Something new and exciting crept onto my dinner plate tonight. And it’s an exuberant yellow and orange.
Here’s the backstory. Maybe you won’t be so surprised if you have read More Joy.
There’s been a silver lining for me during this pandemic.
Over a year ago, my sister-in-law, Leslie, reached out and asked if I would be interested in taking an Ikebana class from her over zoom, which she was trying to teach with for the first time (as was everyone when the pandemic began). Ikebana is the Japanese art of flower arrangement. I jumped at the chance to study Ikebana with her! And I asked my friend Carin if she wanted to join in the fun. There’s 5 of us on zoom every Monday morning, including Leslie.
For years, I’ve admired Leslie’s Ikebana arrangements from afar since we never lived on the same coast, let alone the same city. Leslie took her first Ikebana class after college, when she lived in Japan with her husband Leigh, who was stationed there for a few years.
I have been deeply touched by this class, which could perhaps be described as a mini-addiction – only rivaled by my obsession with painting food.
During class, Leslie has wondered out loud several times how Ikebana was going to affect my painting. So have I.
I have painted flowers before in my pre-food years. They tend to be focused, single images. One of my favorite flower paintings is hanging in my daughter Bonnie‘s apartment. Purple is still her favorite color.
During my small 30 Day Painting Challenges, I interspersed flowers among my subjects. I have always enjoyed flowers and admired Georgia O’Keefe’s bold images since I was a kid. You can read more about each of my flower paintings below – Sunflower, Peony, and Tiger Lily.
When I recently spotted a clamshell package of brightly colored edible flowers at a new local grocery store, Mom’s Organics Market, on an impulse I bought it.
Soon I discovered how much fun it is to liven up the plate with different colors and textures, and to cluster the flowers together as I do in my Ikebana arrangements. I laughed out loud when I realized I was playing with my food – something we discouraged the kids from doing when they were little. And I was having such a good time!
At the moment, I don’t know how Ikebana will affect my future paintings and body of work. However, I am excited to see the two worlds of Flowers and Food finally come together on this unconventional purple canvas that we call a plate.
I think I’m ready to take a new bite out of life!
