I started the top one on a natural coloured board but decided I would do two studies at the same time to experiment with background colours, composition and to compare with a white ground and a coloured ground (see pic below)
I was aiming for the orange to be luminous and fresh looking. I did this by using very little white in the orange mixture and keep the brush strokes to a minimum. The two coloured backgrounds (white/blue & green) give a different feel to each painting.
I haven’t cut up and painted fruit or veggies before so it’s a good start.