Saturday, March 7, 2020

Acorn Squash

What I like about this painting is the subdued oranges and greens. The warmth of the light orange interior with the dark green exterior is pleasing color combination.

The original painting is for sale.

The greens are rather dark, almost pure black in the shadow areas. The highlights turn slightly blueish, which gives the impression of the dull waxy appearance that the skin has.

While I was painting it, the orange flesh made me think of cantaloupe. Once they’re back in season, I think I may paint one of them.



I think what helps make the color pop a little more, even though they’re not that saturated, is the gray background. Neutral grays can help the colors in a painting stand out more so than if the entire painting was in bright colors.

Once I was done taking reference photos for this painting, I roasted the squash and the seeds in the oven.

Acorn squash is one of my favorite varieties of squash.

The way that I normally prepare it is I cut it half with a knife as shown in the painting, scoop the seeds out, and then roast it in the oven.

You have to be careful when cutting it in half because the knife has a tendency to get stuck as you slice into it. It’s a bit like carving into a pumpkin.
Acorn Squash
8”x10”
Acrylic on canvas board
Chris Breier © 2020
I scoop out the seeds with a spoon and put them in a colander so I clean off the orange fiber as best I can while rinsing them under water. I dry them with a towel and I find that they usually require a small amount of olive oil to get them to brown in the oven.

Cooking the squash is easy. I just lightly oil a baking sheet with olive oil so they don’t stick, and then place the squash halves with the flat sides down. It usually takes 30-45 minutes in the oven at about 375 degrees Fahrenheit.

It’s done when you can easily pierce the flesh with a fork. Another indicator that it’s done is that liquid will begin to leak out from the squash onto the baking sheet.

I have another squash on my kitchen counter, I think it’s time to roast some more seeds...