Radishes

 

Radishes   oil/canvas14 x 11

Gotta say....I loved making this painting.  Painting vegetables and fruits gives me the opportunity to paint more freely, weaving darks and lights throughout nature's bounty and chaos.  (After all, there are no likenesses involved).  Cooking has been such a large part of my life (often larger than wished for).  Opportunities to cook creatively in a novel manner abound.  I also relish the opportunity to grant animation and liveliness to that which nourishes.

OK.  So I love painting radishes.  But what have I always done afterwards?  Usually a few have been sliced oh-so-thinly to toss in salads.  The remainder was pitched when they became mush.  Sad.  This time, I decided to think outside of my cooking box....they were roasted with a couple of simple ingredients.  They were unbelievable!  

Try painting radishes.....and try eating them as well!

Yes...the garden

Radishes   watercolor/gouache   9 x 12

"Radishes" is a watercolor and gouache painting.  The paper was first coated with permanent white gouache, mixed to the consistency of cream, and allowed to dry.  This method allows for more flexibility in moving colors around and also provides a bit of opacity where intended without the mud that sometimes occurs when layering watercolor pigments.  I have always used it as a counterpoint in the work, i.e. juxtaposing it with transparent passages for that point::counterpoint effect.  In this case, the opaques are mostly in the background, but ease their way into the bunch on the leaves in the upper left.

The only time I have relished (no pun intended) radishes was in a brewery in Mill Valley  where they were served as an hors d'oeuvre, sliced ever-so-thinly and served with a pat of creamy butter at room temperature.  They are always delicious when painted.