I wanted to paint a tribute to the bakers of the pandemic. I asked my niece, Hallie, of the Wordy Baker blog, to pose a reference photo for me and the painting became a lot more: a tribute to baker Hallie, to kanelbolle, a kind of Scandinavian cinnamon roll, and to our Norwegian heritage. She is wearing an ethnic costume that she made, and I put a scene that I took from the window of Oslo City Hall in the background. I felt like I was on the right track when I kept getting hungry every time I worked on this painting. The Joy of Cooking has a term I like for fancy baked goods: “…Begin, if you like, with a loaf of whole wheat, which requires neither sifting nor kneading, and go on from there to more cunning triumphs”. Hallie’s blog post on how to make kanelbolle is here. I haven’t tried it yet, but the next time I want to be triumphant about something, I think that is a good candidate.
This painting by Lona Powell is sensitive and wonderful on so many levels. Living in Oregon, I’m feeling fortunate that a dear friend took time to show me her artwork online. I then started following her on FB.
Lona Powell has been doing the most remarkable watercolors, daily journaling the pandemic since the very beginning.
Her chronicling FB posts have genuinely been helpful in sustaining my mood.
Each of her enlightened entries ends with the statement, “Thank you for Everything. I have No Complaints Whatsoever.”
Lona so graciously shares her humble humanity within the brilliance of each and every inspiring illustration.
If she lived in Oregon, undoubtedly, The Oregonian would be covering her story and promoting her artwork.