The fruits of summer
A Favorite that Takes US Back to our childhood
This painting of sun-ripened pears by Joseph Decker on a soft blue backdrop is the perfect, nostalgic memory of a long summer’s backyard.
The colors pulled from this beautiful work of art gently show the warm, golden tones of late summer afternoons. The tree itself resembles the familiar ones found in everyone’s yard, at grandma’s house, or reminiscent of that abundant pear tree next door.
This painting calls to mind the lone pear tree with heavy limbs bending under the generous weight of its fruit. The sunlight falls just so, highlighting the center cluster of pears and drawing the eye to the ripest fruits, as if placing a natural spotlight on the feasting that goes on there.
There is something calming and warmly welcoming about this painting, even though several busy bees are happily tending the fruit. Despite swatting them away with my arms, I find myself wanting to lean in and really study them, to see how they savor the warmth of those pretty, cream-colored middles.
Let’s take a closer look at a sampling of colors Decker used in this palette:
Ripened yellow pears: golden highlights and deep tones contrasted with dark glossy green leaves; dark sienna emphasizes ripeness.
the Colors of contentment
Colors may look different on each device, muddied from image compression or manipulation, but it’s the memories these colors hold that carry us back to that bright, joyful summer backyard. Whether it’s a pear tree, a buzzing bee, or the sweet, sun-warmed scent in the air, this painting captures it all — the childhood memories, grass between your toes, and the squish of stepping on an overripe pear.
Remembering the feeling of wind on our arms, the warm hug from a grandmother or grandfather, mom or dad, and even the lazy contentment of child’s play in green clover. Because of this painting we are invited to linger in those memories. We don’t know why or what Joseph Decker wanted to paint; but for us, this painting grants permission to return to those days of play and imagination. To breathe the breezy air again, run up that familiar hill, and listen to the steady buzz of insects.
Just for this moment, I see it all; I can feel it all, and I think what a wonderful gift this painting is to behold today.
Sampling the colors of a summer afternoon in Joseph Decker’s painting.
Where do I want to see these colors?
I want to splash shades of these colors on textiles, walls, and decorate an outdoors patio to always embody the happiness of the moment.
We want to bathe the walls in the cream highlights from the pears. Lighten this shade to brighten it some more to an almost barely there essence of heavy cream. Making the walls appear as though sunlight is always shining on them.
I would add the pear green, highlighting it with golden accents and then ground all of the colors with the same shade of blue.
These colors are welcoming for the imagination, and truly capture that moment in time with us looking up at the bountiful pear tree in the back yard.
