And Now, Back to Pastel!

This is an ATC (2-1/2" x 3-1/2") I did for an exchange in an art forum I belong to.  It's pastel on the U-Art 800 sanded paper which I'm beginning to like better.  However, like all the other sanded papers, it sure doesn't photograph well!  This time I scanned it at about 600 dpi then reduced it for the web in my graphics software.  It still isn't quite true to the actual painting but maybe you get the ideal. 

I named it "All The Sweetness of Summer" as that first tree-ripened peach is the true indicator that summer is really here - at least for us.  We have about 100 peach trees but they're well over 20 years old and just aren't producing much any more.  They're also getting "brittle" and the least bit of wind will split the tree or at least break out branches.  Because of that, we're gradually taking them out.

That's really for the best though as we started out thinking that we could raise peaches organically.  Unfortunately, peaches are very disease-prone and the bugs love them too.  Organic methods work but constant attention is necessary and is very labor-intensive. 

So, we've planted a couple of new trees that we'll baby along and hope they'll produce enough peaches to herald in summer as well as enough for our table and the freezer!