New Potatoes

This is one of the rare paintings I’ve done
which qualifies for two categories.
It’s both a candidate for the Recipe Series and for the Garden Graces Series.

There have been several incarnations of initial sketches for this one over the years.
The final composition actually was spot on as a blend of them all.

My hope was to be able to grow the leeks as well as the potatoes
and strut with garden cred pride.
Alas, the Allium Leaf Miner flew into my yard a few years ago
and declared war on anything I tried to grow in the allium family.

Garlic, onions, leeks…poof.

With an organic approach there was not much in my arsenal that worked to eradicate them until …
the netting.
I’m talking serious dedicated covering.

Since garlic is planted in the fall
I leave it alone until February
then secure the netting over the entire bed.
This year’s attempt handled the snow and hail
and held up all the way to the scape harvest in May.

I had two large beds planted in garlic
and I’m that chuffed to report that 100% of those bulbs
are now seasoning in the greenhouse.

With that success behind me I am ready to tackle leeks…
next year
when all the construction is finished
and the puppy who loves to dig is under control
and I can devote time to careful planting and tending.

The Ruth Stout garden is transitioning into basically a giant potato bed.
They love the rich soil that the repeated dressing of hay mulch is building.
This year’s drought arrested their development some
but I was pleased to see that there were enough new potatoes
to make the traditional summer batch of Vichyssoise.

The easter egg hunt feel of harvesting potatoes
by  simply pulling back the blanket of hay
is so satisfying
that I am on my second batch of soup
and August has just begun.

The pitcher was a funny twist the Muses threw at me.
Back when I was imaging one of the first incarnations of this composition
I wanted to represent the cream somehow
and saw one of those cow vessels and thought it would be perfect.

So late one night I surfed through Ebay and found this one
and clicked right away.
Probably paid top dollar and then some because I am an impatient auction bidder.

When it arrived
it was much bigger than I thought.
I was going for some demure cream pitcher size
but, as I say,
the Muses had other plans.
I was going to fool them and shrink it down
with some sharp pencils
and artistic license.

But when it came time to arrange the still life on my kitchen table
with the new apprentice offering suggestions
for where to place each of those spuds…
(I removed the puppy teeth marks in the actual painting)

…well
I actually did like the statement that the large format cow was making.
They seem to have gotten the balance just right
again.

PS-
Maggie wants me to tell you
that she helped tie the chives in a bundle.
(show off)

PPS –
AND… I’m suppose to tell you that the little felt heart was her contribution.
I actually was wandering the studio
looking for something that might,
if ever so loosely,
represent the chicken broth.

In the process of that Herself brought me the tiny heart
and asked what it was from.
This was the second one we found so I knew.

Maggie got a little puppy puzzle house complete with baby chicks at easter.
Yes, I know, and I’ve gotten plenty of slack for it
but it has become her favorite game…so there.

Here is a photo of the last of the fully intact chicks
and you’ll see where that precious little heart came from.

Our precious little Muse in training.