You Say Tomato…. I See a Painting

Yellow tomatoes are turning up in the farmers’ markets here. Before getting wisked away and guillotined into a sandwich, this one made it into the studio.

Tomato Parasol 8 x 10 oil/panel

It sidled in next to an old, brown apothecary bottle that was rescued from the back of a cabinet where  reverse size places relegated it to status of invisible. It’s good to clean forbidden and frightening areas of the kitchen every few years.

I was trying for a ” study ” here, rather than a finished piece and taking the advice of admired artists Theresa Rankin, Mike Rooney and non-artist, my husband, who has also been encouraging me to ” just paint ” and not anguish over each canvas as though it was making its’ debut at the Jeu du Paume ( he didn’t say that, I did ).

Getting the reflections on the brown glass was a challenge. Doing it in one sitting, or standing, was my goal. And the tomato- well, it was a little ” dice-y”.

Almost as soon as I cleared the area, one of the studio assistants occupied the void.

Life, still.   5.5 lbs, on drape

Everyone has a recommended way of cleaning and storing brushes after painting. This seems to work very effectively:

I read about this method on Carol Marines‘ fabulous blog ( the queen of still life ) and tried it. After cleaning in solvent of your preference, I use OMS, and then follow with a washing in water and ” B&J Brush Cleaner, a white paste in a small jar, I gently squeeze the excess moisture out and sort of  mummify each brush in a small square of paper towel. It tames those little errant hairs that zing up like brush cowlicks and ruin the sharpness of a good brush. Excellent.

And because I expect some of you miss those wonky categories of ” What IS that? “, maybe you’d like to contribute your best guess as to what this is before I identify it.

Hints:

I have them every day.

Because they keep coming back.

What’s in Your Refrigerator?

This funny topic was brought to our screens by the Jack-in-the Box mentality of the zany, philosophical, witty, creative owner of the blog “ Single for a Reason“. This challenge was preceded by ” What’s On Your Refrigerator”, which I can’t qualify for since ours is stainless and magnets don’t stick, and tape won’t hold because of the humidity.

This is my entry.

Yikes- what is that yolk colored, pear shaped object on the top shelf? It’s a local fruit called an egg fruit and it’s official name is Canistel. It has the consistency of cheesecake and is beyond sweet. We use them in smoothies.

Notice the bottom shelf and the pink plastic wrap. It’s protecting the precious bounty I brought back home with me from NY- Parmigiano Reggiano! Five big bricks of it. I’m surprised the airport beagles didn’t stand at attention when THAT box rolled through.

Mango seasons’ in full swing- see the started one left to dry up? Who cares- there’s bowls of them. Take note of the recipe suggestion from our local Botanical Garden that hosts its’ annual Mango Melee event in early July:

Simple enough even for kitchen klutzes.

If it appears that the contents display mostly unrecognizable condiments, it’s because this shot was taken when I just got home after being away for more than 3 weeks. Husbands’ food shopping requirements are seriously less well-balanced than wives’. There IS a Red Stripe beer- and purple cabbage, so I suppose they cancel each other out.

Some of the other fruit not in the refrigerator but so pretty to look at.

Too much time away and not enough time painting, prompted a quick, just do something so you don’t get painters’ bends if you come up too quickly, brings this:

Will the day come that I’d rather paint fruit than eat it……….