A perishable painting !  Now what does that mean?  The beautiful small green figs are only available at the Mercato di Sant’ Ambrogio in Florence for the month of September hence their name ‘Settembrini’  or Little Septembers.  And every few days I had to go and replenish stocks as the fragile fruit seemed to melt leaving strange silhoutted outlines on the simple brass plate that we found in an Antiques Shop or Brocante antichità in Via Cimabue close by.  But returning briefly to the idea of perishables – in painting terms each figs did not last long enough to be painted to a finish.  An unusual strategy is used, laying out the composition and giving things a simple form, then finishing each fig by working on it non-stop until it is done.  The next day won’t do – the paint will be too dry to work on, and one has to start again with a new fig.

But somethings I can’t explain, why this joyful frame was a perfect choice and how it is that these figs simply glow with a simple glorious wonder.

Oil on linen   2013  46 x 66cm  18 x 26in   Bespoke Florentine Frame