When I was a kid, sometimes my mom made stuffed bell peppers for dinner. I wasn't a super fan, as the cooked peppers tasted weird to my kid palette.

Luckily, my taste buds grew up and I have since come to enjoy them. (Sorry mom.)

 

 

I was intrigued to come across these sun-dried strands of eggplants, peppers and other summer garden surplus. I was in Istanbul and learned during a tour about the deep cultural roots of eating seasonally and close to the garden. And as every gardener knows, once the summer starts producing, it's like a fully open fire hose.

 

 

The closer I look at these strands of eggplants and peppers, the more beautiful they seem to me. The vibrant colors of the fresh produce mellow and soften as they dry in the sun.

 

 

Here's a bit of art-play from a photo I took of dried vegetable strands I saw in a visit to Istanbul, Turkey. I used a light hand in digitally marbling it to preserve the delicate colors of eggplants and peppers.

 

 

Usually, I like to find a bold graphic element in my art, but this inspiration photo insisted that I use a different approach. So I listened and created this delicate approach to defining the eggplants and peppers that I saw on a open-air market visit in Istanbul, Turkey.

 

 

Whenever I am an art gallery or museum, I love to look at the art from different perspectives.

Yes, I am that person who stands on the other side of the room and then eights inches away from the art. It always surprises me how the art changes when you do this.

Details, details, details. Everything looks so different when you view is from different perspectives.

Huh. . . this can apply to lots of things. 

 

 

Chilling and relaxing in this calm space. Time to reflect on all the good work you've done in the garden of your life and refresh yourself.

Now you can see that "Eggplants and Peppers" is a celebration of when bounties of hard work come to fruition.