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| Red Still Life |
I was up to my elbows in hot soup this weekend. With Winter blowing in, stocking the freezer with hearty soups is a primary objective in Fall. While the rain came down and the winds blew,I made a large pot of Chili on Saturday. Sunday was just as bleak, but warm. I made a large pot of Spicy Chicken Rice Soup,while Honey emptied the flower pots on the the deck, brought in the garden hoses and threw tarps over the lawn furniture. Next weekend, it'll be Split Pea with Shrimp and my favorite, Mushroom Barley. Making dinners in a bowl in bulk and freezing batches takes no time away from painting. I like that. Distractions over what's for dinner create stress and stress causes paintings like the one above.
In between waiting around for the pot to boil so I could throw in whatever was next, I played watercolor. I didn't like the results; I was doing too much at one time. I let it dry overnight and opened the two new sets of pastels I bought for my upcoming class to see what could be done--and to get a feel for the medium. Nothing magical happened. Indeed, I got the feeling I was in hot soup adding another new medium when I have been working with a challenging new one this whole year. I may be spreading myself too thin?
I don't like pastels myself, but as a left handed person I tend to put my hand in it. I think you did a good job with it. I like the over the top feel of the shapes and colors.
ReplyDeleteI am always over the top. Heavy handed. Nothing delicate goes on here. The good thing is I'm not looking for another serious medium. I am looking for a quick sketching medium. Pastels struck me as having possibilities--but I'll know better after the course. Right now, I'm thinking it's dirty. I got more pigment on myself today than I ever did with acrylics and oils. Watercolor and markers so far are my medium of choice for quick and travel.
DeleteLinda!
ReplyDeleteThis work has great colors and high activity! Love the bold strokes and the excitement in this piece.
Now I will wait for photos of the soups!
I also started cooking soup this weekend! The reason for cold weather is so we can enjoy warm soups overflowing in a warm bread boule!
Mmmmm good.
Michael
Michael, I seem to be a colorful, energetic person in my art. It's hard to believe since I spend a lot of time watching movies, reading , gaming, being sedentary except when I'm painting.
DeleteSourdough soup bowls do add a great touch for a great meal. Happy soup.
another great soup to have on hand frozen in serving sizes is carrot/ginger soup made with potatoes. It's a little messy to make--lots of blending--but great to have quickly when you walk back into the house after a brisk walk or a water aerobics class--a lot less sweet than cocoa. I'm going to add that to my list.
I love the colors, and I love soup, but I don't miss the cold winters. Split Pea is my favorite!
ReplyDeleteI was shocked to learn yesterday that Rio de Janeiro isn't the capitol of Brazil, Brasilia is. See, I should have done my research. I guess we should book a tour as well to get to know the place.
DeleteI do love soup too. That and a small salad is a favorite dinner of mine. Split pea with ham is too salty for me, so I substitute shrimp, which is a little less. Whole shrimp in split pea is elegant-hearty, low in fat and rich with fiber. That's next weekend's project.
How can you not miss the winter with the nips in the air, fires warming the hearth, cups of hot chocolate with tiny marshmallows, the pristine look of the land after a fresh snow, mufflers and Uggs, the look of your breath in the air, writing your name in the frost on the window...I could go on but I would vomit.
great energy in the "red still life"...I especially like the strokes of green! Good going, making all the soups---I like your thinking (that it frees up your time for art!)
ReplyDeleteI once read that all paintings need a touch of green, the color from nature calms the soul. This soul really needed calming after all the red.
Deletei like combination of watercolour and pastels linda ..energetic piece ..making lots of soup here too !
ReplyDeleteI know you do and you do them well. I need practice. At least I broke a few sticks during the exercise.
DeleteI'm good at soups and sauces.
This is a feast for my eyes on this rainy and stormy morning we have today! Hot soup, hmmm, good idea!
ReplyDeleteThis little drawing does have the colors of the soup I was making, which came out a lot better. :-)
DeleteSeriously? You don't like it? I love it!!!! The colours are screaming, but not in the fussy way. And there are so many things to see; not because they are crowded, but because there are where they suppose to be. Is an interesting artistic view of reality's game.
ReplyDeleteAbout the name, your daughter-in-love (it makes me smile every time, brilliant title) is right and not. Konstantina very commonly becomes Ntina (Nt=D) in Greece for convenience' sake, I kept both short and long version depending on who I am with. In England, for the same reason, they called me Tina. So, I don't mind the abridgement of the name, I got used to it. After all, variety is a good thing in life, prevents you from getting bored :)
Hugs and smiles.
The painting lacks finesse and sensitivity. But there will be others and the soup came out wonderful.
DeleteAh, she didn't tell me how to spell it; she just told me it was the abridgment of the name Konstantina in Greece. What do you like to be called? I'm Linda, not lynn, but people do shorten linda--as if two vowels are one too many to say. But four isn't too many if that's what you like.
Daughter in-love, son in-love is such a nicer way to refer to the people our children love and who love them and who are family members. In-law reminds me of out-law--reminds me of the law, lawyers and legalities and most people hate getting involved with all that stuff. Plus I did love my mother in-love: she raised my husband, a fine guy who thinks I'm terrific. She did a great job and I'm enjoying the results. I hope my daughters in-love feel the same way about me.
Dear Linda, I admire the strength of your expression, that comes from all sides in all your work (including photos).
ReplyDeleteI hope you find just what you satisfy yourself, because I still understand from what you write, that you are looking for!
But this is typical of true artist, never happy with himself and always willing to improve!
I just don't know why I don't stick with what I know? I understand changing back to oils this last years. I left them because the fumes were obnoxious and I had to lay down after every painting session. Today, that's not true. In the next couple of years, I should be handling them as well as I did years ago. Why pastel at this late date? I don't know. But I am interested in the medium that is so like charcoal, which I do feel is my best sketching medium.
DeleteThis little drawing sucks. It's heavy handed. I was trying to feel out how one goes about mixing colors on the painting surface. The set up was all red things except the bowl. Red is as difficult as green. It came out too intense for I exercised no restraint. But I did get the gist of layering by the last stroke which were green. A painting without a tad of green is unsettling to human nature. I also did learn what else to add to the supply list.
¡A beautiful paint Linda! I like colors. Regards.
ReplyDeleteThanks Sonia, but I've already trashed it. It's not the caliber of work I want to do.
DeleteI think it's important to work at art everyday, but as we all know, we do not produce wonderful paintings everyday. More often than not, there are clunkers. This is a clunker.
Brava Linda!Anche questo di buttare ciò che non piace è ARTE!
ReplyDeleteThanks Rita. While we develop our skills, we are also developing our sensibilities. My sensibilities rejected this attempt.
ReplyDelete