Lemon Water

The idea for this painting came from the extra lemons I had laying around the kitchen.

This painting is still available.

I use them mostly for making hummus and tahini salad dressing. I make my own hummus because it's an easy recipe and it saves money. I also find that the store bought hummus contains a lot of unnecessary olive oil and salt.

Another benefit of making my own hummus is that I can flavor it however I want. During the summer I may add some dill to it. Or, if I don't have fresh herbs on hand, I'll add a dash of cumin or paprika.



I'll whip up a batch of hummus and eat with bread, pita, or spread it on sandwiches. It's also good with pretzels when you're watching a movie.

Anyway, the lemon was surprising simple to paint, it only consists of a few shades of yellow and orange. The shadow side of the lemon actually contains a lot of orange.

I spent some time softening the top edge to give it that soft focus look. It's important to create a variety of edges in a painting. 

When you soften some of the edges, it draws your attention to the subjects that have sharp, well defined edges. This is one way to focus the viewers attention on the subject.

If you follow my work, you probably noticed that I enjoy painting glass and metallic objects. The reflections and abstract shapes create interesting shapes that are fun to paint.

One problem that I encounter when I paint still lifes is what I call "fruit confusion." I'll paint a lemon and someone comments–nice orange! My painting of a tangerine was once mistaken for an onion. This usually happens with sphere shaped fruits and vegetables. There are only so many cues you can give the viewer such as the color, subtle textures, or differences in shape.

Lemon Water
Acrylic on canvas board
8”x10”
Chris Breier © 2020