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. La Régalade means “to pour liquid from a bottle down the throat without touching the…
writing
Still Life with Asparagus and Red Currants – A Poem
In the National Gallery of Art’s description of Still Life with Asparagus and Red Currants, it notes: “Whether depicting a bowl of cherries, an arrangement of exotic shells, or a bunch of asparagus, as in this small masterpiece, [Adriaen Coorte]…
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…
Cherries – A Poem
This project of mine, writing poems as a response to food-themed art, has the added benefit of making me more mindful of small things. Like cherries. They have associations beyond, well, cherries. I remembered Marcel Proust and his madeleines. They…
Figs – A Poem
Figs are one of my favourite fruit. When I was in Greece, I was thunderstuck by the amount of figs fallen to the footpaths from overhanging trees. Fallen figs were underfoot. All that gorgeous bounty, gone to waste. I was…
For the Cubists – A Poem
The artist here, Ben Benn was a pioneering modernist. Born in 1884 in what is now known as Ukraine, he migrated to America with his family and settled in New York, where he first exhibited in the early 1900s with…
Five Things I’ve Learned Writing This Blog
It’s been only nine months since I launched this baby, but it feels like a maternity! 👀 The right theme gives you enjoyment I was correct to invest in a theme from that aesthetically appealed to me. I enjoy the…
My Mother’s Garden – A Poem
The movies would have us believe that childhood is a series of adorable and wacky Home Alone moments. That’s why it’s the movies. It’s fantasy. The reality is usually simpler, and less spectacularly Christmasy. Looking back now, I never realised…
Jelly Shots and A Poem
I’ve only made these once, and every time I see this photo, I’m reminded of Covid lockdowns. These red, white and blue jelly shots were a novelty treat, enjoyed in September, 2021, to mark a football match. Our city was…
Afternoon Tea Revelation
When I was a child, my mother used to say to me (not unkindly), “Your eyes are too big for your stomach.” This was when I couldn’t finish something I’d served myself, especially ice-cream. I remember ice-cream headaches very well!…
More [Cowbell] Strawberries
After writing about the strawberry yoghurt trifle, I went hunting for more strawberries. Found this lovely nature poem. My Strawberry O marvel, fruit of fruits, I pauseTo reckon thee. I ask what causeSet free so much of red from heatsAt…
My Cowboy Toes – A Poem
As you may have seen, this site is full of recipes for my younger self. Which does imply a certain age. Not that there’s anything wrong with that. For some reason, even though we know it’s inevitable, getting older catches…
