The Portrait
“The Portrait” is formal and dignified, and is ..an Onion…why not….as my last painting showed, my mantra is to push boundaries and that always includes subject matter and of course to celebrate the simple things in life…so here she is centre stage, beautifully lit, to show off her rotundity, and her maturity….her last appearance on any stage...pobrecita
Watercolour on Arches Paper..
Featured in Outsiders…Image Writing…Florals Still Life Pastels…
There are many Poems to the Onion..here is an excerpt from the most glorious and glorifying Ode to The Onion by Pablo Neruda, a poet I adore and read as often as possible..
Onion,
luminous phial,
petal by petal
your beauty was formed,
scales of crystal amassed
and dark earth in secrecy
rounded your belly of dew.
Beneath the earth
was the miracle
and when a clumsy green stalk
appeared,
and your leaves like swords in the garden
were born,
the earth gathered her might
in showing your naked transparency,
and as in Aphrodite the distant sea
replicated the magnolia
raising her breasts,
so the earth
made you,
onion,
bright as a planet,
and destined
to shine,
constant constellation,
round rose of water,
upon
the table
of the poor. excerpt Pablo Neruda
Two Purple Heads of Garlic…not published..
Chicken with 40 cloves of Garlic
The Portrait belongs to the following groups:
Complex Simplicity of Art, Floral Watercolours! and Still lifes with Nature , The Fruit and Veg Shop(2 uploads a Day), ! 100% !, All Around the Styles, Art Inspired by Dreams, AW Welcome Center, Contemporary Professional Painters and Sculptors, Descriptions, EF Welcome Center, Everyday Life, in-between, JPG Cast-Offs, Latin-Caribbean Art, Layered with Texture, Light In The Darkness, Live, Love, Dream: , Mature Woman, Moody, Dark, Evocative (no nudes), Outsiders, Prize Challenges!!, Realist Traditional Art, Safe Haven, THE FRINGE, The Patchwork , THE SISTERHOOD, The true beauty, Tropical Art, Unconventional Artistry - 3 per day, Vibrant and Vivid Color and Who are YOU to Judge? Available for sale asGreeting Cards, Matted Prints, Laminated Prints, Mounted Prints, Canvas Prints, Framed Prints and Posters
jansnow
...and why not! Wonderful work Janis:-)
Janis Zroback replied
That’s what I say…thanks so much Jan…glad you like her portrait…
Janis Zroback
You made us weep without grieving us.
All that exists I celebrated, onion,
but to me you are
more beautiful than a bird
of blinding feathers,
you are to my eyes
a celestial globe, cup of platinum,
motionless dance
of anemone covered in snow.P.N.
Ghelly
Awesome work!!!
Janis Zroback replied
Thanks so much Ghelly…glad you like it..
liesbeth
her last appearance on any stage..how sad… but love your ‘portrait’.
Janis Zroback replied
Because she’s going into the pot…but there will be many more paintings of her friends and family…thank you so much…I’m happy you like it.
mingtees
i love it! I just googled “onion paintings” because i was looking for another artist who’s name i can’t remember, and there were so many i gave up :(
Janis Zroback replied
I went to look when I read your comment and you’re right….there are tons of them…I never knew there were so many….but I love Cezanne’s version best…he is my idol..
I’m so pleased you like it Amy…thank you so much…
GEORGE SANDERSON
Wonderful painting, great title
It could bring a tear to the eye !!!
Janis Zroback replied
Hahaha…funny George….thank you so much…
Fee Dickson
beautiful warm colours.
Janis Zroback replied
Thank you so much Fee…
Susan Kimball
Wonderful painting…love the blue and yellow with all the other wonderful textures!!
Janis Zroback replied
Thank you so much Susan…I’m happy you like it..
Janis Zroback
Generous,
you undo
your globe of coolness
in the fervent consummation
of the pot,
and the shred of crystal
at the ardent heat of oil
transforms into a curled feather of gold.
calves
What a beauty! ...wonderful,Janis!!!
Janis Zroback replied
I’m so pleased that you like it Claudia…thanks so much… :))
Carla Jensen
Outstanding…Janis!!! such awesome colors ! very very beautiful job on this !wtg
Janis Zroback replied
How nice of you to say so Carla!! ..I’m really glad you like it..thank you so much…
Tama Blough
I like it – there is something oddly witch-y about it.
Janis Zroback replied
Yes I made it a little eerie deliberately, to give it personality, and raise it above the level of just a vegetable…I’m pleased that you spotted that Tama…thank you so much.
Janis Zroback
Also I will remember how your influence
quickens the love of the salad,
and it seems that the sky contributes
in giving you the fine form of hail
to celebrate your brightness minced
over the hemispheres of a tomato. P.N.
Erika .
You certainly do capture the beauty of food. This onion looks amazing, I love the texture and the colors. Great piece!
Janis Zroback replied
What a lovely compliment!!..thank you so much Erika..
Marita McVeigh
love the colors, wonderful work janis!
Janis Zroback replied
I’m really happy that you do…thank you so much Marita…
Anna D'Accione
Beautif,ul, beautiful, beautiful work, Thank you for sharing with us.
Janis Zroback replied
And thank you so much for coming by to view and to leave such lovely comments…
kjgordon
one of my favorite foods…the onion….........especailly the sweet Maui Onion…..
This is beautiful….....
‘I’m dancin already cause I know it will be featured….......ha…........
Janis Zroback replied
Well I don’t know about a feature, but I’m glad you’re dancing anyway..:)) thanks so much KJ…
Enivea
In Australia during the 1850’s gold rush, onions brought a higher price than gold, so highly were they esteemed by the miners, who lived in primitive conditions. Onions were regarded as a cure-all. Being high in sulphur, this is easy to understand. Sulphur….now there’s a link to the ‘witchyness’.....thanks for celebrating this amazing creation in such a beautiful manner. And for introducing me to another poet!
Janis Zroback replied
I have all his works…he is the poet of the people for sure…I have used several of his poem here on Rb with various paintings…I’m glad he resonated with you…
I love onions. especially the red ones and cook them several times a week..they are indeed very good for you…the working men in England would often take a whole onion and some bread for lunch everyday, so I’m not surprised about how much it was valued by the miners…
I’m so happy you like the Portrait…I loved painting it…
catherine walker
It’s wonderful Janis..
what a beautiful tribute to a vegetable that I think of as a pretty humble crop…I do love onions.. and use them a lot but I think they are sort of used without much thought..like we just expect to have them all the time for our recipes etc..
you give it royal status here ..and have done this painting so well.. giving onions some special gratitude and thought..this is a great painting..so well done.
Janis Zroback replied
Thank you so much Catherine…if you click on my Golden Onion painting link below, you will find my recipe for Onion Casserole…it’s wonderful…I also do Stuffed Onions and many other delectable treats with them…there is even dessert recipes with onions…
Carol Berliner
congrats greeeeat work as always!
Janis Zroback replied
Thank you so much Carol…I love your enthusiasm…
Kate Eller
Janis, I think this is the most beautiful onion I have ever seen! Lovely, Lovely. You are a color expert.
Janis Zroback replied
How lovely of you to say so…thank you so much…I’m so happy you like it.
Janis Zroback
Golden Onion
Not a red rose or a satin heart.
I give you an onion.
It is a moon wrapped in brown paper.
It promises light
like the careful undressing of love. The whole poem is on the original page
paperslayer
I really like the colours you use in a lot of the works!!!! I going to learn watercolour myself but that cool!!!!!!!!!!
Janis Zroback replied
Welcome Corey…watercolour is difficult but wonderful to work with.. have fun with it…
Solomon Walker
very beautiful artwork, like the contrast…
Janis Zroback replied
Thank you so much Solomon…glad you like it..
Ciska
Your work as alwayz is very beautiful, vibrant and outstanding!!!!
Janis Zroback replied
Thank you so much for that wonderful compliment Ciska… :))
Sensiworld
Great work !
Janis Zroback replied
Thank you so much Sylvia…
woof
love this, has a happy feeling to it!!! nice work!!
Janis Zroback replied
Welcome and thank you so much…
Alison Pearce
Wonderful!!
Janis Zroback replied
Thank you so much Alison :))
Jim Phillips
Fantastic detail on this very well done portrait.
Janis Zroback replied
Thank you so much Jim…. :))
bevmorgan
This glows from within. It is beautifully rendered, Janis, as always.
Janis Zroback replied
Thank you so much Bev…I’m so happy you like it…
Linda Callaghan
such a fabulous onion watercolour Janis….looks like she is taking her final bow…before heading into the pot! she is absolutely glowing and surely the most beautiful onion I have seen :-D
Janis Zroback replied
Well I made her a little prettier in terms of colour…you always do with portraits..:))) she was sacrificed later in the day…thank you so much Linda…
Sally Omar
Beautiful…now I want a salad!!!!!!!!!! xoxooxoxox
Janis Zroback replied
Thank you so much Sally…I’m glad you like it?
Holly Cawfield
This is one beautiful onion Janis! I love these vibrant colours…..they just match the vibrant flavour of an onion making a wonderful and artistic interpretation. Your work on the skin is really well done and I just love the way you’ve given it such personality with the wiggly roots and top.
Janis Zroback replied
I think that everyone likes their portrait to look better than they do in real life, so I gave it some lustre before you know what. :)) ....the onion’s praises are sung so well by so many…I’m really pleased you lkie it Holly..thank you so much…
Heloisa Castro
wonderful!!!
Janis Zroback replied
Thank you so much Heloisa…
Joanne Bradley
I know this sounds insane but this onion makes me think of Cinderella’s carriage! There is something quite enchanting and hypnotic about the composition and treatment! I love the color of the onion and the glow created but I also love the background you created as a contrast, almost like a magical night…
Janis Zroback replied
Not insane at all….I think her carriage in the cartoon was made out of a vegetable…possibly a turnip, which has the same shape…
I elevated her from her humble beginnings and now she is immortalized…thank you so much Joanne…
mrana
This one is beautiful too … love those colours!
Janis Zroback replied
Welcome to my Red bubble pages…I am glad that you are enjoying my artwork, and I hope that you will visit often…. thank you so much for your lovely comments…
karolina
wonderful!
Janis Zroback replied
Welcome and thank you so much Karolina… :)))
sadeyedartist
That is just gorgeous.
Janis Zroback replied
Thank you so much…I’m really glad you l ike it..
DaRkSiLeNcE
absolutely love the colours in this Janis!! not only that, but the painting itself!! great work!!
Janis Zroback replied
Thank you so much…I’m really happy you like it..
RakeshSyal
WOW!! Outstanding work!!
Janis Zroback replied
Thank you so much Rakesh… :))
Pamela Plante
This is great-simple and colorful pleasing to the eyes.
Janis Zroback replied
Thank you so much Pamela..very nice of you.. :))
Tammera
as always….spectacular…color just jumps off the page…fave…;)
Janis Zroback replied
Thank you so much Tammera…very nice of you…. :))