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Susan Smith "Pears" zatista.com

Here in the American Northeast we are emerging from a long hard winter. People are cleaning up their yards and gardens to prepare for spring planting. The earliest bulbs have already broken ground and I am looking right past spring blossoms to the fruits of summer.

Walter Mosley " A New York Vintage" zatista.com

Summer means the rich bounty of fruits and vegetables resulting from the labors of spring. The stark black and white landscapes of winter are gone and it’s all about golden sunlight and a full palette of color. Artists have long been attracted to the subject of nature and all it has to offer at the height of this abundant season.

Konnie Kim "Radishes" zatista.com

The still life in all its forms has been around almost as long as the creation of art. One can find examples of it among the ancients and moderns alike. Whether it is a grouping of inanimate objects or a bowl spilling over with fresh fruit, this tradition persists today.

Carolyn Finnell "Zest" zatista.com

What is it about ripe peaches, grapes or berries that appeal to us so? Walking through a farmers market in high summer is like walking through a candy shop or a museum, with so much to tempt and delight the senses. Is it any wonder that artists, from students just learning their craft, to established masters, come back to this most natural and beautiful of subjects again and again?

Joshua Kadtke "Likeness" zatista

Just as local gardeners and farmers prepare the soil for planting, painters prepare their blank canvases and assemble the tools of their trade for the hard work ahead which will eventually result in a feast for the eyes. Behind every still life are messages of renewal, the rewards of labor, and that sometimes the best things in life are the simple pleasures right in front of us.

Brian Sylvester is a guest blogger on WallSpin, and an artist on Zatista.

"To Market" by Bonnie Jones on Zatista.com

Yesterday I arrived at my local farmer’s market to find one of my favorite young farmers calling out like a carnival barker. “This is it people! It’s go time! Get it while it’s good!” he shouted, smiling over the fruits (and veggies) of his labor.

"Hot Tomato" by Ann Painter on Zatista.com

I looked around and realized he was speaking the truth (ever earnest, he’s hardly one to spin a yarn). Everywhere I looked crates were stacked high with perfect vegetables, all color and gleam at high noon. Here in Maine where I live the growing season is mercilessly short–June to October more or less–and that means that by mid-August we’re in full harvest mode.

"Radishes" by Konnie Kim on Zatista.com

How could it be? How could the few short weeks of blushing tomatoes and luscious summer melons be upon us already? It’s a stark realization every year, but this year I have a new tactic.

"Peppers" by Tony Dunphy on Zatista.com

Sure, I’m going to stack my freezer high and gear up for some canning, but I’m also going to load up on some harvest art for the “less accommodating” months ahead. That way, at least my eyes can feast on some fresh local veggies when I get the trucked-in-from-California-or-grown-indoors blues. The color will do my place good, too, and remind me that once upon a time I drank iced coffee and wore shorts and worked up a sweat walking bags of fresh produce home in the hot summer sun.

I love art history as much as the next person, but I have to admit I laughed a little while reading about a recent study on the progressive growth of food portions. The study by Cornell University was based on scrutinizing 52 versions of Leonardo Da Vinci’s Last Supper. Did this study strike anyone else as odd?

Paul LaCroix "Still Life With Fruit" The Cooley Gallery

It’s not that I didn’t find the results interesting – I suppose I was merely surprised by the convergence of the terms ‘Last Supper’ and ’super-sized’ in one headline.

Sandy Burr "Pomegranate 02" zatista.com

At the very least, the study’s choice to use The Last Supper painting as the basis of research was a smart marketing tool since it seems to have caught everyone’s attention.

James Moore "Tomatoes and Red Stripe" Garvey Simon Art Access

In light of this study, and as an homage to the old world, I took some time to look at still lives of food and drink. It’s the type of genre that often gets overlooked in our modern, high tech world.

Jeremiah Patterson "Still Life With Red Mullet" zatista.com

The right still life, however, can be quite an intriguing addition to your walls at home.

Kathryn Parker Almanas "Breakfast I" zatista.com

Select a style that expresses your tastes — painting, photography, drawing – or simply select images that depict your favorite savory or succulent foods.

Kees Alderliesten "Blossom, Eggs and Orange" The Catto Gallery

Johannes Wessmark "Don't Play With Your Food" zatista.com

Brian Davies "Archebold" Casa das Artes Galeria

And for those worried about hefty portions, perhaps through art, you can trade caloric intake for aesthetic delights …