"Mister Fruit Seller in Taormina, Sicily" (24"X18", Oil on Canvas, $700)
A typical scene in Taormina and throughout Sicily is the streetside fruit seller. This guy had a good spot off the main street that runs down the middle of the upper town. I took a photo for reference and you can see the fisheye effect of the lens on the near steps. I liked the curving stones, so I kept them in. I also liked the herring-bone blue bricks that are all over Taormina and add to the beauty of the town. This flight of steps leads down to a fine pizza place, visible at the upper left of the painting, under the red awnings. The white building at the back of the picture is a small-appliance store, featuring all the intense design that the Italians are known for.
The fact that this guy had his tri-color "Sicilia" flag out over his display, with its three-legged floating head symbol of Sicily (Google it) made the whole thing complete. He was happy to be photographed and even happier to sell me some of his delicious Clementine oranges. The method he had of hanging bunches of cherry tomatoes from the racks was a common one - very eye-catching - and a delicious one, I'm sure.
The woman walking away with her child in the background was added to give scale and depth to this work and to increase the human element. The sky was hazy, so there's no bright sun or shadows in this painting. I look forward to painting more views of Taormina and the bright sun that shone down (except here) now that I'm back in the USA and missing the place so much.
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