Stacked

Stacked

26" x 9.75"

oil on panel

sold

I grew up with a family of gardeners. Tomatoes were and still are a big deal. Starting the seeds, warming the ground so you can get them out early. Tying them up, caging them, or staking them. 

When I was old enough to not be squeamish, my Dad would pay me to pull caterpillars off the plants, called hornworms. They cause a lot of damage to tomato plants. They were big and green,  with a scary curved horn on their back end.  I would get them to crawl on a stick, then I would put them in a coffee can to give him.

I first learned about heirloom tomatoes when my Mom brought home some Brandywine tomato plants. I thought it was a big deal because it was all about Beefsteak tomatoes growing up. I still remember the first time I saw one sliced, how it's cross section looked different than the tomatoes I was used too. The seed patterns were different, the colors were different. They were not perfectly shaped, and that was ok, it was expected.

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Now it seems you can find heirloom tomatoes more readily. I am grateful to live in an area that grows many many varieties with farmers markets in every little community and farm stands a plenty. When it is tomato season, it's like fireworks with all their shapes, sizes, and colors. Names like Black Krim, Vintage Wine, Amana Orange, Heart of Compassion, Green Zebra, Black Zebra, Chocolate Stripes, and Abe Lincoln. To learn more about the hundreds of varieties now available to growers check out Gary Ibson's TomatoFest website to learn all about the heirloom varieties. TomatoFest

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Stacked

will be showing at

Mason Murer Fine Art

November 2 - December 31, 2012

Reception

November 9, 2012

Atlanta, GA

404-879-150