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| The Story Behind the Citrus Paintings
Looking for new material
for his Florida still lifes, he visited local produce markets where
he found Florida juice oranges unlike any representation of the
fruit he had seen before. They were not perfectly round, not
The oranges varied in color from green to yellow to orange and brown. Many were multicolored, some were covered with surface markings - speckles, scratched and "wind scars" — patterns embossed on the skins by leaves and twigs brushing against the fruit as it matured.
A flash of inspiration! What could be more appropriate than Florida oranges?
In the studio, the artist arranged the oranges and sometimes grapefruit in traditional still life settings and created an extensive group of unique oil paintings. Each image became a portrait of that particular fruit, selected from the tree or produce bin. The choice of fruit also changed with the seasonal harvest.
Early on, William North's paintings attracted the interest of the citrus industry people. He has received critical acclaim from grove owners and workers with statements like: "I've never seen a painting of an orange before that looked like the real thing."
He is also recognized in conventional art circles with many awards and in 2004 was the first Lee County (FL) artist to be invited to exhibit in the Governor's gallery in the Florida State Capitol. Many of the artist's citrus paintings, as well as landscapes and beach scenes have been reproduced and are available in signed, numbered, limited editions on the internet and at his gallery in Fort Myers.
A portion of all print sales proceeds will benefit the Scholarship Foundation at the Gulf Citrus Growers Association |
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© William North, 2008 239-489-2211 This site was updated December, 2008 Web Design by NRK Designs
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Artist William North
introduced Florida oranges as the main theme of his still life
paintings soon after moving to Fort Myers from the Northeast in
1990.
perfectly orange and not "pretty as a picture".
Visits
to citrus groves also inspired him to paint grove scenes which were
added to his inventory.
