Pomegranate Watercolor Illustration
By Charlie

Holiday Fruit

Written by Charlie O'Shields

Our prompt of “Pomegranate” today is perhaps one of the most special prompts of this art challenge. November is officially Pomegranate Month! Although, nobody seems to know why or how this month became a celebration of this fruit. Even so, I hope you’re having a happy month indeed. To actually celebrate the month properly, according to those in the know, one needs to simply sample a pomegranate at some point. Yeah, it’s not terribly difficult to observe, unless you’re not a fan of this fruit. I, for one, love seeing them arrive in the grocery store as they are a definitive sign that the holiday season has begun! And I think they’re rather intriguing and pretty. That said, pomegranates are a bit of a pain in the butt to eat, so they’re not my favorite. One of the things I love about the holidays is my lapse into laziness. And so, high maintenance fruit doesn’t rank as highly on my list. I’d far prefer a juicy pear that barely requires chewing. In truth, I only tried these as an adult as they were just decoration when I was a kid, like an an ornamental squash. After trying one, though I liked the flavor, I didn’t like to crunch on the hard seeds and sucking seeds clean quickly grew wearisome. So, these days, I just choose to sketch them instead.

Philippe and I have finally come to the close of our lazy weekend. I’m rather sorry to see this one go as it’s been delightful. We were both on the same wavelength this week and needed a little break. Today, we did manage to make it out of the house for a bit to go to IKEA and see what they had for the holidays. We found these fun little red lantern ornaments that light up, but as usual with this store, we forgot to get the batteries that were located somewhere nearby. Our only other purchases were a tin of ginger almond cookies and a tiny French press so Philippe could make his own coffee at work. As everyone around us had giant bags full of things, we actually did receive a few stares. But, I still shop like a little kid. Like mom told me I could only have a certain thing and so I need to choose wisely. Actually, that’s pretty much what Philippe tells me as well, or I’d likely get one of everything. I rather love the experience! Instead of coming home with a giant bag of things I might never use again, I just come back with a few carefully curated treasures. Even if they’re something silly, which is very often the case, I appreciate them all the more.

Life is never better than when it just feels easy. When it’s like a gift I’m experiencing rather than something I feel like I have to do next. That’s why I always show up with a little sketch. Making a bit of art is always a little gift in my day and one worth stopping to DO each day! And this is the season of gifts, whether they’re tangible or simply a feeling I hold in my heart. Okay, yeah, I’m totally excited about the tangible gifts as well! That’s one area where my inner child is quite definitive. But, there’s definitely a glow of love this season that’s somehow brighter than the candles. I find myself stopping often just to reflect and be thankful for everything I have. Of course, I wish I had the time to DO more and create more, but at the end of the day, I’m just really happy. And perhaps, this is the greatest gift of all. I’ve no idea what will happen next as the new year approaches. In some ways it can feel like a deadline in itself. Have I managed to DO everything I hoped? Not at all! I hoped for quite a lot. But, dreams don’t care. They’re always there to remind me of what could happen next. And that’s definitely something small, yet worth celebrating, like an entire month dedicated a holiday fruit.

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 Pomegranate Watercolor Illustration Sketchbook Detail

Charlie O'Shields

Creator of Doodlewash, founder of World Watercolor Month (July), World Watercolor Group, and host of the Sketching Stuff Podcast. Sharing watercolor illustrations and stories while proudly featuring talented artists from all over the world!

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33 thoughts on “Holiday Fruit”

  3. Your pomegranates look so luscious and juicy, they’d be worth all the effort. Hubby and I came down with the cold that my brother brought home from England (now that was a gift I could have done without, lol), so we slept much and drank lots of tea and honey this weekend. At least the cold waited until after the music festival. Speaking of that music festival, are either you or Philippe into Celtic music via French Quebec? I’ve been trying to find the translation for this song that is about a woman who is 8 ft tall, very large and very unhappy. https://www.facebook.com/search/top/?q=vishten

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    2. Thanks, Sandra! 😃💕 And hope you feel better soon! Actually, we’ve never listened to Celtic French music, though my family often listens to Celtic music. I tried to play it for Philippe, but he was too distracted with his antique show to be helpful. 😊hehe

      Reply

      1. I’ve found out that the song is about a very large woman who is angry with her husband for drinking all the time, and he is threatening to leave her if she doesn’t stop nagging. I’m not positive, but I suspect it ends in murder – folk songs so often do!

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  5. I had friends who used to make a pomegranate punch…When drinking it you are supposed to chew the seeds and swallow them. I am not sure of the recipe they used but I found one online. Here it is (followed by the benefits of pomegranate and its seeds:) Bear in mind that Persephone ate just 6 of the seeds and it caused her to live in the underworld 6 months of the year ( November-April) so I guess one should limit their drink to five seeds.

    Pomegranate Party Punch

    Servings: 8

    Ingredients

    • 8 cups of lemon-lime flavoured carbonated drink … use sparking wine if making this an alcohol-friendly version
    • 1 and 1/2 cups Pomegranate Juice
    • 1/4 cup sugar more if you have a sweet tooth
    • 2 oranges sliced thinly, use the middle slices, not the ends
    • 1/2 cup of pomegranate seeds
    • 4 cups of ice
    • Garnish: fresh mint

    Instructions

    1.In a large bowl or pitcher mix the carbonated drink (or sparkling wine if making an alcohol-friendly version) with the Pomegranate juice and sugar. Add sugar slowly if using carbonated drinks in case it bubbles up. Stir until the sugar dissolves.
    2.Add the orange slices and pomegranate seeds. Mix again.
    3.Right before serving add the ice.
    4.At the last minute add the mint. It will over-power your drink if you add it too soon. Stir well.
    5.Serve with a big old pomegranate party punch loving smile!

    Following are the benefits of pomegranate:

    •Protects us from free radicals. …
    •It thins your blood. …
    •Prevention of atherosclerosis. …
    •It acts like an oxygen mask. …
    •It prevents arthritis. …
    •Fights erectile dysfunction. …
    •Fights heart disease and prostate cancer. …

    If your pomegranate hadn’t seemed so real, I would never have thought of those days of pomegranate punch.
    Your work always brings back the best of memories.

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  9. Love your thoughts so much, Charlie 🥰. I believe you’ve made everyone feel happy everyday. Indeed, I’ve still remember your pomegranate you used to sketch, it’s beautiful so that I wanted to crave it. So I just painted a pomegranate being on its branch to force my mind forgetting your sketch for a while hehe.

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  11. Pomegranates are so pretty, and I want to love them, but the seeds make me crazy. My fall and winter fruits are citrus. When I was little and going to Sunday school we had to learn a piece and recite it in front of the congregation. Afterward we trooped to the basement and every kid got a paper bag with candy, peanuts, and a single orange. Maybe that is what has lead to my love affair with winter citrus, lasting to this day.

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  14. Beautiful pommie!! 🙂 Interestingly enough I was the patient kiddo who would put all the pomegranate fruits in a bowl and when it was all done after some time lol i would feast. I do not eat them as much as I did but then their is the juice!!! Which I love!! 🙂

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