The soils surrounding the village where I live in the north west of England have abundant fertility. They mostly formed in well-drained, clay-rich debris left behind by glaciers that retreated from the area some ten thousand years ago, and they now support lush, productive pasture, semi-natural grassland and woodland. Although the pastures are managed more intensively than they were in the past, most of them are well drained, and receive regular dressings of manure along with moderate fertiliser, and are regularly limed, which keeps the land productive and the soil in good health.
The post Why soil matters more than we realise appeared first on OUPblog.
All vineyards and thus the wines they produce are not created equal. Two Chardonnays grown in neighbouring plots but with slightly differing soils, slopes and sun exposure will taste subtly different, even if both will still taste of Chardonnay too. This unique ‘somewhereness’ is what the French call terroir.
The post Biodynamic wine appeared first on OUPblog.
There is something about stories set in the American south, particularly those in and around the Mississippi. Whether they are classic American Southern Gothic, contemporary fiction, crime mystery or a combination the confluence of history, atmosphere and long-held beliefs makes for rich, dark, fertile storytelling. Jamie Kornegay digs into this tapestry with a debut about […]
The relationship between wine and the vineyard earth has long been held as very special, especially in Europe. Tradition has it that back in the Middle Ages the Burgundian monks tasted the soils in order to gauge which ones would give the best tasting wine, and over the centuries this kind of thinking was to become entrenched. The vines were manifestly taking up water from the soil.
The post On the unstoppable rise of vineyard geology appeared first on OUPblog.
There is something about stories set in the American south, particularly those in and around the Mississippi. Whether they are classic American Southern Gothic, contemporary fiction, crime mystery or a combination the confluence of history, atmosphere and long-held beliefs makes for rich, dark, fertile storytelling. Jamie Kornegay digs into this tapestry with a debut about […]
For the first time in a long time, I had a free Saturday. I must have painted for about 8 hours overall (not without interruption, of course).
I feel like I've spent a lot of time in the first two panels - especially because there were so many complicated issues on the tractor, the figure in the tractor, and the plow that hadn't been resolved. However, there are a lot of details on these panels that I have yet to do, and they won't happen until the very end. One of the last things I'll have to do is to get some of these panels exactly side by side with no gaps to make sure things line up. But, for now, I just measure where I can and "eyeball" it when I can't.
I started today by working on the pumpkins again, adjusting some of the shadows and highlights a little. Then, I moved on to the wave of soil - a larger area of color to troubleshoot and blend. Once you start working on an area like that, you don't want to stop - gotta keep blending before the paint dries. And, working on this part took me back into panel #3 again.
Then, I moved on to the cauliflower. I didn't like the highlight color I had used for the vegetable's leaves in the first layer - too blue. So, I mixed a bit more yellow in and that worked better. I also worked on the cauliflower itself, stippling with and a light purple for shading. There's still detailing to be done or adjusted there.
The last thing I did was to "plant some crops" in the far field. That took a little extra time because I tried a few different greens before I found something I liked.
I love seeing how everything is starting to build, little by little.
The latest changes have been challenging - working on the tractor details. There was a lot left undone on this panel and there's still a ways to go. But, I'm off to a good start (if I do say so myself).
The other night, I worked on the driver for quite a while - trying to get the scale right and the appearance of a figure within a glass enclosure. The struggle here was that I don't have a visual to work from - no photo to check my details. But, I like the way it's turning out so far...after a few "not" likes.
One thing that I couldn't wait to change was the plowed soil in the foreground. I had originally put in more precise rows, but I didn't care for the rigidity of it. When I did the tractor study and was a bit more carefree about the landscape, I liked the loose brush strokes and wanted to go more in that direction. I think the result is in between - there are still rows, but the edges are less defined.
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