I have long been intrigued with depicting the nine "Fruits of the Spirit:" Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness and Forbearance. Since various fruit have different shapes and color, the puzzle for me is association: which fruit best suggests love?Should this still life ( I imagine that is what is gained too by an avid practice of the nine virtues) be a single painting or a tryptic? Questions, questions! In the end I think nine individual paintings would be more interesting; still the association between virtue and fruit is quite daunting. Love as an example, is a fruit most have tasted yet difficult to describe.
For me Self-control was easy. I choose that as the starting point for this theme and the fruit I disliked the most: Eggplant. As a child, it took great self control to finish a helping of my mother's ratatouille!
I used the "Indian" eggplant as my subject, probably because I wish mom had used those in her recipe since they're smaller. But seriously, I like the shape, and the color and here's why. Self-control is learned in small measures over time. Accomplishing that trait is an essence of Kindness and Goodness; in that
sense it has nobility, so purple seems appropriate.
To the right, the first of nine paintings in this collection. I am planning on painting eight of them on 16" x 20" canvases but Love will be a 20" x 24" just as soon as I can figure out what fruit and color best conveys the most important virtue of all.
N.B. Would love to hear your ideas, especially about Love. Feel free to email artist@studiokanunu.com or a direct message via Twitter @mynewcreations
