Thursday, October 10, 2013

Raiding the Garden for Color.



There are no flowers,
none.
An early Frost took them all. 



Tucked under a frozen Aubergine Plant I found the largest Eggplant I have ever seen. 





Pears and Apples survived the frost and are now preserved for winter months. 






And I have been painting tiles for a new country kitchen.





 Color can be found in the most unexpected places. 

Have a wonderful remainder of the week my dear 
Blogging Friends. 

Gina 



28 comments:

  1. With the rose hips as my ruler - that is INDEED one very large eggplant! I remember how amazing it would be that a zucchini could hide from me when I had been checking the plants every other day! So are you preserving your "giant" or having guests over for an end of the year eggplant lasagne party!!!

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    1. Dear Mary, We are going to eat that large Aubergine all by ourselves. Won't need to worry about adding anything else.

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  2. I forgot to mention that your tiles are beautiful (that is such a cliché, I wish I could come up with a better word but I guess I haven't had enough coffee, yet!) and that someone will be enjoying looking at those fruits & animals for many years!

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    1. My clients were very specific about the kind of animals they wanted. Each animal had a meaning for them. I look forward to receiving a picture once it is installed.

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  3. Dear Gina, what a great kissing couple on your jar and the tiles turned out beautifully. I am always drawn to your colors in your paintings
    and your photography. You have such a special talent and I consider myself quite fortunate to have the most beautiful plates painted by you.
    So glad the apples survived the frost and you now have delicious preserves. Greetings, Sieglinde

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    1. Dear Sieglinde, Thank you so very much for your lovely compliment.
      I painted that jar a few years ago. The shape of the jar is called an Albarello or Albarelli (plural). It is a drug jar, usually made without a lid and covered with parchment paper, or leather and tied with string. You can still find them in Italian Apothecaries, lined up on top of a shelf. They were first made in the 15th century.

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  4. I love your eggplant, preserves and tiles (as always), but I'm really curious about that fabulous painted marble. I think that's a subject for a posting of its own!

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    1. OK Mark, this "marble" piece was painted in 5 minutes, just before I took the pictures.
      On a large, black and heavy paper poster board (the kind photographers use for backdrops) with large brush add green acrylic paint. While still wet and with torn pieces of different sized cardboard swirl the paint around, making very small and larger circles.
      If you want to do a really good job study a piece of malachite and imitate the configurations. It's soooo easy. I will follow up with instructions on a future blog post.

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    2. I look forward to that — it appears to be a very successful process!

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    3. Hello Mark, I'm gathering the paint.

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  5. Hi from Prague Gina - it's very colorful here and the trees are changing as the nights are cooling.
    Wow, that's some aubergine - bet it would win at the State Fair!!!!
    The chard (or perhaps kale?) makes a fabulous decoration along with the the rose hips. Lovely pics.
    Home soon -
    Hugs - Mary

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    1. Hello Mary from Prague. How nice of you to comment. Have been enjoying your beautiful photographs of Buda Pest, Vienna and Prague.
      You are right, the large leaves are Swiss Chard. Amazing that they are still holding their shape after several days in water.

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  6. What a glorious riot of color! And the artistic props and backgrounds are marvelous. Oh, I spotted a rabbit tile that I would dearly love to have! You are quite a talented artist. Thank you for joining in the challenge and bringing a creative spirit!

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    1. Hello Donna, Nothing could be easier than you owning that rabbit tile. Thank you for stopping by and leaving a comment.

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  7. I love the colours in the first photo and the labels on your jars. Very nice painted tiles, the kitchen will look awesome.

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    1. Hello Lavender Cottage, With printers and computers making colorful labels is a breeze. Thank you for your visit.

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  8. Nice and colorful shots! I'm crazy about light and color...You did a wonderful job of both!
    hughugs

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  9. Thank you Donna, that is a very nice compliment. My eye always goes to color although there is something so appealing about a quiet and serene color combination.

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  10. These photos are full such rich color - as the very best food always is. That's a monster aubergine/eggplant! Have fun cooking it.

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    1. Hello Lorrie, We baked it and it was delicious. Thank you for your visit. It is very much appreciated.

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  11. That eggplant photo should be a painting! I always love how your photos are so rich and reminiscent of a baroque painting. Ok, you can go back to your painting now. :)

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    1. Dear Theresa, Vegetables make for interesting subjects. I have always been drawn to color. I'm looking forward to seeing your next project. ox, Gina

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  12. It's hard to believe you've already had frost, Gina, but as I look out the window here, leaves are beginning to drift down. We seldom get very hard frosts and often not until February. Last year we really didn't have much of a winter, which I'm not complaining about!

    Your tiles for the country kitchen are so charming – I love the squirrel!

    Wishing you a great weekend.

    G

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    1. Dear Geogianna, This is the time of year when I want to pack up for a few months and bypass this cruel weather. I see photographs of your beautiful roses and I am envious. There are many wonderful reasons for living here, just can't think of them right now. Enjoy your wonderful weather. ox, Gina

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  13. There are lots of readers who are going to be very envious of your handpainted tiles. Can't wait to see the kitchen.

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    1. Hello Lulu, Thank you for your visit and comment. I was told that the tiles arrived, all in one piece.

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  14. You are painting those tiles? How talented you are....they are beautiful! Enjoy your week and your projects! Hugs!

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    1. Hello Lavender Dreamer. Thank you for your very nice compliment. Yes I have painted hundreds of tiles. My Etsy shop has many examples of my hand painted ceramics. At the top of my blog you will see a link to my shop. Thank you for stopping by.

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