Sherry Mansfield

I love pears!  But to be honest, it has taken well over 10 years to eat another.. yes, I ate my first pear after such a long sabbatical this past month… why you ask?  While photographing and thinking “pears” non-stop during my graduate studies, I couldn’t bring myself to throw away perfectly good pears (or “pear parts” as the case may be)… so I ate them (gave me a break from Ramen noodles!).  

Towards the end of the Pear Series, they were non-edible… put through too much torture and photographic experimentation.  But after eating so many, I just couldn’t stomach it anymore.  So ten years passed by and I decided to return to my old friend and paint them… after the first painting, an unexpected appetite came over me and I ate my subject.  Ah, I can eat pears again!  

Out of curiosity, I began looking up Pears online.  I love to see how other artists translate the form and what meaning the fruit has for them.  For some, it’s the shape/color alone… others take it further and use it as a vehicle for political or personal expression - they look like little people… the way they lean, the shapes of their “bodies”… 

Personally, I am very particular about their stems… I’m sure I look odd in the grocery store going through the bins looking for just the right pear.  Sometimes I save exceptional stems.. they dry quite nicely.  Let’s face it - some pears have great forms but their stems are lacking or missing.. so why not save a great stem for use on a later pear??!  

As for “eating” pears - I found a website ( http://www.usapears.com ) that has more information about pears than you would EVER want to know! 

From the website, I learned: 

Pears ripen best OFF the tree.  (I did not know that!)  Pears that ripen ON the tree will become gritty… well, that explains that!  I’ve had my share of gritty pears!  

Did you know that to check for ripeness you need to check the “neck”!?  (With exception of “non-bartlett” pears.) 

Every day, “Check the Neck for Ripeness” (USAPears actually trademarked this phrase… wow). Apply gentle pressure to the neck every day and when it yields to the pressure, it’s ready to eat.  (Well, I’ll be damned.) 

I could go on and on about pears, but all the info is on the website above… check it out! .. and no, I’m not affiliated with USAPears, I just think they have a well built site with much useful info! 

Eat a pear today!  And take a moment to admire it… quite a lovely fruit!