Feasting on Art

Even after making frozen yogurt and jelly, our seemingly never ending supply of wild blackberries still provided enough berries to make a pie. I am writing this from Sydney although the pie was made while home in Michigan. I had a wonderful and relaxing holiday and am thankful to have spent so much time with my family. I love this pie and the only thing that could have made it better would have been cooler weather in which to bake it (and maybe some ginger). It was oppressively humid when I finally slid it into the oven – making the ice cream accompaniment a necessity. I cut down the sugar in my recipe from the original Gourmet instructions to make it a bit more tart. Our berries were very juicy and the pie overflowed onto the baking tray making me glad I used one!

Willem Claesz Heda, Breakfast Table with Blackberry Pie, 1631
oil on wood, 54 x 82 cm, Gemäldegalerie, Dresden

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Phew! The past two weeks have literally disappeared, I did not intend to be away from this space for so long. I have an exciting new job that allows me to write even more about art but with it came a very tight deadline. So at the moment, my time is very limited. I did however manage to make my hands look giant in this Mx photograph and to grab a copy of the May issue of MINDFood Magazine where Feasting on Art had a great little mention. Thanks to both publications for the press! I also would like to wish my Mom a Happy Mother’s Day, I love you so much!!

In other news, my two wonderfully creative friends Ness & Mel of parliament of two** recently launched their first joint jewelery line. I did a few portraits for them several months ago and am absolutely loving the new collection. The brooches are inspired by medical illustrations and feature quirky titles like this little gem, the snail: pass the salt. Click here to visit their website, shop, blog, and Facebook page. Be sure to grab a brooch before they all sell out!

Bartolomeo Bimbi, Cherries, 1699
Poggio a Caiano, Villa Medicea

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In her beautifully composed photographs, Marian Drew includes the lifeless bodies of Australian fauna collected from the side of the road. The photographs represent a meeting of Europe and Australia through the insertion of wallabies, kangaroos, and possums into the still life tradition. The images assume a painterly tone achieved by long exposures and careful application of light via torch. This process allows Drew to highlight important elements in the composition as well as experiment with shadow as a form.

Marian Drew, Crow with Salt, 2006
digital image on German etching paper, 112 x 134 cm, from the series Art Fair

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Liz from the beautiful blog Zested was one of my first ‘regulars’ here on Feasting on Art and she replied to my open call for still life suggest. Cotán’s Still Life with Quince, Cabbage, Melon and Cucumber was given the recipe treatment and lucky for me, Liz saved a doozy of a suggestion for our collaboration! I frequent her site for not only tantalizing flavour combinations – Frozen Citrus Cream with Candied Thyme & White Chocolate Grapes with Orange Curd – but diligently composed and lit photographs. My mouth waters every time I look at her caramelized tomato tart and I cannot even begin to wax poetic about her Mexican Hot Chocolate! Thank you for such an exciting collaboration Liz!

Be sure to visit Liz’s blog for the recipe for Scarlet Poached Pears and Ginger Pumpkin Bread.

Louis Comfort Tiffany, Pumpkin and Beets window, c.1899-1900
leaded favrile glass, 114 x 142.9 cm, The Charles Hosmer Morse Museum of American Art

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Have you ever just had one of those days? Well for me, today is one of those days and this still life was one problem after another. While shopping for ingredients I was convinced that the painting depicted cranberries (which in my defense they do look like) but I arrived home to realize that they were cherries. So back I went and after visiting two grocery stores I discovered that number one, cherries are not in season (still getting used to living in the southern hemisphere), and number two, that it is impossible to even find frozen ones. Add this dilemma to the fact that I mistakenly ate the last bun I was saving for my recreation, my lack of gilded wineglasses, and that my pastry would not come together, I was convinced this vlaai would be my downfall. But let me tell you, it wasn’t. I mean, it did get a bit more toasted than I would have liked (drat unpredictable electric ovens) but the combination of strawberries and cherries made the pie wonderfully sour and the crust was like a dense but sweet cake. This is a recipe I will make again and again and I hope you forgive the use of cranberries instead of cherries. I was just having one of those days.

Osias Beert, Still-Life with Cherries and Strawberries in China Bowls, 1608
oil on copper, 50 x 66 cm, Staatliche Museen, Berlin

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