Lately I have been setting up different fruit in my studio and painting them with oils. Why? Not sure. But I find it soothing to my dysregulated nervous system in this election cycle. And that’s good enough reason, I think.
Back in January when I co-curated the show “Sacred Matter: Reclaiming the Garden” with Jacqui at XoXo Gallery in Baltimore, I made an appetizer for the opening reception that featured pomegranates, of course! I mean, I had to. I always think of the forbidden fruit in the Garden as a pomegranate and not an apple because, and I could be wrong, but I don’t think apples are *native to the middle east. But anyway,,, No one other than Jacqui knew that I made a theme related appetizer because who the heck does that but me? I just can’t help myself at times, especially when it comes to food. You can see it below on the table. My cheeseball was not as perfectly round as the one on the website, but it was my first cheeseball ever!
Here is the recipe for this amazingly good and beautiful appetizer Pomegranate Jeweled White Cheddar, Toasted Almond, and Crispy Sage Cheeseball. I’m not sure it’s necessary to make crispy sage leaves…so that’s the only thing I might change. Yes to sage leaves, but that extra step of frying them up? Maybe not.
After I finished painting the whole pomegranate, I split it and painted the half. There was something so exposed and vulnerable feeling from the split fruit.
I have since painted 3 more fruit paintings in oil. And with each one, it’s gotten a bit looser, I may share these later. The 3rd one in particular I like the most. Perhaps I’m finally getting to expressing what I want in these still life paintings of fruit. Every painting is a journey towards that destination. Sometimes there’s a detour.
*I had to look it up- apples are native to Kazahkstan in Central Asia.