Oil on canvas, 12”x12”

I go through phases where I’m completely absorbed in painting food. Anything from glossy cherries and vine-ripened tomatoes to decadent desserts. There’s something deeply satisfying about capturing the lushness of color, the way light glides across a tomato’s skin or reflects off a ribbon of chocolate sauce. This painting was created during one of those phases, when tomatoes felt irresistible to paint.

Loose, confident brushstrokes give the background a sense of movement, almost as if the plants are swaying gently in the breeze. Light wraps around each tomato, giving them a luminous, jewel-like quality.

For me, painting food is pure joy. I’m always happiest when I’m deep into one of these delicious painting phases.