Picnic
Picnic is the newest piece in my "Safe and Well" series. I selected this image because it showed a family enjoying a picnic together. Food and family are important elements of feeling safe and well. Those of us who are fortunate enough to have access to seasonal fresh food are able to support our health each day. The reference photo is shown above the completed piece.
I changed many things. I didn't want the viewer's eye to instantly go to the red water pitcher or the pale blue dress in the center of the image. I simplified the people and the background, using muted colors. I wanted the ethnicity of the people to be ambiguous. I removed two of the people, changed the color of the table, and gave the plates of food a more starring role by using some red, white, and orange. The appealing composition and the posture of the girls are retained.
I have talked in other blog posts about how important it is to keep the good parts and edit out the unimportant or distracting parts. I have seldom copied a reference photo exactly. This is more and more true as time goes by. Making changes is the fun part!
Fabrics were fused and machine appliqued to a green fabric that formed my quilt top. I then did simple machine quilting around the largest areas and people. I added a swoop of quilting across the image about one-third of the way up from the bottom edge. I saw this swoop in my mind's eye and decided to follow along! This is subtle, but adds interest to the art, and suggests fresh air and movement.
Here is another detail showing mother and daughter.
All is well in this candid portrait of a picnic. Father and baby, water and food, sun and shade. Below are other candid portraits that fit into my Safe and Well series.
I usually give a recipe at the end of each blog post, but today I am going to give you a nudge instead. Eat a lot of greens! Think of meat as a condiment. Eat fermented foods such as kimchi, sauerkraut, kefir, yogurt, kombucha, and pickles. Build meals around greens, beans, quinoa, and sweet potatoes. Avoid all processed foods. Avoid sugar! You may love the taste of sugar, but it feeds the bad bacteria in your gut. The good bacteria are happy with greens, nuts and seeds, and fermented foods.
