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!
