This image was inspired by Ron. It is a quicky done in about one hour. Just about every home in the West Indian islands have at least one or more Banana plants in their backyard gardens, as it is eaten in all forms. Boiled and mashed like potatoes when green and used as a vegetable, then used as a fruit when ripe. The leaves are used to make table mats, floor mats, baskets, and a lot of other crafty things. The stem is used as feed for livestock. As you can determine it is a very useful plant, and plays a significant role in the economy of those countries where it is grown commercially. 
Although I like the banana trees, and having seen them myself, I think you achieved a fine likeness, it’s the intercessional foliage I find most interesting here, in particular the greyish-green plantlife…
Well done, Joe! 
SC, you would not believe this but I did a background to practice painting water, It did not turn out right, so I decided to try a few bananas plants on the same background, before long I was embelishing it with those greyish-green plants. Considering the time spent in it’s creation, I am pleased that the plants have a likeness of the real, at least they are identifiable.
It’s called ‘serendipity’ Joe, and in this case it definitely worked on your behalf!
i see banana trees but i dont see bananas…
I see a little information is needed here. Bananas start out green like the leaves. As they mature they get bigger and the angled edges of the fruit get rounder. When planted commercially,they are picked when 75% ripe and then placed in ripening sheds. that is where they develop their yellow color. The flavour is nothing like those left to mature on the plant, but then if left there to full ripeness you have to worry about birds who love them as much as some people. That done, if you look closely you will see that both plants have a bunch of immature bananas on them.
lovely, DeeVee! i dont know if they grow at your degree of longitude as well, but i remember asian bananas with an olmost red cover, sweet as honey and delicioussissimost! one question: how do you plant a banana tree? those fruits we get over here do not seem to contain any seeds?
- juandel
There are no seeds jaundel, you use a corm, that is the underground stem of a plant that has not borne any fruit as yet.That is the traditional way. Today it is propagated through tissue culture, every one being exactly alike, the same size and all the other advantages of that method of propagation. The old methods were very tedious,and it was difficult to get the quantities required for commercial production.
Yes they do grow where I live and further North as well. Some people use them as house plants, I have seen them growing in Florida backyards. I am 19 degrees North of the equator so I am very tropical.
DeeVee that is a beautiful painting–not only is it a wonderful image to post here at ZCentral–BUT more and more as we see your beautiful pictures—I wonder how many ZB’ers arent planning to leave ‘Toledo etc.’ to join you in this Paradise you depict so beautifully!!
OK Robo, how much do I owe you
Thanks friend. I look at this forum not only as a place to post images but as a development medium. If I can enlighten any one based on my background, I am more than happy to do so. I have a little milage and have travelled a bit, so my experiences are multifaceted.
thanks for the info, Joe!!!
- juandel
DeeVee, I can see the unripened bunches of nanas… I can see em!
Great color. Very lively, bright and pleasing to the eye
very kewl Joe…and my daughter will be pleased to see this as well when she gets home from church…almost as pleased as I am to see them now…and thanx for the bannana background, didn’t know how they planted em…I knew when I go to the store I buy them a bit on the green side so they dont over ripen whilst awaiting my garrulous mouth to envelope them a bunch at a time…great pic Joe
Hmmm…seems I missed this one. Must have fallen asleep at the keyboard… 
Great foilage as always GrandMaster DV!
FABULOUS fabulous!
Art and knowledge all in one thread!
Thank you DeeVee for sharing your knowledge and art.