vegetable art – BOHLENDER ART

FRESH GARLIC

Posted on July 10, 2022 by Bohlender Art in art, fine art, garlic, oil paiinting, Oil painting, Uncategorized, vegetable art

I love garlic, but this is the first time I’ve painted it. It seems still life is my newest favorite. I love food. My husband brought this in fresh after cleaning it. I had to paint it. It makes sense to paint what we know well, and love heartily.

A favorite way to eat garlic is to line a pan with bacon and put your meatloaf into it. Surround the meatloaf with peeled (or unpeeled) garlic cloves, baking til the meatloaf is done. I also use raw garlic in ear oils or for fighting colds. Medicinal herb books are fun to read.

And garlic is also very beautiful as a plant, especially when the scapes curl and make ready to seed. This garlic is beautiful the way my husband brought it for us,

This was pretty easily sketched in and begun. I had a little trouble in the middle, but most paintings do. Here are a few stages. I forgot to do more until finished.

Beginning a painting is always fun.

I have been working on a study of Acts. Acts is one of the larger books in the Bible, with longer chapters. It takes a long time to “do my version”, illustrate it and handwrite the whole thing. It is time I love to spend.

Also, the 4th Mr. Floppysocks book is underway. You never know for sure where a story will take you, but this one is not for little children. They might like the pictures and be held on your lap and you can read it to them, but mostly what they’d like is being close to their moms and dads. The Floppysocks books are difficult (for me) to describe or to designate an age group.

Mostly, I’m grateful to think about things other than world events, when I paint. Other times I have to pray to remember that our God has things well in His hands, no matter what it looks like out there. My husband reminds me to “give thanks in all things” because all is given by our Lord Jesus.

Sometimes I get excited to see what He is working out through all of this, when I have an extra dose of Faith…

Garden Greens with Tomatoes

Posted on April 21, 2022 by Bohlender Art in art, Oil painting, vegetable art

Whoah. This one was challenging for me. I had to redraw three times, paint twice – and alas, came out from the place of having to get every little crinkle and wrinkle in the lettuce. It was just finished today. I get excited to finish.

Yet, I am satisfied now, that it is the best I can do for the time being. What a joy to paint things you grew in your own garden.

“Garden Greens with Tomatoes” – 20″x 10″ – Oil – ©2022

This painting was painted over another painting of a Bible verse from Revelation, so there is the secret prayer under the food… “Even So, Come Lord Jesus”.

Then, while composing this post, I remembered that the “word of the month” for posting is “green”, and that worked out pretty well.

Time to get out another canvas. It’s nice to be on a roll.

Beauty and the Feast

Posted on October 13, 2021October 13, 2021 by Bohlender Art in art, fine art, Oil painting, radishes, vegetable art

The rewards of gardening are many, the beauty, the flavor, the gift of food…

My husband brought in these radishes, just pulled out of the earth and fresh washed, laying them on the counter for me. I thought they were very lovely. I photographed them, and just now finished painting them.

“Fresh Washed Radishes” – 14″ x 11″ – Oil ©2021

Once again I used a used canvas overpainted with an orangey wash, I liked what peeked through, matching the countertop somewhat, and pleasantly surprising results.

It was especially delicious painting in the reds – cadmium red light, and alizarin, a touch of cadmium orange deep.

We had a freeze last night, and the water hoses drained, the harvest is mostly finished for the year. By the time spring comes, we are ready for more fresh radishes.

When we get too many radishes, I have found that roasting some is quite tasty as well, drizzled with oil, sprinkled with salt, pepper and nutritional yeast.

Arranging the Bounty

Posted on September 27, 2021October 1, 2021 by Bohlender Art in art, Bountifulness, grocery store painting, Oil painting, vegetable art

I love where we buy groceries. It is a small store, not so complex and huge. In this store, I can buy what I need without having to wade through so many options that becomes confounding. It is wholesome. I am grateful. Because I love this store, I decided to paint a scene from it, in love.

The day the food trucks arrive the workers become very busy… in a lovely way. They care about the food quality and presentation. I love that. They roll in the cart full of new boxes of fresh food, distributing carefully, artfully.

I painted this on a used canvas, a failed portrait that I washed white over it, yet the dark background showed through, as well as some of the form. I blocked in color areas and tried to capture that perspective, vital as it is, with line. Then continued bringing in all of the abounding wonders.

You can see the arm of the portrait that lays sideways in the first image, but then the progression of the painting. The final painting:

Arranging the Bounty – 30″ x 24″ – Oil ©2021

It took awhile to paint this one, but I’m a dab at a time kind of painter. I hope it honors the beauty of the woman and the produce, and the love in the store.

Praise God for the wealth of our America. It has been a free and rich Nation.

“Fresh Pick”

Posted on October 27, 2019March 14, 2022 by Bohlender Art in art, Gardening, melons, oil paiinting, Still Life, Uncategorized, vegetable art

After a good garden year, it was nice to finish this painting of some of our produce. Beginning right away, it took a month and a half to paint. The last picking of the year was just 2 days ago, after a good cold night.

There is a certain kind of melon, that most of the time has a very smooth, yellow rind, that tastes so sweet it transports one to the realization of what the heavenlies must be like. That is why the cantaloupe is “the star” of the painting. The sweetness, oh! the sweetness.