Oops – Making Pickles

Did the image in that last post look familiar? Here’s what you were supposed to see! It may sound odd, but cooking, interior design and gardening – even getting dressed – and, yes, painting, are all similar to me. What I mean is they flow from the same creative process.

In all cases, I’m dreaming up ways to put together disparate pieces and colors to create a certain energy, look, or mood. For example, I freely mix and match plants in my garden, the main criterion being masses of color from early March through late October. Complements – cool violet-blue and warm orange-yellow, for example, as in this painting – play a huge role in my landscape, as they do when I paint.

The same colorful approach applies to my cooking, from the food itself to the plate it’s on. Luckily, a wellness rule of thumb says the more colors in your diet (fruits and veggies), the healthier it is. Getting a farm share has forced my hand on this, as I’m constantly having to invent new ways to use up veggies. Making pickles, my new favorite thing to do with all the cucumbers, is what brought on this blog idea – and gave me a reason to use a red Fiestaware plate.

Sadly, the season is ending for both the cucumbers and the Monarch butterflies in my garden. The memories of those colorful meals linger, as do the paintings of spectacular visitors on my butterfly bushes.