Friday, October 29, 2010

Yali Pears from the Farmer's Market


I made a special trip in the rain recently to the Farmer's Market in search of pears!! Oddly enough it looked like I would come home empty handed. Apples are the big crop here this time of year. But.... just before I hiked back to the car I spotted some pears. I found my treasured pears and chatted with the saleswoman about them. She was quick to point out that they are not like the familiar Bartlett Pears. No, these pears are a special Chinese Pear called a Yali. Unlike Bartlett they are not soft when ripe. Instead, a Yali is crisp when it is ripe. They also didn't seem as colorful - the only colors that I noticed were yellow and green with some raw sienna markings. When I told the woman I wanted to sketch them and I asked about other colors .... she did a quick check and brought out the smallest pear that is in the left side of my composition. That pear had a bit more contrast between the yellow and green. 

7 comments:

Unknown said...

I love your journal entries. They are so clean and simple and inviting! The texture of the pears is exquisite! Great job!

Kathy A. Johnson said...

Lovely pears. Only an artist would purchase pears based on their coloring instead of their ripeness and flavor! (Did you eat them later?)

Cheryl Gebhart said...

Your sketch is lovely Claire. I hope the pears tasted good too.

I recently bought a pear for its color too. And I did actually sketch it. And it was really sweet and good when I ate it.

lori vliegen said...

you did a fabulous job painting these, claire....but then again, i always love ALL of your sweet little masterpieces!!! how nice to have a market close by where you can find such unique treats!!! have a great sunday!! xox, :))

Teresa said...

You do such beautiful, clean, delicate work Claire. This is beautiful... and educational.. never heard of Yali pears.

I have to start getting out more ;-)

Margaret said...

Pears... I took a few photos of three different kinds the other day and will soon be posting them on my photography blog. (margaretbednar365.blogspot.com) If you would like, and they inspire you, please feel free to use the photos to paint. You do such a lovely job with them. Love the purple shadow.

Claire M said...

Margaret - Thanks for telling me about your upcoming Par pictures. I'll try to find some time to paint more pears. Your photo skills are fabulous! I can't wait to see the pears.