When Peter took a look at it, he was wondering about the little slits at the top of many of the leaves. Does it really look like that? In his mind, he didn't imagine those notches and slits. And truthfully, an artichoke fresh off the produce truck will have leaves more uniformly green and packed tight to the core. But this artichoke has been around a while. It had some age on it when I bought it. Such character!
Well, now that I'm almost done with the painting, I can tell you a little bit more about the humble artichoke. This funky thing that we eat is actually the unopened immature flower bud of a large plant that can grow to four or five feet tall and wide! The spiny, pointed, green bracts (they look like leaves, but they are not technically called leaves) surround the hidden flower parts. The base of each bract and the large fleshy base or receptacle (artichoke “heart”) on which the flower and bracts are borne are fleshy and edible, as you well know. If the buds are allowed to mature and open, the resulting flowers are quite attractive, large, and fragrant. They look like huge purple thistles (not surprising, since they are related!). They are native to the Mediterranean, but they can now be grown in many regions, including Virginia! Thomas Jefferson grew them successfully at Monticello, by the way.
Before I race off to have it framed, I will add the latin name, Cynara scolymus. I think that adds a certain sophistication, don't you? Enjoy!
Love it! And I can see it hanging in my kitchen! Such beautiful work, such interesting stories...time to write/illustrate a book, my dear....
ReplyDeleteDorene