Granny Torrelli Makes Soup

My  "Zuppa Soup Collage", inspired by 

Granny Torrelli Makes Soup by Sharon Creech

Collage allows you to stir in anything you want.

Arrange & re-arrange, add & subract.

How did our Family Book Group members like Granny Torrelli Makes Soup? Unanimously, "Loved it!" (doesn't always happen with this group of discriminating readers). This novel, (which I heartily recommend to adults as well as children), has so much: Loveable, honest characters, humor, sadness, poetic language (in Italian & English!), wonderful structure, great cooking scenes, & sensitively presented themes about love, human imperfection & forgiveness. Loveable Rosie, learns from her immigrant Granny's stories & from her understanding, how to manage life's sometimes difficult situations & feelings in relation to friendships . 

After the discussion, during the art-making we, young & old, 3 generations, informally shared situations in our own lives & cooking stories that the story evoked. I had given out a list of Granny Torrelli's Italian words & expressions, so a lot of "Tutto va bene!" & "molto good" & "zuppa" could be heard, as well as a lot of laughter.

Sharon's  inspiration for the book is on her website (click HERE). Sharon also has the blog, "Words We Say". 

"When I learned that my daughter was expecting her first child, I began thinking about what it would be like to be a grandparent. In remembering my own grandparents, it seemed that most of my memories of my grandmothers swirled around kitchens and food. There was something important—more important than the meals being made—that took place in those kitchens, and I wanted to explore that. I kept seeing images of my Italian grandmother, with her elfish smile and quick wit, and those images evolved into the character of Granny Torrelli." ~Sharon Creech

The world would be a better place if everyone had a Granny Torrelli like the one in this small gem of a book!

City Sketching

Portland view looking toward Congress from Commercial Street

Click on image to enlarge.

I was recently sketching city "environments" in Portland. Drawing architecture is fairly new for me. I understand the theories, but have been timid to try them. The "Portland Show 2014" at Greenhut Gallery  (Click HERE) has some brilliant cityscapes, especially "Portland from Munjoy Hill" by a former teacher, David Campbell. Such mastery of perspective & color, such provoking points of view, such focus he has as he works from observation over the course of several years on one large canvas!!  

My original sketch, with Uniball pen & Prismacolor pencils. Click on image to enlarge. 

Scribbly & rough, but, I'm motivated, because I love observing these scenes. I like that I'm more willing to make mistakes than I used to be.

This book fell into my sphere recently, at just the right moment! I'd seen it in a bookstore in Cambridge. Sketching taught by an architect!! Paul Laseau says we are like detectives as we explore scenes that attract us, scanning, continually seeing more. Our drawing process affects what & how we see.

Laseau says we must keep practicing to keep skills honed: eye-hand coordination, perception, concentration, relaxed awareness...And keep exploring the visual work of others, especially masters. It is what David Campbell has been doing, perhaps, throughout his life.

Celebrating Arrival of Spring in Harvard Square: Photos

Harvard Square, Cambridge, facing Harvard University. 

A great place to celebrate a (FINALLY!) REAL spring day! 

Entering Harvard Yard from Mass. Ave.

Surprise! An artist who was also part performer

as he interacted with his passing audience.

He's a graduate student and 

he's going to paint various other Harvard views.

Signs of Spring on a New England college campus!

Who belongs to the little bike, I wonder? 

(Sharon, you probably have the story!)

Great public transportation in the whole Boston area.

Tiny transportation waiting for bigger subway transportation.

Transportation that is occupied displaying flowers.

All the flower shop doors are open! After months of gray:

Here is COLOR!!

 People are buying pussy willows like crazy!

 

More transportation that is taking a break with its rider. 

Benches are filled with folks reading...

 Everywhere people reading...

Aaaah, reading by sunlight with a cool breeze...

Maybe the readers bought books from one of the 7 or so book shops in the area.

 (There used to be many more. Then came the Internet...) 

One of the remaining bookstores is Schoenhofs Foreign Books. 

Founded in 1856, it's the largest foreign language bookstore in America.

Learning materials in over 700 languages & dialects & 

fiction & non-fiction & children's books in 50 languages. 

All over Cambridge you hear so many languages!

While I was browsing the French children's books 

the nice bookseller put French music on for me. 

Did you know that April 2 was International Children's Book Day?

Out of Town News is right in the heart of Harvard Square.  

It almost went out of business due to the advent of online periodicals, but

in 2009 a new owner saved it. And I am thrilled he did. 

 Folks on this fine day are reading in outdoor cafés...

And chatting.

 These guys are eating & chatting too. But not reading...

If you stop to carefully look, they are really pretty.

This sunny day reminds me that soon it will be summer hat season.

For an authentic Panama Hat go to the gorgeous Goorin Brothers Hat Shop,

a family business established in 1895. And they have a nice selection of 

pretty feathers for your cap (for a pretty price, though).

 Don't forget your sun hat when you are hanging out in the park at Harvard Square,

listening to music (& reading or chatting).
If you & your spirit have never done that, I highly recommend it!

Continuous Line Contour Drawing

I've always liked Nicolaides' technique of contour drawing in The Natural Way to Draw. Trains the eye, & the hand to work with the eye. The pure method asks that you don't take your eyes off the subject. (Definitely unsettling but good learning.)

I just got brave & tried a new version of contour drawing: Not (almost not, in my case) lifting the pen. You start in one spot & just keep drawing with a continuous (almost continuous, in my case) line. It's interesting to focus on one small part at a time of the whole view, & it does get you out of preconceived notions of what the things are & into observing their abstract lines & forms. It's a surprise to see that at the end, a whole composition has filled the page. It almost feels like it did it on its own.
(This scene is a view to the kitchen counter, drawn while I was listening to a TV show.)

From the Sketchbook: Dining Alone

Growing up, my understanding was that to dine alone was not socially acceptable. My mother, when my father would be away, would go out alone to the movies & to restaurants. I thought she was courageous. I tried it in my young adult years but was never comfortable with it. 

In our current café's it is most acceptable to be alone, but it seems one must have a newspaper, a book or a device. Society tells us we must be connected, even while eating.

Top sketch was made in a bakery café in Rockland where I was focusing on spatial perspective.The bottom one is from Wild Willy's restaurant in South Portland. I felt sad seeing this man who was actually eating alone without reading. Was I projecting my own feelings onto him? Was he a widower? Was I remembering that even though my mom went out alone, I sensed that she lonely without my father? I suspect that a lot of older people who are alone don't go out much into the world. Which can lead to isolation, which can lead to sadness. I wonder, dear friend, what your thoughts are.

Saint Patrick's Day

Happy Saint Patrick's Day!

(the little rainbow is real, from my window prism) 

I've heard it's more of a holiday in America than in Ireland? 

I like the "May the...May you..." blessings that come from 

the Irish culture. Click on the image to read some.

 About that paintbox or palette: This is my latest. I bought it empty & filled it with my Winsor Newton paints from tubes. My limited palette is when I choose 3 to 6 of these colors. 

New Snow

Snow ALL day yesterday, which gave me permission to do lots of indoor filing & organizing (yes, I went away from the "art door", see previous post, thanks for sharing your experiences with that, really helpful.) 

The view out the window at 7AM this morning was startling. At first glance it seemed all white, but upon slower observation: so much color! Morning light & shadows change so quickly, I LOVE their drama. 

I've been avoiding observing the outdoors, kind of fighting with the reality of winter cold & dirty snow. But I'm accepting this March snow, even though it isn't considered "right". After all, Calendar Spring is supposed to arrive soon. There may be snow but still, the birds are singing.

Something new: Keeping a paintbox & sketchbook in the living room. Handy. You never know when you're hit with a flash, a sudden need to observe something. Have to act fast. Those of you with cameras know what that's like...

Something else: My new "Luma Bleed-Proof White Opaque Watercolor". Cool. Can even "erase" with it. Opaque watercolor (gouache) & oils or acrylics: A different energy than with watercolors. They're on my To Explore Further List.

Something else new: I have a new ritual, a "Word of the Day" that I sort of listen for as I wake. (I'm borrowing this from Library Jewel.) Today it was "Learn" because I need to study French & go to a class. But I'm adding in "New". March, is a great time for opening to the New. Sort of simple, but I like the way it helps me focus.

Stuck Door: Push Harder?

Just as with physical exercise, a gal can get out of shape when 

she doesn't work with her sketchbook every day.

Question: 

When you feel like there's a stuck door between you 

& the form of expression you enjoy,

is it better to stay & keep pushing/practicing, 

(even though everything you do turns to a Major Nothing), 

or is it better to go away & do something else?

I think it depends,

but I'd love to learn your ideas & experience.

Boston, Cambridge & Robins

Back from the big city. And a flock of Robins is back from somewhere, outside the 2nd floor window! There must be 20 or so, flying from tree to tree & to the ground, & a group was sunning itself in my tree.

We took the train to Boston...and back...North Station.

A view from another window, our hotel at  Kendall Square & Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge. We were on the 21st floor, looking across the Charles River! Was it a bit of the luck of the Irish before the annual, Huge Saint Patrick's Day celebration that got us this room?

The Museum of Science: "Our Global Kitchen: Food, Nature, Culture." (& history, economics, ecology, anthropology, biology, geography...) Kids running around, me taking notes...

 Some beautiful displays including old fashioned large scale dioramas, plus models, films & interactive technology.

Besides Harvard Square with its international college population & foreign language book store, the MIT Museum was a high point with articifical intelligence (Robots!) & mobile machine sculptures by Arthur Ganson. (Click here for more.)

Maybe someday there will only be Robin Robots (created by brilliant minds at MIT), but for today, back here at home, I'm glad to see the old fashioned kind...

Veggies Ready to Deliver!

9 X 12" Arches hot press.

 Finished veggies, ready to deliver! Yay!

Prescription for a gray snowy day...

The End of the Alphabet!

I made it to Z. Yay & Youpi!! (see previous alphabet posts)

Lotions & Portions

I sometimes gaze longingly at cosmetic bottles in shops.

One of them just might contain the perfect elixir

that will fix my age or skin or hair.

The prettier the bottle, the more promise it holds.

While certain natural lotions & potions help me to take care of my physical self,

I'm allergic to most chemical scents & products...

Yet, & yet, I still sometimes gaze longingly...

Remember Ponce de Léon?

February Thoughts Turn to Travel

The Valentine Stuff is put away for another year (below), 

& the February light sparks me out of my frozen January frame of mind & body.

Thoughts turn to travel & movement. 

I have 3 favorite cities to which I LOVE to return (especially off season in March). 

I've posed the question to myself: "But what new places are there?" 

Dear Reader, I would love to hear YOUR answers for your favorite travel destinations.

A Cup of Valentines

 Valentine's, just for you! 

Rien que pour toi...

Illustrated Alphabet Part 3: O-T

F is for Fun. P is for Patience.

T is for Thank you for visiting & commenting.

Y is for Yay!! (I got to T!)

(Any favorites here, Dear Visitors?)