There is something about Mediterranean summers that feels instantly joyful - striped awnings, colourful market produce, long lunches, bowls of fruit and food shared around a table.
That feeling inspired my latest series of Mediterranean striped still life paintings.
Rather than traditional still life, I wanted these pieces to feel fresh, playful and full of personality. Lemons, oranges, tomatoes, cherries, bananas and sardines are painted in thick, expressive texture against bold striped backgrounds.
The result is a collection that feels somewhere between a Mediterranean market, a seaside café and a long summer lunch.
Why food makes wonderful art
Food is such an ordinary part of our lives, but it carries so many memories.
A bowl of lemons can remind us of summer. Tomatoes can bring to mind markets and family meals. Sardines immediately evoke the coast and Mediterranean dining.
That familiarity is one reason I love painting food. The subject is recognisable, but colour, texture and composition allow something everyday to become something joyful.
And food art doesn't need to stay in the kitchen. A colourful still life can add personality to a dining room, living area, hallway or breakfast nook.
Stripes, colour and texture
The stripes are an important part of this series.
Instead of a conventional still-life background, the contrasting stripes give each painting a contemporary, almost graphic quality. Blues, yellows, peach, cream and other bright colours create a playful backdrop for the fruit and food.
Then there is the texture.
I work primarily in acrylics and love creating heavily textured surfaces. The raised paint gives the fruit, leaves and other details a tactile, almost sculptural quality. It means the paintings change subtly as the light moves across them — something that is difficult to capture completely in a photograph.
A little Mediterranean escape at home
You don't need a Mediterranean villa to bring some of that feeling into your home.
One small original painting can introduce a burst of colour to a neutral kitchen. A pair can brighten a dining area. Several pieces displayed together can create a playful gallery wall.
I especially love the idea of mixing subjects - lemons beside sardines, tomatoes beside cherries - while the recurring stripes and texture connect the pieces visually.
They can work individually, but together they begin to tell a bigger story.
Original art doesn't have to feel serious
I believe original art can be beautiful without being formal.
Sometimes the artwork you enjoy most is simply the one that makes you smile when you walk past it.
That is what I wanted from this series: paintings that feel warm, colourful and a little unexpected. They celebrate simple pleasures - good food, sunshine, colour and the joy of gathering around a table.
Each is an original painting rather than a mass-produced print, so every piece has its own texture, brushwork and character.
Find a piece for your home
Whether you are looking for colourful kitchen art, an original still life for your dining room, or simply something playful for a wall that needs personality, I hope this series brings a little Mediterranean sunshine into your space.
Discover more original fruit, food and still life paintings in my Food Art Collection.