The last beets from Julie’s Garden

My friend Julie sent me home from Book Club with a bag of beets freshly dug from her garden.  I thought they would have character and be a fun still life challenge.  And challenge they were.  The first painting was painted before I washed them so they are still pretty brown.  They are warm colored with the purple leaves so I added a blue green background ( a complement color and offsetting temperature) to try to soup up the painting.  Not too exciting. Is it the beets or the painting?

Beeten Down

The second painting was painted after I washed them.  They were now pretty bedraggled but much prettier.  Maybe the problem is that I simply am not fond of the color.  I tried to spark it with yellow and green (complements of purple and red) I looked online and many artists push the color of beets into the red and red orange hue, maybe they don’t like beet red either.

Beet Up

Anyway, it was a good subject for making puns.

It also is a way to commemorate all the terrific beet salads I have eaten in the last few weeks.

Thanks, Julie!