My 16-year old son and I ran (er…drove) to the grocery store this week to buy fruit and gummy bears. All in the name of art, of course. I had it in my mind that I wanted to paint whatever fresh fruit I could find in the store. We ended up with raspberries, mangos, strawberries, and a coconut. Bonus, after I set up the fruit for a photo shoot, we ate it! Yum!

My son insisted on a mango, as well as a coconut purchase, where I was a bit doubtful on both. First, I am not a huge fan of mangos, but he loves them. Second, I explained, coconuts are extremely hard to open. Bah…I can do it, Mom. Huh. Okee-dokee. Coconut it is!

We came home and he promptly pulled up a You-Tube video on how to open a coconut, then got right to it (smarty pants).

My son, cracking a coconut

He made it look easy, like he had opened a million coconuts previously. He was pretty happy with the results, but after I set up a photo shoot, I was thrilled!

Sometimes when I take photos, I know that the painting will sing. And this coconut was, quite simply, beautiful. A perfectly tussled model, his tresses spiked just so. He had interesting jagged edges, and when in contrast with white silky meat, proved to be a striking photo. And the smell? Yummy. All warmth, laced with summer sun and island breezes.

Island Coconut, 8×8 original watercolor on gesso-covered watercolor paper. $50

Island Coconut is one of those paintings that came together quickly and strikes the perfect tone. Doesn’t it? I love the juxtaposition of the warmth in the hairy, spiky husks against the cool, satiny-white smooth surface of the meat inside. Thanks to my son, it came about. Otherwise, I never would have bought the coconut, or, if I did, I’m not sure I could have opened it so artistically.

As for the gummy bears, stay tuned!

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All images and paintings on this site copyrighted by Sarah B Hansen