Summer Goodness!

In these hot days of summer, with hotter days ahead, even the thought of a little citrus refreshment can cool you down a degree or two.  Each group in the citrus family has it's own color range AND fragrance range, that is distinctive.  For example, in a black line drawing, on white paper, the wedges above could be a lime, lemon, orange or even a grapefruit.  By adding green, yellow, orange or salmony-pink, they become identifiable.

If I add yellow, it evokes lemony smells and possibly thoughts of lemonade, lemon-merangue pie, or perhaps even a whiskey sour.  No matter what way I turn the image, it still evokes lemony goodness.

As a child my home was filled with lemon and lemony scents all of the time.  My mother used at least one lemon a day, sometimes more, in her precisely brewed tea (whether hot or cold,) and if a lemon dish soap, furniture polish, or window spray advertised lemon essence, it eventually made its' way into the cleaning cupboard. 

Imagine my surprise, fairly late in my teens, when I discovered that not everyone was as thrilled about LEMON everything as my home environment would have lead me to believe - coupled with the advertising onslaught, lemons had to be the most essential element for a happy, healthy, and sparkling clean home.  To encounter someone that did not prefer lemonade as a beverage of choice was quite a surprise, as well. 

It is fun to do a series of these citrus sketches by starting right in with a pen, then adding acrylic ink or watercolor paint.  A group of these would make a great mini-book for quick notes, shopping lists, and receipt collection.....I think I will venture forward with that little project. 

In the meantime, you know what the next two weeks brings - POLITICAL mayhem....oh, I think the events are better know as the party conventions.  I'm considering some fun images for those in the upcoming days!  Enjoy the events and let the show begin!  We'll revisit citris in the heat of the summer!