Ratatouille To Be

Rather than “Ratatouille To Be,” I guess I could have called this “Eggplants Unite” or “Aubergines Forever!” But I decided to make Ratatouille with these eggplants and I just had to include that word in this painting’s title. Here’s why…oops…before the why…let’s cover the what.

What’s this about?

So if you’re new here, welcome! Each week, I share a painting and I write about that painting in this blog. I started doing this in January and have called this series “Favorite Things.” If you think you might enjoy seeing a new painting each week, you can sign up here and receive these posts as emails in your inbox.

I also incorporate extra goodies in these blog posts including occasional recipes, art history, an inside peak on the joys and struggles of working in a studio, and references to current media events, contemporary artists and life living with a pandemic.

Why Ratatouille to Be

First, I have a conflicted relationship with eggplant. I think eggplants are one of the most beautiful vegetables ever. I mean that deep, rich lavendar-ish and magenta color just screams royalty and beauty! Don’t you think?

And that shape? It’s such a beautiful organic shape. And, add in that lime green little stem. Gahh! Over the years, I have yearned to paint this vegetable. And, over the years, I have had a hard time communicating the lusciousness. But this time? I actually really enjoyed nearly every single moment painting these regal eggplants.

And, while I loved painting these, I confess that eggplants are not a favorite side dish to eat. So, what did I do to address this? I researched recipes. Don’t get me wrong, I love Baba Ganoush. But I don’t have tons of tahini stashed in the pantry.

Solution? Ratatouille, baby! And, no I don’t have an amazing vegetable garden with zucchini, tomatoes and onions in abundance. But I do live less than a mile from a coop called Weaver Street Market. Their produce is all locally grown and super fresh and delicious.

Which Recipe

Ultimately, I chose this Ratatouille recipe from the New York Times cookbook. Heads up, I read the comments and totally took the advice of a reader who did NOT seed the tomatoes. S/he just chopped them into chunks. My kinda cook.

Result? The flavor of this dish is delicious! But I decided the recipe had too much olive oil. So next time, I will use this recipe from The Kitchn instead. Should have done this from the get go! Why? Ummm…my niece works there and I should have known better. Oh well…live and learn, right?!

Palette

So I am super excited to share the palette I used this week. Why? Because this is the first time in 3 months I can say I used Old Holland Cremnitz White. I confess I strayed during that three months and tried a less expensive lead white paint. I tried to love the alternative and less expensive option.

But the buttery smooth feeling of Old Holland’s Cremnitz kept calling me the entire time. There is also a notable difference in the way the Old Holland Cremnitz mixes with other colors. It’s less opaque! It’s a smidge warmer than the other option. And, I never really understood why one of my teacher’s said “Old Holland Cremnitz is my vehicle.” Now I get it.

I also used Burnt Umber, Alizarin Crimson Permanent, Permanent Rose, Cadmium Scarlet, Indian Yellow, Raw Sienna, Cadmium Yellow Pale, Forest Green, Cadmium Green, Phthalo Blue, Cerulean Blue, Dioxazine Purple and Quinacradone Magenta. That’s a lot of color compared to the limited palettes of 5 colors or so. Right?

For Sale

Just wanted you to know that this luscious painting is for sale for $375. If you want to see a larger image of this painting and options to purchase, simply click on this the link. For someone (moi) who had a previous life selling other people’s stuff, I sure have a hard time mentioning this. So, whew, I am glad that’s over with.

Contemporary Artists

As a result of George Floyd’s murder and the events of the last 10 days, I have to share some incredible contemporary artists of color. Each of us needs to look at how we can end racism. I’m sharing these artists and will do so periodically in an effort to spread the word about them and the beauty of their work.

I heard Njideka Akunyili Crosby give a lecture at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Art in 2017. I remember hearing her describe the “lexicon” of her work. She shared rich images of the fabric her family used for clothing, photographs of the exterior and interiors of the homes where she grew up, and even album covers of music that her family had in their living room. I had never heard the word “lexicon” as a framework for a visual artist.

It made me realize we all have incredibly rich references for creating artwork right in front of us. Or, in Akunyili Crosby’s case, right in her lexicon of memories. She helped me begin to look at every day objects, like food, as worthwhile subjects for paintings.

Thank you

Thank you for taking time to look at my painting and read this blog post. I love sharing my work with you, dear reader! I hope you will share what you are thinking about in the comments below.