Did you know chiles are one of the oldest cultivated crops in the Americas and have been part of human diets since about 7,500 B.C.? They were originally gathered in the wild before they were cultivated.
Today’s post features a gallery of six different ways I’ve illustrated chiles.
Chiles at Tohono Chul
I recently got together with my Art Peeps (local artist friends) for plein air sketching at Tohono Chul. As we explored Tohono Chul’s Ethnobotanical Garden, the bright colors in the chile section caught my eye—so that’s what I painted!
Vintage 😉 Paula Art: Jalapeño
Chiles are popular in Southwest cuisine and I enjoy cooking with them—but I especially enjoy watching chiles ripen and change colors. The colors are so intense! 😍 One of the first pieces of art I created of a chile was of a Jalapeño that we got in our CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) share in 2016.
Güeros
We also received Güeros in a CSA share and I couldn’t resist painting these three which were at different stages (colors) of ripening.
…and Another Güero
And then, just to do something completely different, I drew a Güero in pen only, to emphasize (what is to me) its quintessential chile shape.
Life of a Shishito Pepper
Since I love watching chiles change color I decided to document the color change of a Shishito chile (called a pepper here)—another chile from our CSA. Documenting the color change was a great use for the wet-on-wet technique in watercolor in which you allow the different watercolors to merge and blend together while still wet, as I did with the green and red paint on Days 7, 9 & 11.
…and More Shishitos
The final art for this chile gallery is of a bright red Shishito on top of a pile of still green Shishitos.
So—has this post made you hungry for some Chiles Rellenos? 🌶️
You can leave a comment or ask a question…
…and share this post with friends, family and the world! 😃
An array of chilis in all their colors and spicyness!! And a wonderful array of mediums to see, too. I remember seeing a few of the chili images you made in earlier times. I like visiting all of them.