Lately, I’ve been inspired by farmer’s markets around the world and of course all the Anthony Bourdain shows. In every one, he ends up in a farmer’s market. They say (whoever “they” are) you should paint what ya know and I’m getting to know Kansas pretty well. It’s quirky in an understated kind of way. I like it. I’ve had conversations with variations of this character. They know their wines, their artisan breads, olive oils and fresh produce. You won’t find them in the local restaurants. They’re in their own kitchens after a day of huntin’and fishin’. My technique, though time consuming, is simple. I start with a preliminary sketch in graphite. When my design is satisfactory, I ink the sketch, using a black, 05, pigma micron pen. I use Prismacolor pencils. Each area is a layering of about 5 different colors, going from dark to light, until the paper is totally burnished. Once the coloring is complete, I re-ink to make the line work a true black. It is then sprayed with workable fixatif to seal, protect and prevent wax bloom.