Autumn Pears

Autumn Pears is one of my favourite paintings in my solo show at Omari. Red is by far my favourite colour, and as soon as I spotted these pears in the supermarket, I knew I had to paint them.

Pears have a beautifully organic form – bumpy, uneven, and never symmetrical, with each one carrying its own individual shape and character. Time played an important role in this painting. As the pears began to decay before my very eyes, I was forced to work quickly, completing the piece over just a couple of days. That urgency helped keep the painting immediate and painterly, allowing instinct to guide the process rather than overworking the details.

There is truth in the saying that the devil is in the detail. Learning when to stop, and when to leave space for mystery for the viewer, has been an ongoing challenge for me. Autumn Pears reflects that balance between observation and restraint, control and letting go.