10/25/07

好运水果 (luck fruit)
12"x12", oil on canvas


There are a number of lucky fruits for the Chinese, including the peaches, oranges and pomegranate above. Most of these are lucky since their names are homophones for something else like "wealth" or "long life." (Chinese is full of homophones.) Others, like pomegranate, mean the continuation of the family line because all the many little seeds represent people. For this reason, it is a popular offering fruit in Chinese ancestor worship.

I painted the actual still life in a couple hours, but spend a day or two after it dried thinking about the background. The look of it as a whole is similar to a lot of cheap, plastic tablecloth or "food posters" here that convey the idea of plenty using cut and paste food images, kitschy/tacky bright colors and patterns. This goes along with some others I'm working on, all the same size with similar themes, which are really exciting and should be finished by the end of the weekend. (When I actually have some time to paint.)

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untitled
oil on wood, around 16" x 24"


Altogether, I've made three paintings like this one that have some kind of slightly dramatic/funny "culture confrontation" in them. (The other two, made months ago, are portraits of Masa and Silvia.) I really don't think this one is finished since the lower right hand corner is distractingly empty and Ariel's face needs more work. I'm losing interest in this particular painting or series, regardless.

6 comments:

about us said...

i've downloaded the fruit painting so it comes up on my desktop every now and then; it's flatly texturized...as if you'd painted over a foto with bold strokes of color. the fabric behind the pomegranate(sp?) feels like cotton to me...

beautiful, thank YOU.

Anonymous said...

Hi Ross,
Well, I like color that's a given!
Your Chinese Series is by far the lively-est burst paintings of I have seen you do. They are more confident, carefree feeling and the color does become you!(even the dead chicken!)

Yerma sez..Of Color, be not afraid!


Ikeas new slogan is
"Be Brave Not beige!"
same sh*t!
IT IS WHAT IT IS!
Keeping painting, they show you banging your Chinese gong of Joy!

Thinking of you ...
loveyerma

Anonymous said...

...the distractingly empty area ;;;works as a space...just the color seems to make my eye advance it-it kind of glows on my computer and swells the area as my eye views yje whole painting. Why not gray it out like the area under the dragon --of Ariel's shirt stripe. that while busy blends and just the edge glows nicely... stays in perspective
is it oil or acrylic?

harumi said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
harumi said...

I love love love the fruit painting.
and the background works very well.
The dragon with ariel is cool too.The dragon looks nicely sculpted. I see the weight and volume on it.

Anonymous said...

Hey Ross, it's Sonia, how are you?? Long time no chat...:)

I'm sorry to hear China is full of homophones, I say live and let live, if two people love it eachother that's all that matters...:)

I miss you, what have you been up to??

Sonia