peas in a pod, wip, 6 1/2" x 20 1/2", coloured pencil on Stonehengecopyright Teresa Mallen
No petals! Here is an early-on view of my newest piece, peas in a pod. The paper is white and unfortunately you cannot see my line drawing. There will be a bit of stem on the left side as well as a shadow under the pod.
A lot of my work is rather minimalistic and usually deals with a single subject. What I wish to capture in these pieces is the inherent beauty one can find in something simple - something as simple as peas in a pod.
You may have noticed my fondness for a narrow, horizontal format. At over 20 inches wide, these seven peas in their pod get the attention they deserve. I am always mesmerized by the beauty of peas, especially when harvest time comes and I am opening the pods. I saved some of the finest looking pods from the garden for a photo shoot. This image is inspired by one shot in which the peas were back-lit by the afternoon sun. I really like the intrigue of the partially open pod. It makes me think of a cave. Caves are places of mystery, secrets and the unknown.
Doesn't everyone like caves? Even if you haven't been inside a cave, the idea of one is interesting, right? I remember when I was a little girl my mother would tell me about these Indian caves that she explored as a child. Finally when I was old enough to make the walk, she took my sister and I to see these caves. I was disappointed to discover that these 'caves' were simply areas underneath rock outcroppings. Yes, one could take shelter from the rain, start a fire and bed down for the night and yes the rock cliffs were lovely but they weren't the caves of my imagination. My mother and her brothers had found Indian arrowheads and such but despite much looking I never did. More disappointment. :-)
Today was a perfect day to be in the studio. It was a blustery wet day. The sky changed its look several times and the wind caused the clouds to race by. I really like elemental weather and I couldn't wait to take my dog out for a walk before supper. The fall foliage looks stunning now and there is more colour yet to come. Isn't October fabulous? I'm off to deal with the green tomato salsa that I cooked up tonight. If you are interested in a way to use up your green tomatoes, stop by my next post as I will be sharing the recipe. It is yummy!
10 comments:
This looks like it's going to be stunning - as usual!
This piece is lovely Teresa - I too, just love the simplicity of it. I look forward to seeing it finished.
those are big peas o.o ;)
I would love to go in some caves, but the idea of being in a closed space kinda freaks me out :p
Thank you Laure and Lynda. I'll do my best not to mess it up on the way to being finished. :-)
Hey Jennifer Rose, I never thought about the closed space idea. Humm, I'm not so keen on that myself. I think what would freak me out is the possibility that a vagrant human or a wild creature might be holed up in the back of the cave and he/she might not like being disturbed. So...I guess any future cave adventures will have to involve several noisy folks with flashlights going in ahead of me. That way I can just step aside when the startled and upset mystery creature/man goes running by. And in the possible case of any violent encounters, well, there will be people ahead of me... Nice eh? :-)
lol good plan :D should carry a big stick just in case ;p
Fabulous piece. I love intense studies of familiar things. You turn them into true works of art.
I have grown some orca and cranberry beans this year and was considering doing a similar image with them as the beans are so pretty.
I have gone to cave in Cheddar in the west of England - Wooky Hole. It was sort of interesting and sort of creepy. I can't say I'd go out of my way to do it again.
I've been in several deep caves but I'm not especially fond of them. The ones I've been in have been damp, dark and petty tight! No vagrants or animals though except bats!
This is looking really good. We don't usually have any peas in the garden (gets too hot too fast) but I do like the looks of them all nestled in their little green pod! I'm sure this will turn out fabulous as usual!
Okay, so you guys are scaring me off caves! :-)
Thanks Jeanette. I don't know what it is but I am captivated by veggies (in all their stages of growth).
Hi Jan, thanks for your vote of confidence. Gosh too hot, too fast for peas, now that is a pity.
I like your peas!
'S beautiful! Can't wait to see the finished piece
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