The Evolution of Cutlery

From the shell to the spork-have we really come that far?

Another random sketch. The prompt was cutlery. Still catching up on my Every Day in May.

Forks were once considered immoral. Here's a quote from an article by Chad Ward:

Imagine the astonishment then when in 1004 Maria Argyropoulina, Greek niece of Byzantine Emperor Basil II, showed up in Venice for her marriage to Giovanni, son of the Pietro Orseolo II, the Doge of Venice, with a case of golden forks—and then proceeded to use them at the wedding feast. They weren’t exactly a hit. She was roundly condemned by the local clergy for her decadence, with one going so far as to say, “God in his wisdom has provided man with natural forks—his fingers. Therefore it is an insult to him to substitute artificial metal forks for them when eating.”

When Argyropoulina died of the plague two years later, Saint Peter Damian, with ill-concealed satisfaction, suggested that it was God’s punishment for her lavish ways. “Nor did she deign to touch her food with her fingers, but would command her eunuchs to cut it up into small pieces, which she would impale on a certain golden instrument with two prongs and thus carry to her mouth. . . . this woman’s vanity was hateful to Almighty God; and so, unmistakably, did He take his revenge. For He raised over her the sword of His divine justice, so that her whole body did putrefy and all her limbs began to wither.”

Doomed by God for using a fork. Life was harsh in the 11th century.

Read more at http://leitesculinaria.com/1157/writings-the-uncommon-origins-of-the-common-fork.html#LTxdpXQ6yilFIDAP.99

A Nature walk may include lightning!

It started out under the freeway by the sewage treatment plant and right across the river from the railroad yard. A dream come true, you say? But wait! There's more! Meanwhile, here are my results from our nature walk this afternoon. Catching up with Day 28 in my EDIM Sketchbook.

We went on a nature walk to Spencer Island today. The clouds grew darker, the wind came up. We stopped at Langus park nearby, where I laid out my collection on the picnic table to sketch. The wind blew them off the table twice. As we retreated to the car, we saw lightning strike in the sky behind the bridge. Sketches finished on the counter at home!

Finally did a new Periscope today!

My goal this week is to fill in all the blank sketchbook pages that I missed in the Every Day in May challenge. Yes, I do realize that we are halfway through June already.  The time/space continuum cracked and I fell through......but I'm back!

My finished sketch from the live demo today. 

So in a huge multitasking effort I
1. did a new Periscope broadcast (see replay if you missed it)
2. while showing a DIY pen hack
3. while drawing an EDM sketch that I missed on 5-18-16
4. while chatting a bit and catching up with art friends.

All during lunch hour today!

So if I stay in this dimension/universe, I will be doing more live art scopes, more often but shorter ones, while catching up with my sketchbook.

Thank you so much everyone who watched live! I missed you, too! Thank you for watching the replay if you missed it live.

Let me know here or on Instagram what time works for you and I will try to plug in some of those extra Periscopes just for you.

Catching up on my EDIM Sketches-Day 11

A bucket-Day 11 of EDM-I finally have time to catch up on some of the "daily" sketches for the month of May.
My #periscope Broadcasts have been few and far between, which I mean to remedy, starting tomorrow, Thursday.

Here are a few progressive shots. 

This bucket came from an antique shop. A similar one is in the shed. It was used by my husband's grandmother to milk the cows on her farm in Arkansas.  

EDM - Day 9

Someone you love and/or admire

The love of my life

EDM - Day 8

Boots

Micron pen, Tombow dual brush pen, black ink waterbrush, watercolor

I'm smiling to myself as I sketch these boots. I wore them to my watercolor class recently, because I needed something comfortable to patrol the room during an intensive and active series of timed drills that I assigned to my students. One student said, "From now on, if I see you wearing those boots I'm going to run the other way!" I'm happy to report that everyone survived and actually outdid themselves.

EDM - Day 7

A Gadget Used for Cleaning

iRobot-My little sweeper roams around the hardwood floors, vacuuming up dust and crumbs, bumping gently into chairs and doorways. Undismayed, he nonchalantly backs up and simply pirouettes to continue in another direction. Invisible rays emanate from the two white towers, fooling him into thinking a wall is there. He makes a quarter turn and on he goes until he reaches my area rug with a dark border. He thinks it's a cliff and stops dead in his tracks. I let him think it over for a few moments and then send him back to recharge at his battery dock. 

EDM-Day 6

A Timepiece

I never wear a watch anymore. 

EDM - Day 5

Something seen in a park

My sketch kit on the bench of the British phone booth garden seat.

Jennings Memorial Park in Marysville, WA, has developed into a wonderful place for the community. There is a playground, a small fishing pond, the original Jennings Barn, an amphitheater and a Master Gardeners' garden. In the garden, there are various rooms with appropriate plantings. The English Cottage Garden is getting some color now and the most colorful object there is a garden seat made to look like a British telephone booth. That's my sketch bag on the bench.

An arbor leads into the English Cottage Garden at Jennings Park

EDM -Day 4

A Game

So let's start with a guessing game. Can you guess the game I illustrated here for the Every Day in May Challenge?

Tip: Mine is related to the truly "old school" version of the game that actually goes back to the Han dynasty. The new version of the game is the subject of an episode of the American sitcom The Big Bang Theory in 2008 (as rock-paper-scissors-lizard-Spock).

EDM Day 1

I have accepted the "Every Day in May" challenge to draw something each day from now to the end of the month. 31 drawings in 31 days. I will post them on my Flickr Photostream here.

This plastic bath toy floats on his back and flutters his feet when you wind him up. All our grandchildren have played in the bath with this little swimmer.

Get Ready for Every Day in May drawing challenge!

I know there are quite a few people out there who have committed to a drawing challenge where they are making a sketch a day for the entire year! Keep it up! You are already 1/3 of the way there!

For those of us who need a challenge a bit more within immediate reach, how about committing to a sketch a day for the month of May? That's 31 sketches more than you have right now!

That's the list from Janet Burns

Don't forget to check out the daily uploads at EDM Every Day in May on Flickr. Get a Flickr account, join the group and upload yours!

See you May 1st on Flickr! Follow the link and look back at my EDM for 2015.

EDiM 25 - An apron or something you wear as cover during messy activities

Gary's Garden Gloves

Although there are a few aprons hanging on the easel in a corner of my studio, I was inspired by my husband's garden gloves. He needed to run back to the store for more gardening supplies, so I pulled up the garbage can as my temporary easel and sketched this. Just as I found it. It's a messy activity.

Update: I've been Explored! This is the third painting of mine that has been invited by Flickr to be included in the Explore Group!   I am honored. Over 2,556 views and counting!

EDiM 20 - Your Wallet/Billfold

After I started sketching in more urban areas, I decided to get a compact wallet. It's one that has a shield for cards that have RFID. It holds my credit cards, ORCA pass, and a few bills, but not so good for change.
I picked the one that looks like Vincent Van Gogh's painting of the Irises. Good choice for an artist, eh?

EDiM 19 - A Cupcake

What can I say? Strawberry whipped cream frosting on a chocolate cupcake with chocolate shavings and a fresh strawberry on top.

EDiM 18 - Lipstick/lip gloss

"Pour yourself a drink, put on some lipstick, and pull yourself together," - Elizabeth Taylor
I think Liz and the Red Queen would have either got along famously....or would have gone down in flames together.

EDiM 16 - Ingredients for a Favorite Recipe

My take on Mom's Waldorf Salad

Ingredients for a Favorite Recipe
About this time of year, my family would have a family picnic in the park near where my grandparents lived. Grandma would make potato salad with homemade mayonnaise and my mother would make her Waldorf Salad.

I made my own version of Mom's Waldorf salad today and reminisced.

EDiM 15-Something you could throw/give away

"Throw" pillows, literally!

These pillows are probably the softest, most comfortable ones in our family room. On each occasion of serious TV watching, however, the tassels have been coming apart, losing their threads a little at a time. A few more adjustments, plumping, and scrunching of these pillows, and the last two tassels will look as threadbare as the rest.  Time to get some new pillows. (Not to mention a change of decor being long overdue!)

EdiM 14 - Something You Use Every Day

I simply couldn't choose just one, so I sketched both my iPad and my sketch kit. I use them both every day to make and publish my artwork. Actually there are three things that I carry with me and use daily. My phone is the third in this trio of essentials.

Note: I have been so busy this past week and upcoming schedule is just as jammed; so even if I sketch each day, I may not be able to post until my calendar clears up a bit. At this very moment, I am prepping for a two day workshop I am teaching at Kirkland Arts Center this coming weekend.

EDiM 13 - The last thing you bought

You know when you run out of something, so you go to the store to pick it up, and halfway home you realize that those two bags of groceries in the trunk contain everything BUT the thing you went to the store to get in the first place? Well, I stopped by 7-11 on the way home and I bought this.

 

Anybody see the problem here? Almost gone already. Now I have to go back for more. Hope I remember what I went for when I get there. Arrgh!