"Bananas" -- oil -- 9x12" on canvas. I'd gotten a really wild, colorful Guatemalan shawl at a garage sale a couple years ago and wanted to use it in some paintings. I painted this one last winter, during one of our layoff weeks from Ford. Had so much fun that I did a 2nd painting, turning the bananas over the other way. Then I did a 3rd painting, somewhat larger, adding half a papaya and some oranges. The bananas got riper & riper as I went from one painting into the next. This particular painting was accepted into the Oil Painters of America Miniature Show (Eastern Division) this fall. I just love doing really challenging compositions. It's fun, setting a still life up that will not only be interesting to look at but tough to paint as well. I guess you could say that drawing and painting a difficult painting is like figuring out a really hard crossword puzzle. Addicting! I remember the great wildlife painter, Robert Bateman, telling us that we should try to make paintings that look fresh, like something people haven't seen before. Regarding composition, he told us that a painting should "hold up", look strong, from 50 feet away. In other words, "avoid the pizza-look."