The Jug, Tomato, Garlic & Red Pear
11”x15” - Acrylics on cold-press paper - 2025
In this painting, I wanted to explore contrast more directly—through colour, surface, and overall mood. The deep red pear sits beside the tomatoes and garlic, forming a small cluster of familiar shapes that each carry their own quiet presence. Their surfaces respond to light differently: the tomatoes hold a reflective shine, the garlic softens into a matte glow, and the pear has a denser, more velvety sheen.
I treated the dark jug as the steady anchor of the composition, a grounding form that balances the livelier organic elements gathered at its base.
Its height and weight create a vertical counterpoint, allowing the fruit and garlic to settle into the foreground with more intensity. This setup let me push the lighting further, emphasizing how shadows shape the weight and temperament of each object.
The painting becomes a study of how simple, everyday items can carry different kinds of energy. Together, they form a quiet narrative of nourishment and domestic rhythm—ordinary ingredients that suggest warmth, preparation, and the small rituals that surround daily life.