Once upon another sunny day, about a year ago, I was walking through the garden investigating this years creations and experiments and bent down to check the progress of the radishes. Sturdy, stout green leaves jutted up at me, a work of art all their own — punctured by flea beetles, gauged by grasshoppers, and carved by chicken beaks; they had become a canvas for natures graffiti masters. As I pushed aside a bit of their mulch I was immediately met with the satisfying sight of the most brilliant, magenta skin of the humble radish. I plucked it from the soil and held it up against the bright turquoise New Mexico sky. My God! It was gorgeous! I just stared for awhile at this marvelous, jewel-hued vegetable that somehow pulled its stunning pigment from the brown clay soil beneath my feet. The next thing I know, I hear a clear voice in my head, “Picasso radish”.

“What?” I questioned.

“Picasso Radish”, the voice insisted.

Hmm, I have no idea what that means. So I set the voice aside and went back to marveling at nature’s creations. I picked a white hail radish, a purple plum radish, and a Malaga radish, a bouquet of color in my hands with the …

I am very excited about this exhibition, and honored to be included as one of the selected artists. What I really love about the Chianciano Biennale is their philosophy—artwork is for everyone, the exhibition is free. The artwork was judged by merit alone, no status limit, no race, gender, or nationality limit, no theme limit, no year of production limit… unlacing the corset of creativity, allowing freedom from restraints— what art is about!

There are all types of amazing artworks from many different genres and mediums included in the exhibition, as well as the works submitted, that can me seen on the Artemisia website. If you have never heard of the Artemisia Art Profiles, you may want to peruse through. Seeing so many diverse artworks in one place is like a visual cup of coffee, so stimulating, invigorating, and inspiring! Enjoy being introduced to artists and works from all over this world and if you happen to be in Italy in August, soak in the exhibition and have a glass of wine for me! Cheers!

If you would like to contact me about this painting, The Artists Model, or any other work, you can leave a comment here in substack or email me at: bfdoucetteart@gmail.com. Thanks for visiting!