A Tasty Cultural Sketching Article

My article on A Tasty Cultural Art Project is published in the latest edition of Australian Artist Magazine. There are six pages of information and images, including a step by step sketching guide.

 

Food Sketching can be done anywhere, and it reflects culture and country, both of which are unique. Food is all around us when we travel; in markets, cafes, restaurants and shops. I love not only the food but the presentation of food in various countries as even the serving dishes are characteristic of people and place.

 

The food markets in Savusavu, Fiji - alive with colour and an amazing diversity of local food.



 Below are various dishes from Bali, and this is a composite sketch. Often there might only be time to do a very quick initial sketch, so ensure you take photographs to refer to at a later date. So I have taken food sketches from many of my regular Balinese sketching holidays and put them together, so you get an overall impression of the culture and cuisine.

 

Vietnam for me is a very special place and I have spent time travelling to some out of the way places there and engaging with the local people. These were areas where not many tourists ventured, so for a change, we were the curiosity and a source of interest for them. Vietnam is a very beautiful country where food is goverened by climatic and geographical conditions.

 



This shop was on Quan Lan Island, which is one of the outer lying islands of Halong Bay. The very sandy island has about 2000 inhabitants and several larger towns, but basically it is quite uncommercialised. We enjoyed a home stay which was an amazing experience to be a guest in a local person's house and to be shown their hospitality and generosity. The home cooked meals were produced in an outside kitchen over an open fire, and the flavours were extraordinary. Seafood was a main staple and we enjoyed a wide range of other delicacies as well.

 

 

You only need to travel lightly, and you can see from the image above, this minamalistic group of materials is all you would need as a starting point. However, once involved with this exciting medium, you can add more colours or materials as you require.

 

Happy sketching!!