Written by When summer arrives where I live, you’ll find huge bins in the local grocery filled with pineapples, our art challenge prompt today. You can, of course, find them all year long, but there’s just something about seeing pineapples that makes one think of a tropical vacation so pineapples are quite popular to display during the hottest months. Last year around this time, we bought a pineapple at Costco and it was so incredibly perfect, sweet and tender, that we were amazed. The thing about pineapples for me is that I adore them only when they’re perfectly tender. Get a rough piece that’s less sweet a bit crunchy and it turns into another fruit entirely for me. One I don’t like so much. But I love the look of pineapples. They’re large and wild becoming almost prehistoric in nature. How anyone thought that what was inside might even be edible is anyone’s guess. And I find it fun that gargantuan fruits becomes all the rage in the summer as watermelons fight for the same attention and mangoes plump up just to show off a bit. Though I’m allergic to the latter so I’ll leave those to others.
Summer is actually my least favorite season. It’s just way too warm here during those months for me. But where I live, I have four full seasons and the change in seasons is such a cool thing. It’s like nature’s way of telling a story to take me through the entire year. Though I’ve certainly longed to live in milder and more predictable climates, it’s the seasons that I would miss most were I ever to move. The little kid in me loves thinking back to summer months spent out of school, going back to school with new sweaters for fall, hoping for a white and snowy Christmas, and seeing a burst of colorful flowers and trees return in spring. It’s a cycle of life that marks each and every year here and though I might complain on a particularly sweltering summer day, I secretly adore it. I love that nature is marking the passage of time for me and it always makes me want to explore more and try new things. With so much change happening around me, it feels weird not to change a bit with it.
And so, in other ways, summer in my favorite month of all. My reaction to cringing a bit and bracing for the insane heat comes with another happy response. I rally and push myself forward to try something new. I hope to reveal one of those new things very soon, as I also prepare for the launch of this year’s World Watercolor Month which kicks off this weekend! So close! Just a reminder… simplest challenge ever… just add the hashtag #WorldWatercolorMonth each time you post art with watercolors (or gouache) on social media and join our gallery as you celebrate with the world! And if you live somewhere warm this time of year, consider celebrating that with some very large fruit. No matter how warm it gets here, for me, the real warmth I feel this time of year comes from painting and sketching with friends. So I hope you’ll all be joining me as we begin a new adventure together very soon! Sometimes, the simplest of things can mark the start of a new beginning. And that’s why I’ll always have a bit of a soft spot in my heart for pineapples in summer.
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About the DoodlewashDa Vinci Paint Co.: Nickel Azo Yellow, Leaf Green, Cobalt Turquoise, Opus (Vivid Pink), Terra Cotta, and Cobalt Blue. Lamy Al-Star Safari Fountain Pen with sepia ink in an A5 Hahnemühle Watercolour Book. Want to purchase a print of this doodlewash? Send me a note with a link to this post, and I’ll add it to my shop! |
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Lovely pineapple, Charlie!
Thanks so much, Mary! 😃💕
I can’t eat raw pineapple (allergies), but I love the way they look and yours is lovely! I’m chewing on cherries as I write this – that’s the fruit I most look forward to in summer.
Thanks, Sandra! 😃💕 Awww cherries are wonderful! Yeah, I’m allergic to mango and it’s EVERYWHERE in the summer here…. hehe… now you’ve made me want to sweet talk Philippe into making a cherry pie! Yum! hehe
Cool pineapple with a great shadow! I love pineapple. Hard to get a great one here in the Midwest.
Thanks so much, Lisa! 😃💕Glad you liked this! Yeah, I agree… that’s why we were shocked by the Costco pineapple… you should try one and see if it’s true where you live! 😉
I love sketching and eating pineapples. They remind me of Hawaii – one of my favorite places. I’m looking forward to whatever you have planned!
Thanks so much, Sharon! 😃💕 hehe… of course I planned to launch something difficult right at the beginning of World Watercolor Month! So fingers crossed! And I’ve never been to Hawaii, but hope to go one day!
Sweet p A. I also love summer but some time s no light etc.yes here also 4 season.but evrye s n . Bring s lots of love fun n problem 2. Anv . liked the story good. thanks Charlie.
Thanks so much, Snehlata! 😃💕 Yeah, I couldn’t live without my 4 seasons! hehe
That pineapple is gorgeous. I want to pull out one of the center fronds to make sure it is ripe enough to cut into. It sure looks like it is at its peak.
” How anyone thought that what was inside might even be edible is anyone’s guess”
For sure. I wonder, too, how anyone ever looked at a Maryland Blue Crab and decided it would be good to eat, but it is probably my favorite food. Now my mind is off on a tangent thinking of foods and wondering what people were thinking when they ate the first one.
hehe… yay! Glad I could send you on a mental tangent, Sarah! 😃💕 Yeah, there are so many foods like that… weird and odd and yet ohhhh so tasty once you try them!
Wonderful sketch as always and I’m with you when it comes to the change of seasons. Unfortunately this summer looks to be especially sweltering here in the Midwest. My flowers love it so far though, so I’ll concentrate on them rather than the weather. Thank you again for all you do Charlie, especially for WWM.
Thanks so much, Laura! 😃💕 And I’m so thrilled for World Watercolor Month! Hoping it will add something “cool” to an otherwise horridly hot Midwest summer! Ugh… I’m already ready for autumn! 😉
Lovely painting of pineapple…Yes, I also love pineapple slices with salt and a little chilly powder…That’ s how it is commonly sold here in Bangalore (India)..And we have four seasons in a day in Bangalore…!!!
That’s awesome, Anita! Bangalore sounds lovely! 😃💕 I’ve never been, but would love to visit! And hmmm… salt and a little chili powder sounds great with pineapple. I’m going to have to try that!
As a Southern California kid, I am delighted with the summers, and Portland is a place where the seasons are mild but distinct. I too am not fond of summer — unless I can be at the beach every day IN the water! Gorgeous pineapple Charlie, and nice story that I can take with me as I face the challenges of my day today. xo
Thanks, Kate! 😃💕 And wishing you much love and hugs with all those challenges my friend. Yeah, I agree… if summer has to happen, give me a beach and lots of water and I’ll dive in! 😉
I love pineapples Charlie and you’ve captured this wonderful fruit perfectly . Hmm, I so often read your posts and feel hungry lol
Thanks so much, Phil! 😃💕 hehe… yeah, I think my posts are a weird form of dieting… especially my fantasy desserts! lol Doodlewashes are always calorie-free! 😉
Lovely pineapple. Your stories have been so wonderful to read each day. You are truly an amazing person.
You just made me blush! 😊 That’s so sweet of you to say, June. I’m so happy you love my little stories. They’re as much a part of my art as my little doodlewashes.