A Simple Lemon

The thing of which I most often must remind myself with regards to painting is simplicity. There is that famous quote by Blaise Pascal that goes "If I had had more time, I would have written a shorter letter" which I often think of and smile at. I typically prefer my paintings about an hour before I actually consider them finished. Yet eliminating that extra hour during which I add nothing of merit is more difficult than it sounds. Whether absentmindedly or misguidedly, we have a tendency to cover beautiful marks to make something more tidy or "closer to life". I started painting lemons over and over to practice this restraint and this one is my favorite. It is, so simply, a lemon.