Radishes (30.5 cms x 22.9 cms mixed media 2016)
For the second week running I was struggling with an acrylic painting.
These multi-coloured radishes on their off-white plate, with a lightly-chequered cloth in the background, were going well. I tried the top third of the painting in sap green, then yellow ochre, and neither looked right. It was time to take a break and put together a lasagne for supper.
I was stirring the bechamel sauce, listening to a wonderful piece of music by Anna Meredith (Blackfriars) on the radio and gazing at a collage by a dear friend of ours, Sarah Banbery, which hangs near the stove. Collage, that was the answer.
As the lasagne baked I added the page of Spanish text taken from a damaged book I use for such things, painted over it with white acrylic, added some lines in pastel, and the picture was done.
The ways of creativity are often unfathomable, I find. Thanks to Anna Meredith’s meditative piece for strings and the rhythmic stirring of a sauce, I entered the relaxed frame of mind to be inspired by Sarah’s collage.
A Certain Line 
I see that the first line of the Spanish text speaks of “a dramatic historical experience of colonization.” Filling up a canvas is a kind of colonization, don’t you think?
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Ha ha, excellent. It certainly was in this case. I’m sure the radishes felt the collage was encroaching on their sovereignty of the bottom two thirds of the canvas!
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How lovely, Michael – thank you xx
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Are the radishes collaged too? I love this! It said collage to me right away – just in the shapes of the veggies!
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No, they’re painted, but it’s interesting you say that. I had in mind a local (to me) artist called Elaine Nason (http://www.norwichprintfair.co.uk/view-item.asp?iid=430) who does collages like that.
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I think that’s the beauty of this painting, Michael – they look collaged too! Really nice effect! (I prefer yours to hers!)
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You’re too kind, Laura – many thanks!
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Oh boy, that worked! The slight angularity is very appealing especially on ’round’ radishes, and the colours and highlights are wonderful. 🙂
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Thanks, Rebecca. Yes, I tried to get a rather ‘graphic’ quality on the radishes rather than realistic.
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Thank you for your text on your process and inspiration. It seems you had rather a collage of inspiring forces with this one. It works!
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Thanks, LuAnne. I’m determined to master acrylics but they’re putting up a good defence!
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I think you are doing great. And your prose is delightful as well.
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Clever and very well done! Inspiration can come from so many places. 🙂
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Thanks Teresa. Yes, sometimes it helps just to walk away and stir sauce!
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That sounds both funny and wise at the same time. 😉
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Extra like. Plain and simple. Not the piece, my feelings about it. Extra like!
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Thank you so much, Claudia!
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Love hearing bits about your journey to this one, Michael! I LOVE how this turned out! 😍Really graphic and cool. Nice work!
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Many thanks, Charlie. Much appreciated.
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Looks like it turned out extremely well! I find that stepping back a bit and waiting for the inspiration to come instead of forcing it is the solution when you’re stuck creatively. Nicely done!
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Thanks very much. Sometimes it helps to just clear the mind and do something else.
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One of my favourites – really like words in pictures . Serendipity – such a great word 🙂
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Lovely word indeed – like ‘enchantment’, another one I must try and use some time!
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The collage looks so relaxed and balanced Michael, each element of the painting playing off the others, it looks like you were in ‘the zone’ – I must try playing some decent sounds while I’m working!
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Yep, it came together nicely, Phil. So satisfying when the sun shines through the clouds!
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Hi Michael, The first thing I thought when I looked at your painting was that the whole image had elements of collage. Then I read the post and realized that the painting itself reminded me of collage which I found intriguing. Finally, your lasagna sounded delicious and made me hungry. 🙂
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Thanks, Carol. One or two people have mentioned that they thought the radishes were also collaged, so I hope that means it hangs together well enough! Thanks very much. The lasagne was OK but I’ve made better – perhaps because I had my eureka moment in the middle of preparing it!
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Michael, i think the physical act of the stirring of the sauce, augmented positively by the music (which i listened to; delightful!), put you into a “flow” moment. Cf. my boy Mihaly C.: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mihaly_Csikszentmihalyi
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Indeed. I did read a portion of Flow some time ago. Glad you enjoyed the music too. I’m still ebbing your recommendation of Lowercase Noises.
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Love the abstract quality!
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Thank you, Marlene.
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I like this experiment very much-I hope you do more. Baking does that for me-the rhythm of rolling out dough and working with it is so helpful for tuning out the noise and listening to within-
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