Three Cherries 2000

Mary Fedden painted this still life, Three Cherries, with a playful approach, using bold colours and simplified shapes to capture the joy of everyday objects. I imagine Fedden building up the composition layer by layer. She may have started with a light sketch, then brought in these juicy, almost cartoonish cherries in striking reds and pinks and oranges. Look at the way she’s rendered the light on the glass, it’s all about playful mark making rather than optical realism. The brushstrokes are confident and direct, giving a sense of immediacy and freshness to the scene. I love how the table's surface appears to tilt slightly, creating a subtle tension. It reminds me of Morandi, who was also interested in the quiet beauty of ordinary things. Painting is a conversation, each artist responding to those who came before, adding their own voice to the ongoing dialogue. It allows us to see and feel the world in new ways. Fedden invites us to embrace the unexpected and discover beauty in the simplest of forms.