Harvest Hug - En Plein Air

Some paintings feel carefully planned... and others simply grow out of the moment. Harvest Hug was one of those happy moments of discovery.

On a crisp fall day I set up my paints en plein air at the beautiful Hoerr Nursery. Everywhere I looked there were baskets overflowing with pumpkins, curling vines, gourds of every shape, and bursts of late-season flowers celebrating the harvest season.

This particular pumpkin immediately caught my eye. Resting beside it was a wonderfully crooked green gourd that seemed to curl right around it as if it were giving the pumpkin a friendly embrace. Tucked nearby was a smaller squash, like a cheerful little companion joining the moment.

As I painted, the scene began to feel less like a simple still life and more like a quiet autumn story. Nature’s way of showing warmth, abundance, and a touch of personality in the harvest display.

Harvest Hug captures that fleeting fall afternoon when the colors were rich, the air was cool, and even the vegetables seemed to be celebrating the season together.