There’s something cheeky about this trompe l’oeil painting, that seems to suggest someone’s raided the pantry for a little nightcap. From the Art Institute Chicago description: “In Just Dessert, the exotic clashes with the quotidian—Maraschino liqueur, half a coconut, and Smyrna figs…
food
A Cosey Corner – A Poem
What’s interesting about this painting is that it’s a blend of the English, and the American. The Met tells us that American Frank Millet (1846-1912) lived in the Cotswolds for a time, and his home was a transatlantic centre for…
The Kitchen Servants – A Poem
There’s more going on in this painting than at first appears. From The Met description: “Sorgh inflects a domestic scene with the art of still life. Two maids clean fish and peel vegetables in the foreground, surrounded by gleaming brass…
The Fair – A Poem
The Fair Drums.Dance.Monkey.Paris dreamsIn evening haze.He offers Eve a ripened pearand couples everywhere turn to each other and kiss. ©elsp 2025 If you’re interested in the form of the poem, it’s a Fib. More on Fibonacci poetry here. More of…
A Roman Feast – A Poem
My first prompt for “A Roman Feast” was the image at the very bottom of the page of a Roman serving vessel. I began to imagine what was actually served in it – which led to peacock, snails and dormice….
Moist Meatballs – Princes not Paupers
So, you know the story of Prince and the Pauper? They swapped places for a day. Well, minced/ground meat, (which some might consider the pauper of meats), should be treated like a prince on meatball days. Why? Because moist meatballs…
Break The Cycle – A Poem
The Art Institute Chicago tells us that this painting is from a much larger portrait of a family that Manet decided to cut into sections, not all of which have survived. It was not the only time Manet decided to…
Strawberries, Nuts, &c. – A Poem
Riddle Me This How is it possible –Orange, so fresh the leaf is intactRuby-red strawberries that if wild would collapseTogether with nuts and raisins, to beIn the same still life in a nineteenth centuryComposition? What, summer and winter?Unless, if not…
Sprinkle and Drizzle Meditation
I’ve been posting these videos for several months over on Bluesky for a bit of fun. For technical reasons, I decided the best way to compile and share is through YouTube. I’m slowly building up the library on YouTube (slowly…
Merchant’s Wife and Chocolate – A Poem
In The Merchant’s Wife poem, I continue my poeticised response to “food-related” art, specifically in this painting as to what they may be having for breakfast or morning tea. If you’d like a close-up of the painting, click on “source”…
Still Life with Ham – A Poem
I love the challenge of ekphrastic poetry, responding to works of art with words. This is the start of a series of poetry posts, some more serious than others, in which I engage on food-related themes. I ensure all the…
Honeycomb & Fudge Vanilla Ice Cream Cake
Well, the internet hole I fell down this time was trying to find a worldwide term for honeycomb (honeycomb candy, hokey pokey, cinder toffee, sponge candy … sea foam?) Hey, I said, honeycomb – not honey! And what everyone in…
