Strawberry Sunrise 🍓
I will be at a strawberry festival market this weekend near my hometown, I decided a strawberry field was an obvious choice to paint for this occasion.
I wanted to paint the feeling of waking up early to pick strawberries in the garden, maybe you’ve been to a “U pick” before and gotten to experience picking strawberries and eating them right off the vine.
I grew up on a farm so as a child I helped my dad many many years plant and grow strawberries among many other fruits and vegetables but strawberries of course were the best because not only were they very pretty with their red berries and delicate flowers but you could snack on them as you worked, and they always tasted sweeter and juicier right off the vine, like stealing little moments of joy between the rows.
I wanted this painting to feel like that, like waking up on a crisp summer morning to pick strawberries before the sun rose too high in the sky, it’s still misty and everything is covered in morning dew including the strawberries, the rows stretch out before you containing hidden jewels beneath the leaves, that’s a feeling that you almost can’t capture unless you’ve actually enjoyed it for yourself but I do think this painting encapsulates it perfectly 💕🍓🌿
Title: Strawberry Sunrise
12in round canvas
Acrylic Medium
Creating my 'Strawberry Sunrise' painting was truly a journey back to my roots, a way to bottle up those cherished childhood memories of growing up on a farm. I remember standing in the fields as the sun just began to peek over the horizon, painting the sky with soft pink and orange hues, exactly what I aimed to capture in the vibrant sunrise sky of this piece. From the very first brushstroke on the circular canvas, set on my easel, I envisioned the entire scene. The initial stage of the painting focused on laying down the rows of green plants, gradually building the sense of a vast field stretching out towards distant mountains. It’s funny how a painting can transport you; as I worked, I could almost feel the cool morning dew on my bare feet and smell the earthy scent of the soil. That mistiness I mentioned in the original post? It was crucial to convey, making the strawberries feel like precious, dewy jewels hidden beneath the leaves. The real magic, for me, came in rendering the detailed rows of red strawberries. Each tiny berry, each delicate white flower, was placed with care, recalling the excitement of finding the ripest ones. Adding the red barn in the background wasn't just a detail; it was a nod to the enduring spirit of farm life and the constant hard work that goes into nurturing the land. The close-up view of the finished painting reveals these intricate details, from the texture of the leaves to the subtle gleam on each strawberry, making it feel almost tangible. The 'U pick' experience is something everyone should try at least once. There’s an incomparable joy in plucking a strawberry right off the vine and tasting its unparalleled sweetness. It’s a moment of pure, unadulterated pleasure, a small reward for the simple act of being present in nature. My hope is that this completed circular painting, with its vivid depiction of a strawberry field under a glorious sunrise, evokes that same feeling of simple joy and fresh-from-the-earth goodness for anyone who sees it. It’s more than just a painting; it’s a memory, a feeling, and a little piece of my heart poured onto canvas.
