GOT taste for art? One painter is cooking up a picture project with a difference.
Wigtown local Hope London will not only create 16 still-life works, she’ll also chop, grate and boil her fruit and vegetable subjects into edible creations, gathering these recipes into a new cook book.
The three-part project – part of the annual Spring Fling art event in Dumfries and Galloway – is inspired by the work of engineer-turned-gardener Mel Bartholomew, who argues that plots of 16 sq ft are a sufficient size to grow enough to feed a person.
Each of the paintings will measure 16 sq ft in keeping with that inspiration.
London hopes the project, which will see the paintings shown at Wigtown’s Shoots and Leaves vegetarian and vegan cafe from May 25-27, will help raise interest in growing and cooking take root amongst viewers.
The former lawyer, whose studio nearby will also be open to visitors, has been scouring gardens and farm shops for ingredients with the right look.
She said: “It’s really been fun going into shops and looking round friends’ gardens to find fruit and vegetables of character for these portraits. There have been bunches of dirty carrots, onions of all colours, turnips, pumpkins and sprouts.
“The carrots ended up as a lovely soup.”
London, originally from America, went on: “I’m not a vegetarian myself, but it’s been a wonderful experience to try out all sorts of new recipes and to write them down for other people to enjoy.
“I think it’s really valuable for us to think about where our food comes from, about issues like sustainability, and about how we can grow some of our own food.
“On a conceptual level, I wanted to create a bold, physical representation of 16 sq ft so people can see what can be achieved in such a small space.”
Joanna Macaulay, events and exhibitions manager for organisers Upland community interest company, said: “Hope is just one example of the many imaginative, unusual and inspiring visual artists and craft makers in every part of Dumfries and Galloway who are taking part in Spring Fling.
“There’s a huge amount to see and do and we are really looking forward to welcoming visitors to enjoy a bank holiday break in Dumfries and Galloway.”
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