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

POA

A perishable painting !  Now what does that mean?  These 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 silhouetted outlines on the brass plate that we found in an Antiques Shop or Brocante antichità in Via Cimabue.  Returning briefly to the idea of perishables – in painting terms each figs did not last long enough to be painted to a finish so an unusual strategy is used.  The composition is established in simple forms.  Then each fig is finished by working on it non-stop until it is done.  The next day won’t do – the paint will be too dry 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 glorious wonder.