Tomatoes!

This is what summer means to me. Luscious tomatoes. Lots of them. All colors, all sizes. The best way to eat them is standing there in the garden. When they are warm from the summer heat and bursting with juicy flavor. I understand why I struggle with weather, clay soil and predtory animals. The best summer gardens are so abundant that I can share with others.
Nom!
From an artists point of view, this basket is very paintable. I like the looks of yellow and orange tomatoes but find they just don't have the flavor of red ones. A friend of mine says her mind doesn't register "ripe"with colors other than red. So I have more than one failed tomato still life because I stubbornly only wanted to paint the ones that tasted good.This year's plants aren't that big ~12" but are sturdy and budding out. Hope springs eternal!
Blessings,
Maggie

Zebra 2

This watercolor painting was accepted into the California Watercolor Association's 40th National Exhibition held at the historic San Francisco Presidio Officers' Club. It was a great honor, made even more so because it was selected as one of the graphics used to promote the show. It was exciting to see it on a banner hanging from lightposts or as a poster around the park. My fifteen minutes of "frame"?
I photographed these two playful zebras at the San Diego Zoo. They formed a square shape hence the title "Zebra 2" [squared].
Blessings,
Maggie