Button Mushrooms
Oil painting on canvas
9" x 12"
Tuesday, July 21, 2015
Wednesday, July 15, 2015
Interview on The Other Stories podcast
The podcast interview between myself and Ilana Masad went live today at The Other Stories website:
http://www.theotherstories.org/episodes/episode-16-claire-by-mark-granlund/
The Other Stories is a project where Ilana interviews new and emerging writers and then they read one of their short stories. It was a fun interview with Iana, discussing my writing process, The Book of Bartholomew and elements of the story Claire, which I read during the interview. Check out my interview, and the other interesting interviews at The Other Stories.
Friday, July 10, 2015
Wednesday, July 8, 2015
Art Thought: Why I Paint Food
My latest series of paintings is of food. Some of the food is in good shape and ready to eat, while some is rotten or moldy or the image is of the part of the vegetable that we throw away.
I am creating this series for several reasons. One reason is that I am exploring food as an object. How do you create the pattern of carrot greens laying over each other? What is the true color of an eggplant that is rotting? What does it look like when a tomato ages and leaks juice onto the plate? So often we purchase a vegetable and then immediately place it in our refrigerators without really looking at them – appreciating them for their physical qualities. All too often, I have the pleasure to observe the changing shape of a rotting vegetable I find in the back of my refrigerator.
Another reason I am painting food is it is fun. Food is fun. On days when I do not have to be anywhere, I like pancakes, sausages and eggs for breakfast. Making pancakes makes me feel free, like the day is special. I'm not sure if I have ever seen a painting of pancakes before. They are a fascinating thing to paint with the varying tones of brown in the middle and the batter-colored edge of the disk. And eggs, how do you show the color of egg yolk underneath a thin layer of egg white? I find certain foods to be fun, and the challenge of painting them fun as well.
I also paint food because it is such an intricate part of being human. We eat, on average, three meals a day. That is a lot of food, a lot of decisions, and at times, a lot of cooking. Our bodies depend on that food. Most of the cells in our bodies replenish themselves every few months. Where does the nutrients, vitamins and proteins come from to create those cells? Food. There is no way around it. If you want to live healthy, if you want strength and vitality, if you want balance in your life, you need to eat food. The healthier the food the better your body will work.
But our relationship to food has become so complicated, because it is such an intricate part of being human. We have a tendency to think of food as something separate from ourselves. There is a sense that as long as we put something in our bellies, especially things that taste good or make us feel good, our body will use that to maintain itself. But many things that we consume can not be digested or used by our bodies. Some things are actually detrimental to our health – even though someone else is telling us that it is healthy. In these paintings I am also exploring this complicated relationship with food.
What is the difference between eating fresh caught rainbow trout and fish-sticks? Physically, aesthetically, and socially? Why do we need an apple, the Arctic Apple, that does not brown when cut? Why do we need to pump chemicals into our environment in order to produce food? These are all questions and concerns that also inform this series of paintings.
I would love your feedback as I display images of my paintings here and invite you to come to any shows I will have.
I am creating this series for several reasons. One reason is that I am exploring food as an object. How do you create the pattern of carrot greens laying over each other? What is the true color of an eggplant that is rotting? What does it look like when a tomato ages and leaks juice onto the plate? So often we purchase a vegetable and then immediately place it in our refrigerators without really looking at them – appreciating them for their physical qualities. All too often, I have the pleasure to observe the changing shape of a rotting vegetable I find in the back of my refrigerator.
Another reason I am painting food is it is fun. Food is fun. On days when I do not have to be anywhere, I like pancakes, sausages and eggs for breakfast. Making pancakes makes me feel free, like the day is special. I'm not sure if I have ever seen a painting of pancakes before. They are a fascinating thing to paint with the varying tones of brown in the middle and the batter-colored edge of the disk. And eggs, how do you show the color of egg yolk underneath a thin layer of egg white? I find certain foods to be fun, and the challenge of painting them fun as well.
I also paint food because it is such an intricate part of being human. We eat, on average, three meals a day. That is a lot of food, a lot of decisions, and at times, a lot of cooking. Our bodies depend on that food. Most of the cells in our bodies replenish themselves every few months. Where does the nutrients, vitamins and proteins come from to create those cells? Food. There is no way around it. If you want to live healthy, if you want strength and vitality, if you want balance in your life, you need to eat food. The healthier the food the better your body will work.
But our relationship to food has become so complicated, because it is such an intricate part of being human. We have a tendency to think of food as something separate from ourselves. There is a sense that as long as we put something in our bellies, especially things that taste good or make us feel good, our body will use that to maintain itself. But many things that we consume can not be digested or used by our bodies. Some things are actually detrimental to our health – even though someone else is telling us that it is healthy. In these paintings I am also exploring this complicated relationship with food.
What is the difference between eating fresh caught rainbow trout and fish-sticks? Physically, aesthetically, and socially? Why do we need an apple, the Arctic Apple, that does not brown when cut? Why do we need to pump chemicals into our environment in order to produce food? These are all questions and concerns that also inform this series of paintings.
I would love your feedback as I display images of my paintings here and invite you to come to any shows I will have.
Tuesday, June 16, 2015
Wednesday, June 10, 2015
Oil Painting : I Loved You, It Was Hard
Here is my painting that will be in Groveland Gallery's summer show: Love Letters from Artists, curated by Peter Kramer. The show opens, with a reception, on June 12 and has a closing party on August 15. Below are the details from the gallery's website.
Love Letters from Artists
Invitational Group Show
Opening Reception: June 12, 5-8 p.m.Closing Party: August 15, 2-5 p.m.
Calling himself the “Curator of Love Letters,” St. Paul architect and artist Peter Kramer invited over 75 local artists, writers, art enthusiasts, musicians, teachers and creative minds to send a love letter to the gallery. Invitees were encouraged to “paint, weave, paste, fold and print what’s in their hearts,” promising a unique exhibition that celebrates the tradition of writing and receiving letters.
Monday, June 8, 2015
The Book of Bartholomew and The Other Stories
I had the great pleasure the other morning of being interviewed by Ilana from The Other Stories. The Other Stories is a great website that shares an unpublished short story from a writer each week. Ilana interviews the writer and then the writer reads his story. At this point in time there are ten stories at the site. Its great to hear the writer speaking about their inspirations, writing habits, and their particular story. One of my short stories from The Book of Bartholomew will be podcasted on The Other Stories later in June or early in July. My short story is Claire. It takes place in a chicken coop in Claire's parent's backyard. Claire is commiserating with Henrietta, a chicken - except Henrietta's concerns are a bit more drastic than Claire's.
I will post the date it will be podcasted and, who knows, I might throw a podcast party. Stay tuned.
I will post the date it will be podcasted and, who knows, I might throw a podcast party. Stay tuned.
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