Living, breathing, and creating with nature
When you wake up to the gentle sights and sounds of the pond, trees, plants, birds, bees, and dragonflies, inspiration flows effortlessly. So, when the owner asked for a menu design for @SarayaGoa Art Café, I thought—why not let nature speak for itself?
Using pen and ink, I captured the beauty of my mornings here—each stroke reflecting the lush surroundings that make Saraya unique. Instead of focusing on just food items, I filled the cover and inside pages with illustrations of the vibrant life around us. Dining here means eating among the green, surrounded by the diverse plants of our permaculture gardens.
This study is a tribute to the beauty that shapes every meal at Saraya.
Drawing of leaves and nuts from the Marri tree, found in the Southwest region of Western Australia. This majority of trees that surround my property are the Marri from the Myrtaceae family is endemic to this area. They grow upwards of 40 metres and are a favourite food to the protected Red-tailed Black Cockatoo.
A drawing-in-progress of native flora near my home and in my garden. The Lilly Pilly fruits will be made into jam while the Grevilleas provide food for the bees.
First one is a random doodle, I need to finish. 2nd doodle is an Oomkin (Or Boomkin) very happy and thrilled to get a lot of food. Third doodle is of an owlbear.
From the world of Under a Hostile Sun . . . Crater Recluse Spiders can be a huge asset when they are on your side . . . and a bit of a problem if they think your rover is food.
A vibrant piece of art depicts a fruit arrangement still life with various colorful fruits such as grapes, pomegranates, and figs resting on a plate. The background is a wash of warm yellow and earth tones, highlighting the freshness and diversity of the fruits.
Many people walk past plants either without noticing them or with just a glance. For the Walmajarri people in the Kimberley region of Western Australia, and many other Indigenous groups, plants provide a source of food and medicine. These outlines are of plants that are used by Walmajarri people as either food or medicine. For most people they remain a mystery, hence the outline only.
We take things in and digest them before regurgitating them or expelling them again through our being. This is true of many aspects of our reality, not just of caloric intake.
We take things in through the senses, through the person. We digest with our intellect and with our perception. Then we are able to share that back out through the senses, through our behaviours, and through our being.
Food builds our body even as our experiences build our character. The real mark of a mature human being is developing deeper levels of discretion and recognizing more intimate forms of subtlety.
Not everyone likes grapes, but to condemn grapes as evil is not prosperous to our species. Some like cherries, but not all enjoy their flavour. Grapes and cherries are still nutritious even though some have allergies to them. And not all cherries and grapes are ripe and nutritious at all times in all places.
We must carry this knowledge into the development of our judgement. If it is important and worth while to discuss food and material nutrition, then it is much more essential that we evolve a greater sense of discretion for experience and for the holistic palette of our physical, emotional, intellectual, social, and spiritual tongues.
We do that through consumption and digestion. But be aware that a human being can not live on grapes and cherries alone.
We should also do our best to not condemn the taste buds or stomachs of ourselves or others. Namaste.
Dare to join this devious dinner? Melvin, Marigold, Morgana and Murial invite you to an evening filled with deathly excitement.
Come and splurge on poisoned candied apples (which far outshine the pathetic apples of the evil queen), dragon roasted bone marrow, the most delicious pumpkin pies, chicken feed pot pies (a family recipe from the famous Baba Yaga herself), or a sinful devil's food cake (thank you, Uncle Mephistopheles).
Maybe, my dear friend, a glass of wine or a vial of fresh, still warm blood will help to wash away all your doubts if to join or not- because what bad can happen with this splendid array of company nestled between the most beautiful blooming wisterias?
Don´t be afraid! They don´t bite - at least not all of them.
This was done a year ago, but it's my favorite because it was basically just dumps of random doodle ideas that I had or had seen. It is a cluster of things that I liked at the time such as my favorite drink, food, animal, patterns, instruments, show, plant, seasons, and much more.
