THE ART OF COINCIDENCE

Sunshine In a Bowl
by Judy Westergard
Oil on canvas
Available as giclee reprint through
FineArtAmerica.com

I’ve been struck lately by the number of coincidences in my life. (I know...there are those who insist there’s no such thing as “coincidence.” But this is my blog so I get to call it what I want.) This morning’s star crossing was particularly unexpected. I was in the process of printing out some cards....wait; I’d best back up a bit.
A few months ago Donna Tabbert Long, food and travel writer, photographer, and good friend, kindly gave me permission to interpret in oils four of her photographs of Meyer lemons. Still lifes aren't my forte but Donna’s photos really grabbed my attention. The paintings turned out better than I’d hoped. (Could it be that the half dozen Meyer lemons I’d purchased and sliced, their scent filling my studio, made a difference?)
Now we can return to this morning. Paintings finished, photographed, framed, ready for the short drive to my studio, but that would mean getting out of my pj’s. Uh uh. Not ready for that. Gotta find a reason to procrastinate a bit longer. An idea -- print greeting cards of the paintings for Donna! Load new ink and good paper into printer. Adjust image size. Set paper size, place images, hit “print.” High quality prints take a while on an inkjet, so off to pour another mug of dark roast and grab the morning paper. Open to the Strib's Taste section. And there, in an article at the bottom of page T1, is a photo of my painting! A second look and I realize it’s Donna’s original photo along with her article about cooking with Meyer lemons.
What fun to see the full circle, from original photos to paintings to photos of paintings to original photo! Now if she’d only get some great pics of chocolate.... On second thought, maybe not. What made lemon paintings work was my having filled my studio with the scent of those exquisite lemons. It might work with chocolate, but I suspect that even before I'd laid out my paints, that which was intended as sensory inspiration instead would be sacrificed as edible sustenance. Best stick to citrus.
(BTW, Donna’s article is in the January 22, 2009 issue of the Minneapolis Star Tribune. Her blogs are listed at the left under “Writers and Artists Worth Looking At.” Definitely worth your time if you’re a foodie who appreciates good writing.)