The Days’ Offerings

The title of a new painting and some smatterings of unrelated things of interest. First, about the painting called ” The Days’ Offerings ” in acrylic at 11″X14″ , and how it came to be. I was given this great photo ( I’m always on the lookout for period photos from the Caribbean and West Indies, and friends know to save them for me ) and knew it was something I wanted to paint.

Drawing to loosen your hand is a good way to unfreeze the mornings’ claw that you hope will produce something you’ll like looking at. So I thought to sketch the ladies on paper first instead of going right to drawing with willow on canvas. One of my favorite blogs by Debby Kasperi – Drawing the Mot Mot and yes, I’ll mention her again because her paintings and drawings are gorgeous, she shares lots of information and is very funny. Should call her the Wit-Wit. Anyway, she says she draws to warm up her hand for the day and draws what she calls Bananadoodles. Curious? You want to look at her site.

Drawing the same thing repeatedly gives me a familiarity with the subject. Then I wanted to see where lights and darks would go. That’s the quick sketch with colored pencils. By this time I was getting a sense of where I wanted these women to be standing in relation to each other.

I picked somewhat brighter colors for this piece than I usually do since this time frame is more recent than the early to mid 1900’s era which is what I often paint. Clothing then was overbleached from the sun and salt with extended time spent outside. These clothes had to be brighter but still be faded from wear. The environment plays a rough game with you and your belongings here. I’m presenting this piece as well as several others in a fine art exhibit here on St. Croix on March 7, 2008 at Undercover Atrium in Gallows Bay;

What the heck draws me to this subject matter is curious to me. I see the strength of my grandmothers’ generation. I miss the foods my grandmothers both used to make every Sunday when we came for the day. Egg noodle dough spread on the kitchen table, sliced free hand down its’ length, dried on her chenille bedspread and later that afternoon plunked into boiling water. Everything tasted real. Food was honest and simple and generational. So when I go to a farmers’ market or road stand and see a jar of homemade guava spread, or gooseberry preserve, or chutney, I know I’m looking at more than a condiment. I’m looking at a quickly fading heritage and soon to be lost custom because no one has the time to do this anymore. I’m so glad some people still do.

This is what I’m talking about.

Let me amble on to another blog that I can’t keep away from. This is not an official tag. Mainly because this artist/writer/mother/animal lover could not possibly have one nano second extra in her life that isn’t accounted for in order to respond to another person. Maggie of Greywarenart writes hysterically funny chronicles of motherhood, animals, serious goal keeping and marketing and paints as well she writes. Seems not fair to the rest of us. Don’t hold out too long and when you have a look, bring your pajamas- you could be reading her posts all night. You’ll learn a lot too.

HOUSE STRUCK BY RAINBOW!!!

Caught this during a 100 second storm over Cane Bay that came in dramatically and then was gone.