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In my last blog, Attention to Detail, I talked about the award winning blue cheese, Black River Blue. That blog inspired me to write this one. Spanish Blue, which was wrapped in grape leaves, was the blue cheese that I used in my painting, All about the Grape. As I stated in my blog, Finding Beauty in the Ordinary, I tackled something new after I had carpal tunnel surgery many years ago. Creating still life paintings kept me distracted from the healing process because of the focus it took for me to try something that I had never done before.

What is easy for you may be hard for me. I had been painting primarily wildlife and landscapes at that time, and had no idea how to set up a still life. Either I am fool or an optimist, but I jumped in with both feet, [and one working hand!] The thoughts in my mind at that time were: How do I start a still life? How do I pick what to paint? Do I focus on contrasts or similarities? Should I paint them in a realistic or impressionistic style? Is there a right or wrong way to set up a still life? Since I love to create in the kitchen, I thought I would start by putting together still life setups that utilize my favorite foods. Spanish Blue, a blue cheese that was wrapped in grape leaves was a new addition to our favorites list, so I wanted to create a piece that would showcase grapes. A pitcher with embossed grapes, a great red wine, and grapes were gathered and arranged in several positions until I found one that I liked. To enhance my painting with a pop of complimentary color, another food favorite, fresh bread, with its golden crust was added.

Little did I know at the time that prints would be made of that painting by a publishing house, as well as some of my other food paintings. The food images have been licensed in other ways as well. All of this happened because I tried something totally new. Keep on pushing the limits.  Try something that isn’t easy and give it all you’ve got.  Learn to love trying and embracing different styles, mediums, supports or ideas. You may discover a ‘hidden talent’ that you didn’t know that you had.  You never know what might happen. You might discover a technique that may be easy for you but hard for me.