A light Danish snack, rendered in pastel. The bread should be thickly buttered and there should be smoked herring and sliced ham in the picture, but you get the concept. The beverage is Akvavit, the potent Scandinavian spirit flavored with caraway. It’s best served syrupy-thick straight from the freezer, preferably alongside smoked herring and buttered bread. The red currents are called “ribes” in Danish, purchased just yesterday from the foodie paradise Torvehallerne, which is a permanent farm market in the heart of Copenhagen and our favorite weekly shopping trip. Pardon me while I sip this akvavit. Pastel on sanded Artspectrum paper, 14″ x 16″.
This is such a beautiful work – classic European, maybe the subject matter encourages that sensation! (Do you call a pastel work a painting or a drawing – I am never sure!)
Thank you, anna warren. I think the European influence here is about two parts culture and one part hunger. The elements in the painting have been consumed, by the way. I’d call this a painting, since the entire sheet is covered with pigment. The pieces in graphite and pastel would be called mixed media drawings. Good question!
Drawing The Motmot 
This is such a beautiful work – classic European, maybe the subject matter encourages that sensation! (Do you call a pastel work a painting or a drawing – I am never sure!)
Thank you, anna warren. I think the European influence here is about two parts culture and one part hunger. The elements in the painting have been consumed, by the way. I’d call this a painting, since the entire sheet is covered with pigment. The pieces in graphite and pastel would be called mixed media drawings. Good question!