Citrus fruits epitomize warm weather for me and with the temperatures rising in Denver, I knew it's what I wanted to paint next in my food series. Today I added three new paintings to the shop that remind me of spring and summertime. One is a childhood memory, and the other is just because I love the fruit.
First, the childhood memory. Growing up, my mother used to roll a whole lemon until it was soft, cut a hole into the top and then put an old fashioned peppermint stick into it. Because the peppermint sticks had small holes in them, you'd use them as a straw to drink in the fresh lemon juice. The sugar and mint from the peppermint sticks would make perfectly sweet but tart lemonade that was perfect in the summer months. Looking back, it was just one of those things my mom did to make little treats that much more special, but to this day when the weather gets just hot enough to make you want to run through a sprinkler, I can't help but crave a homemade lemon and mint drink. Through these paintings, I wanted to capture that playfulness and memory.
As for the blood orange, there is just something so exotic about them.Like a grown up orange. From the outside, it looks just like any other orange. Bright orange and smells amazing, but that's all. You wouldn't really be able to tell the difference unless you sliced into it. When you do that, you're greeted with the surprise of a deep red flesh- juicy and sweet like any other orange, but almost as though it captured even more sunlight inside. There's a sexiness to them that makes even the simplest things- like an orange juice or a mimosa- that much more special.
All paintings copyrighted by courtney khail and are available for sale right here
