How I love them. Well, those green, leafy vegetables, I love them all year round, but there's not a lot of other stuff in the garden at this time of year because I don't have room for the lovely winter root crops, and we've eaten the leeks that survived the dog's excavations.
In that bunch are mizuna, mibuna, beetroot leaves, mustard, two kinds of kale and parsley. All of that went into a chinese-style soup with chicken, spring onion, garlic and ginger, coriander leaves and the last of the very sad-looking basil. With a pot of rice on the side to add as desired. A number of our household are a bit viral at the moment so a restorative soup was necessary.
Why am I talking about winter greens when I'm "letting loose/finding myself at TAFE"? Well, I had high expectations of extending myself and "pushing the envelope" as it's said. I was pleased with some of my studies, and with the first painting. Portraiture was my downfall. I can get a good likeness for sure, but the purpose of portraiture (as far as I'm concerned) is to capture something of the person, something that is essentially that person. I even did a second portrait to try and resolve this issue...still not good.
However, I think I've made a small breakthrough this week. Not with portraiture (I'm on to the next brief) but with landscape. A pallette of colours I haven't used before, and the influence of American Georgia O'Keefe, New Zealander Colin McCahon and Australian Rick Amor.
It's a big relief to have made this step.
