Forbidden Fruit, 16″ x 20″ oil on panel

Forbidden Fruit was inspired by the most sensual plant I’ve ever encountered. I found it in my backyard a couple homes ago and photographed it at the peak of it’s potency. The reddish thorns are so foreboding even as the fruit invites us in. I didn’t dare eat it, of course. I’m hoping some horticulturalist will identify the species so I can learn whether I would have lived or died if I’d tried.