Practice makes pearfect.

 I have spent the last few days painting a pear. It is an American
pear, although I'm not sure it is a Seckel, as they are supposed
to be quite small. A few visitors asked me if it was a deformed
apple (the actual pear, not my attempts to draw it).

It was a fun exercise, because I first tried watercolour, then
a black-and-white pencil sketch, and finally the watercolour pencil
one you see here. I had intended attempting a fourth - in oil pastels -
but hunger got the better of me.

I'm not sure if it's because I left the pear out for so many days,
or if this is just the way it's supposed to taste and feel. The first bite
was juicy, but the overall experience is one of powdery mush.
I've eaten as much as I could bear, and stopped. Perhaps it was
the anticipation, the you-can't-have-it-till-you've-painted-it.
Or perhaps it turned into a senior citizen while I took my time
over the paintings. But it was definitely more fun to paint than to eat.

Next time I shall pick something I don't want to eat. Watch
this space for eggplant. Or click here for better pictures
than mine:  The Art of Botanical Illustration: An Illustrated History