricot is small and gets easily bruised, it has been around for a very long time.
The peach symbolizes virtue and honor.
Apricots and Peaches symbolizes the virtue and honor of the Persian people through time. Although today's Iranians are scattered throughout the world (note the non- descriptive contemporary backdrop), they are a resilient culture who take pride in their nationality, morals and honor. Regardless where they might find themselves, they share their culture and customs and are proud to be Iranian.
Painting Tips:
1. Lighten or darken a color by using another lighter or darker color of the same family. I am using Cad. Yellow Deep and lighten with Hansa Yellow Light. To adjust chrome mix in grey values.
2. Avoid using white or very deep values such as black until later in the painting. I consider value 0 and value 10 my punch up colors.
After staring at a blank canvas for quiet some time now, I have finally put together a new composition. The bowl is a Persian antique bowl which will be filled with golden apricots.
Here you can see the 1st layer of the ink drawing beneath a light wash. Then I applied a soft blue-grey and am starting to make my way through the maze of this intricate pattern.
