loquat – Ink, Yarn & Beer

Lucious Loquats

I love loquats! They are an odd fruit to most Americans, but they have a mild taste, beautiful seeds, and are borne on bushes or trees with glossy leaves. Over time, I have taken many photos of them and painted or drawn them.

I don’t remember where or when I took this photo, but it really shows the loquat in its full beauty. The fruits are pale yellow to a more deeper orangish color.

This is my most recent rendition of loquats, done in oil on a 12×12 canvas panel.

Above is one done in pen, ink, and watercolors.

And the above is done in gouache.

The round shapes against pointy, glossy leaves is always a pleasure for the eye.

Gouache, oils, watercolor, pen and ink on various surfaces.

Loquats for the Picking

A couple of weeks ago I took a photo of loquats, not really ready to be eaten, but certainly not too much sooner!

The loquat is a fruit tree indigenous to southeastern China. It is frequently grown in California gardens for its fruit and decorative qualities. The fruit is a pale yellow to a golden color, and the leaves are stiff and dark green. The contrast of the roundish fruit with the wide, pointy leaves makes for an interesting painting subject.

The photo from which the drawing evolved:

Painting the loquat has a bit of cross-cultural history behind it, too; ink painting tradition honors the loquat in Asia.

It would be easy enough to paint a loquat in watercolors, without ink, as well.

Painting the Loquat in Sumi-e

The loquat is an evergreen, and can be considered a large shrub or small tree, growing about 12-15 feet tall. The leaves are long and pointy, dark green and thick, with a serrated edges. The sweet-smelling flowers appear in the autumn or early winter, and the fruits are ripe in late winter or early spring. In California, fruits appear April to May. This plant originated in China, was thence exported to Japan over 1000 years ago, and came to the west coast in the 1800s. It is frequently grown for both fruit, and as an ornamental plant.

Loquat fruits, growing in clusters, are oval, rounded or pear-shaped, 2-3 inches long, and can be pale yellow in color to a gold tinged with red. Depending on the type of loquat, the fruit can be rather sour in taste, or very sweet. The seeds of the loquat are lovely, being large and of a shiny brown.

The contrast of the roundish fruit with the wide, pointy leaves makes for an interesting painting subject. Here is my video on painting this lovely plant.