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Glass Oil Painting Painting Still Life

Balsamic Vinegar from Trader Joes

Balsamic Vinegar Bottles, Oil on Gessobord, 6x6"
Balsamic Vinegar Bottles, Oil on Gessobord, 6x6"

I love Trader Joe’s Balsamic Vinegar. It’s delicious as a salad dressing all by itself; it’s not too tart or bitter and has a pleasant, mild sweetness. I bought a second bottle to take to my office and when I saw them sitting side by side on the counter I thought they looked cute and wanted to paint them.

Then, just as I was nearly finished with the painting, the panel  popped off the easel, and seeming to be in slow motion, bounced off the brush holder  and landed on the floor, right side UP! I was so surprised, since nothing I drop ever lands right side up, but it did. I was really relieved and went back to doing some final touch ups.

The next thing I knew it was sailing through the air again, flipped, bounced twice, and finally hit the floor painted side DOWN this time. I was ready to get really sad, but amazingly there wasn’t too much damage. The biggest problem was the cat hair. I’d been meaning to vacuum sometime soon….

I touched up the areas that lost paint, picked out all the cat hair using a clean soft brush, wiped the paint off the floor and declared the painting done. I may work on it some more after it dries. But for now, it’s time to clean up, make dinner and then (ugh) do my taxes.

11 replies on “Balsamic Vinegar from Trader Joes”

I’m glad there’s a solution for animal hair–in my case, a curious little white dog. Such a lovely, effortless looking painting–adorable lids. Still experimenting with cool/hot reds, this time by placing them in proximity. Great purples.

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I have to say more about this interesting painting. Jana, I’d suggest you are going back to a favorite composition for you–the long block at the bottom like a threshold, the two large jars balanced on either side–their size gives authority. They “take dominion”. And in the middle, a simple, rather mysterious dark form–the L made by adjacent bottle sides–in this case emphasized by its closeness to white. This is a pattern you used last year, but now, it has more confidence and flexibility–any amount more.

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Thanks Chloe. Gosh, you seem to have better recall and awareness than I do about my paintings. You are such a good writer about art and I find it very helpful to see things through your eyes. Thanks for sharing these very thought-provoking ideas. Jana

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Nice piece. But, I think the painting was trying to tell you to stop messing around with it.
Love, Balsamic vinegar–good choice to paint. Haven’t tried Trader Joe’s though. –Merle

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Merle, Thanks for the laugh and wisdom at the same time. I’m going to remember that next time I start to overwork something–that the painting might just jump off the easel if I don’t stop! Jana

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You’ve done a great job advertising Trader Joe’s vinegar! I don’t think we have it here in the MidOhio Valley, but Im going to check online. I regularly use balsamic for salads.

Thanks too, for the helpful hint on getting cat hair out of a painting. I hadn’t thought of a soft brush.

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