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Greetings,

Welcome to the Cooper studio, on location, in Lipetsk, Russia, where we are contemplating the concept of a little something extra. The contemplation began with thoughts of art, flows through coffee, and ends with chocolate.  Wow.  What a day.

Let's start at the beginning.  Today was the day to attempt to locate Iskusstro.  It's an art gallery in Lipetsk.  Of course.  

I got to the address, sort of, but darn!  I should have had more than the phonetic spelling along with me.  I am getting better at reading signs in Russian, but this one hides from my limited knowledge.

The good news is, I had the sketch book in the backpack, and a becoming-the-favorite coffee stop close at hand.

An afternoon interlude with a sketchbook, a cup of coffee (кофе американо!) and an ever changing array of folks of various sort walking past, begging  (come on, you KNOW they are) for sketchbook status.  Who could ask for anything more, right?

But then, someone gives it.  That something extra.

At this point I should tell you that DiRoma is the name of the coffee place.  I have been to another DiRoma in Lipetsk - it's not the same.  

Because, you see, the DiRoma by Nizhniy Park has a little something extra.  They GIVE a little something extra.

When they prepare a cup of coffee, tucked onto the edge of the cup/saucer is a square of chocolate.  No, it's not very big, and certainly not worth a whole bunch of rubles, so why am I carrying on about this?

Because it makes me feel special.

Hunh.  Review that statement up there about the size/value of the chocolate.  It didn't take much, did it?  A little bit of chocolate, and DiRoma has a happy AND ready to return customer.

Other DiRomas and coffee places have just as nice of paintings, wait, I mean coffee, as the DiRoma by Nizhniy Park, but MY DiRoma gives extra when they sell me a painting - ooops, I mean coffee.

Coffee, paintings - you get the picture.  Give 'em a little something extra.

Thanks for stopping by!

Later, KCooper

Fall Color Tour, an acrylic painting on a 13 x 17 inch canvas panel.  Yet to be mounted and ready to send, but soon.  I promise!

Greetings,

And welcome to the Cooper studio, on assignment to Lipetsk, Russia.  Yesterday was the holiday called Unity.  As I scanned the news, aided by google translator, I read that not everyone felt unity/unified in their celebration.  In fact, a report from Moscow, mentioned several thousand folk who were protesting for, what appeared to be, disunity.  But then I am a relative newcomer.  And the google translator girl doesn't think, she just spouts words.

But it got me to thinking about contrast.  You have to admit, as polar opposites, unity and disunity do have a bit of contrast going on.  

And I am personally struggling with contrast at the moment, speaking in canvas terms, so no wonder the thoughts of dark & light, eh?  The silly canvas already grabbed a name, Fall Color Tour, which in my way of thinking, has big demands for sparkly light.  And we all know to get sparkly light, you have to have the contrast:  the waydownthere darks.

I will share that at the moment there is not enough dis-unification happening.  How much dark is dark enough?  How much light is light enough?  To make it sparkle?  Dios mio.

This could be a slow canvas.  Update at eleven.

Ha.  In the meantime, I already found the appropriate dark/light ratio on another canvas.  Why does it happen so easily on one, and with turtlespeed on another?  What a game we play....

Thanks for stopping by and thinking about contrast with me!

Later, KCooper