(Tea) Bags of Character
#4/365 Paintings for 2013
When it comes to the art of tea I have not met serious tea go-ers who promote the teabag. “The leaves must unfurl naturally,” they might say. And, “the materials of the bags interfere with the elegance of the leaves,” they say with a lilt of an accent only tea connoisseurs share. Almost as though the bag itself is as much of an affront to the language of tea as a box of wine to artisanal wine appreciators.
Well, all of this makes me think that teabags have had a hard go of it—character building experiences. All that constriction inside the bag and gossip in tea society. Poor things! Little bags of character…
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Project notes: I realize that working small and with black ink can be problematic when making expressive faces. I might do another one of this concept. It’s a fun story to mash around in.
I am sure that what the tea connoisseurs say is true. And yet. I have a kitchen drawer full of bright and cheerful boxes of all kinds of tea. Especially on cold winter days, when I am wanting something warm and perky and not quite as intense as more coffee, I can open that drawer the anticipation those bright boxes and packages and teabags with their colorful string-ends fills me with goodness before the hot tea has even touched my lips. A ball of loose leaves is no contest against that.
This was a fun one, small ink or no.
Oh you have a very good point there. And the colorful boxes too! I’m not picky about the bags. But tea connoisseurs like wine connoisseurs, art and literary critics are important to set that bar very high to see where are hearts truly land in the scheme of the things. ; )