A “vegemite” Toast to the Queen
“You see things and you say “why”… but I dream things that never were… and say “why not” - George Bernard Shaw
Surely the entire world (by now) has heard about vegemite… (the national “spread” of Australia) but… for the uninitiated… it comes in a little glass jar with a yellow label… and possesses the approximate consistency, colour, and taste of asphalt… (that’s bitumen to you and me) Aussies the world over have a penchant for the stuff… especially at breakfast time… when it is spread thickly over buttered toast!
In what I would imagine to be a world first this past week… (not difficult when we are talking vegemite) 16 year old Steph Chard turned out a stunning portrait of HRH Queen Elizabeth II… using vegemite as her medium of choice.
Copyright Steph Chard 2007 (until it finally disintegrates or the ants get to it!)
She admits to not quite knowing why she chose the black and sticky yeast spread for her portrait except to say that she was fooling around with a variety of mediums before she finally came up with her award winning idea. She reports that the vegemite is actually much easier to work with than paint and has a longer drying time. She achieved a range of tones by watering the stuff down with H2O to gain a most pleasing range of dark browns into yellows.
Steph a Year 12 art student took out second place at a local show… and managed in the process… to capture the interest of the media for her novel interpretation.
The only problem on the horizon now is how exactly to preserve the sticky mess… if and when it will ever eventually dry! And the smell… is definitely “something else”!
May 25th, 2007 at 7:22 am
I saw this piece in the newspaper Jean - perhaps this girl was inspired by a younger sibling…lol!
I have to wonder how the work would cope on a warm day or under strong lights -hopefully she has devised a way to “set” the vegemite. It truely is an Aussie statement tho!
May 25th, 2007 at 4:02 pm
I thought it was remarkably good… considering the icky gickyness! LOL Surprised though that it only received 2nd place behind something more mainstream (read humdrum). Show judges are notorious for making safe “politic” decisions! (Unlike of course our old mate George Dubya… who even has the birds poo pooing him now)
I am considering a piece on Iraq… seems it’s the only thing these days that people get half way excited enough about to have an opinion… (besides of course sex and religion) both of which could be fair game after that… whaddayathink? (((giggles))) *wink*
May 25th, 2007 at 7:18 pm
My daughter in law, who is semi Aussie, told us about vegemite and I tasted it on our trip to Oz. this is the best use of it. lol Roger
May 25th, 2007 at 9:40 pm
Oooooo…Jean! Iraq would certainly conjur some mighty emotions. I personally am still reeling over 9/11 and cannot understand why that was dropped and Iraq was pursued??????
Oh Roger!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! vegemite has helped raise millions of us Aussies, I still need a piece of toast slathered in it every day (it is an excellent source of vitamin B!) lol!
May 26th, 2007 at 8:24 am
hahaha… yes Roger… that’s right. Vegemite on canvas seems somehow more palatable than vegemite on toast… yet people just love it! Roger I’m kind of surprised to see you here… are you home from NYC yet? What an adventure the last few days have been!?
Jools… the events of 9/11 have absolutely ‘zip’ to do with the current crisis in Iraq. In a recent interview George Dubya attempted to explain why Osama Bin Laden hadn’t been captured yet… (because he’s still holding out in those darned hills of Afghanistan and doesn’t have the common decency to reveal his location) *wink* LOL
May 26th, 2007 at 8:44 am
On our trip to Oz I tried both vegemite and a witchety grub. I don’t plan to eat either again but in a pinch the grub wins.lol
May 26th, 2007 at 9:17 am
hahaha…”you’re a better man than I am, Gunga Din!” A died-in-the-wool true blue aussie… but I have never, ever, ever… eaten a witchety grub… (urgh)… or emu, crocodile, kangaroo, echidna, (or green ants for that matter… although I know people who quite enjoy their sweet taste! LOL)
May 26th, 2007 at 1:52 pm
I’ve heard of vegemite, but haven’t had the pleasure. Isn’t there a British equivalent, a kind of bullion paste (no better way to describe it)? Goop by any other name is still goop. When I spent 6 months in Czecholslavkia in the 60’s, before the invasion, I saw young people walking the streets eating something from little paper cups with wooden spoons, the way we ate ice cream in the States. Turned out it was mayonnaise. I thought, at the very least they could eat chocolate mayonnaise, but nope, just pure mayonnaise.
May 26th, 2007 at 2:55 pm
I think Marmite is the British equivalent? Same stuff… but puritanical vegemite eaters still prefer their own! LOL
Mayonnaise? Now there’s a strange and wonderful snack! Reminds me of the classic scene from Nottinghill where Spike goes to the fridge and takes out a small tub of yogurt. After a few minutes he turns up his nose, looks again at the tub, and nonchalantly says “there’s something wrong with this yoghurt” to which Hugh Grant’s long suffering reply is “that’s because it’s NOT yogurt.. it’s mayonnaise” and with a shrug of his shoulders Spike continues to eat the yogurt! That’s yo/gurt with an emphasis on the short “o” not “oh”!
I think all kinds of food have been used as a medium in the name of art. Fortunately through degeneration not much of it stands the test of time! Perhaps for this we should be eternally grateful?
The world is a strange and wonderful place is it not? LOL
May 26th, 2007 at 3:01 pm
On the flip side, we could always spread oil paint on our toast in the morning. I suppose it’d be a bit heavy on the trans-fat, but what the hey. Stay away from the cobalt blue, though.
May 26th, 2007 at 6:24 pm
Vegemite has been used to make a very yummy broth as well! It can also be used as a “stock” replacement in stews and soups - as the name suggests it is made from vegetable extracts.
I watched the Nicholas Cage movie the other day (have been watching DVDs thru the day…very unusual for me, usually “too busy!!!”) on the Twin Towers, it brought back all of the shock and horror of such an event - made me very angry that no real justice has been served!!!!!!!!!
May 26th, 2007 at 6:25 pm
Am now about to watch “The Worlds Fastest Indian” Anthony Hopkins is one of my all time favourites - but I have heard nothing but glowing reports on this movie!
May 26th, 2007 at 9:20 pm
Oil paint on our toast? Hmmm… now there’s a thought! Problem is I am wheat intolerant and don’t do toast… so maybe I could take it straight from the tube? *wink* They say linseed oil puts hairs on your chest… but I’m not keen to test this theory! LOL
My Dad often referred to good hearty meals that “stick to your ribs”. Can’t begin to tell you the problems I had with this concept in my formative years! LOL LOL
Jools… haven’t seen Twin Towers. Not sure I want to go there again. Justice will only be served when there is genuine intent on the part of those who seek it. Afraid I haven’t seen the World’s Fastest Indian either. Where HAVE I been lately? Probably knee deep in vegemite! LOL
May 27th, 2007 at 8:13 am
Watched “The Worlds Fastest Indian”……Jean you must watch it! Anthony is at his best, he becomes his character - and what a character he is!!!!! Talk about believing in yourself and never giving up on a dream. Even tho the movie is based around racing and machinery, the focus is on the human spirit - the one pursuing a dream and…..the people who help him get there. Another quality product from New Zealand!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
With the Nicholas Cage film Jean, what stands out to me the most is……how those poor policemen, fireman and ambulance officers did not have a clue what to do. The devastation was everywhere, they had no way of predicting any further collapse, no way of planning an evacuation of that scale….yet they were still willing to go in and risk their own lives to save others. The bombing in England and Bali are further testiment to that. I used to have thoughts of joining the police force and then the SES (State Emergency Services) but having children on my own (and now the added bonus of a less than perfect physical ability)brought me to the realisation that I would have to rely on others to help me in such a situation - I cannot leave my children alone to charge off on my white stallion.
We talk about terrorism being a modern day “thing” and “the world has changed” - we are not ’safe’ anymore- but really it has been around the “whole” time. There has been tyrants, terrorists all thru history. I guess the difference is, terror can happen in the blink of an eye now - where an attack cannot be expected nor predicted. There is no hill with a view to the enemy. There are no castles surrounded by moats and no armour to protect against arrows or bullets. The only really big difference is the speed of events. Plus that our “leaders” do not go into battle with their army!!!
Phew!!! That was heavy!
May 27th, 2007 at 9:30 am
Too true Jools. And also… it must be a tactical nightmare trying to contain sensitive information in this information hungry age. One can’t help but wonder what advantage one gives the enemy by providing them with around the clock… up to the minute information (about us) via CNN and the other television networks. Whereas once we had a hill with a view to the enemy… now the enemy has the perfect view of us… out there ON THAT HILL… with a satellite dish broadcasting our faults foibles and frailties to the world… along with the mindless extremes and excesses of our everyday Western lifestyle. Boggles the mind that amid the carnage and crisis in the everyday lives of Iraqi’s they can still tune into Oprah in the middle of the day. Seems crazy to me… and I’m sure we must seem crazy to them!
May 27th, 2007 at 10:39 pm
Amazing what you can learn from ArtCafe members from far away places. I had never heard of vegemite, but from the remarks posted here, I will not hunt it up.
On my trip to Hawaii in February, I visited the Pearl Harbor Memorial. December 7, 1941 will be burned in my brain until I die. Also 9/11. I don’t understand how people seem to have forgotten 9/11 so quickly and why you do not see it’s connection to our war in Iraq? Since my health problems have “kept me off my feet” I have had lots of time to read for the last couple of years and I have concentrated on biographies of leaders of terroriest areas and the problems in the middle east. It was interesting to learn that they all studied at the University of Cairo in Egypt and were members of the terrorist clubs there, but were not there at the same time. That school seems to have been a “jumping board” and an open field for networking for future terrorist leaders.
May 28th, 2007 at 7:28 am
Katherine…how lovely to see you here!
Yes….9/11 was the worlds largest terrorist attack - yet it has become a distant memory already with many other far less devastating topics taking its place. The Middle East races of people live with this kind torment and fear constantly, where bombings and loss of life is a daily occurance - it blows my mind! To learn how to hold and fire a weapon is just as common as learning how to drive a car…it’s a way of life! And as Jean said, with technology and communication they can study our lives, our habits and our defence system acurately enough to hit us - using our own lifestyles as their projectiles! Their passion to wipe us out is what scares me. I am not particularily religous. I consider myself to be a good person - I help others when I can and do not judge from a distance. I do not understand the need to hate another person simply for believing a story on how the world began (simply put!). I can see why the extremists would have a loathing for our (Western society) insatiable thirst for sex, money and power as ofcourse it breeds corruption at the highest levels - but to wipe out unsuspecting humans when they least expect it is just as power mongering as what they are fighting about. But ofcourse they do not see it that way - they see that their way is best…. no compromise! There is a new generation of hatred being spawned on both sides - and some are learning from a University!!!!!!! Their mission in life is to kill! Now that in itself is terrifying!
May 28th, 2007 at 7:53 am
Innocents have lost their lives thru war for centuries, wether it be for entertainment or survival or tryanny. I look at all living creatures and the same rule applies - when the populations become too large to be sustained, fighting and struggling for life prevail. While we live in each others “pockets” and try to spread ourselves further than we should - we come up against resistence. If there was more respect for traditions and cultural values from all participants, would we be in the same position?
Another movie I watched lately was “Blood Diamond” (Leonardo deCaprio) based on the diamond trade of Africa - now there is living horror as well (Can you tell I like stories derived from real life?). Now that country has been raped for as long as white man first took it upon himself to steal from the purse!
May 28th, 2007 at 10:55 am
Katherine wrote: >
Katherine, as you may recall I lost a beloved nephew in 9/11…. my brother amd sister-in-law’s 24-year old son. Believe me, I have not forgotten that terrible day, nor can I forget that the hunt for Osama bin Laden was cut short by the invasion and tragic occupation of Iraq. The neocons had Iraq in it’s sights for a decade before W was ever elected, and were just waiting for an excuse to go in there. I’m not making this up, it is all well documented. Also documented is the fact that Sadaam Hussein, a secularist, and bin Laden, a religious zealot, hated and distrusted each other, and that al Qaeda did not establish a foothold in Iraq until after Hussein’s overthrow. The lies and blunders of this administration are compounded daily, while young lives are lost, an entire population is uprooted, and billions go down the tubes. Meanwhile people in America go without health care. No, I have not forgotten…. but a lot of supporters of this terrible occupation have forgotten that Osama bin Laden still roams free, and that is something I can’t understand. Forgive me if I get passionate about this, but I think you can understand why.
May 28th, 2007 at 11:27 am
Oh John - You have every right to be passionate about this!!!!!!
Every single view of this irrational “war” is so totally sodomised (excuse me - but this the only way I can think of describing it!!) I cannot see a wholistic outcome for any of it!!!! So many lives have been lost for absolutely no fathomable reason, if there was peace in sight, or a better way of living for the native peoples of the country, if the capture of the powers of 9/11 was imminent - if there was any possible positive solution….then maybe, just maybe the world could see and understand why???????????????? Let George make his disjointed speeches to the people of Iraq, make him ring every parent of every fallen soldier and send him out with his army attire on and a packed lunch to find Osama himself - maybe then something would be resolved! Maybe then - he would get the glory he so desperately craves!
May 28th, 2007 at 2:59 pm
And on another note, Jean…. I’m not making this up…. this very evening on the TV news was an item about an artist painting portraits with catsup, using fries as brushes. He also, according to the story, is known to work with chocolate and mascara. It’s a damn good thing there’s nothing substantial happening in the world to report. Honest injun, I’m NOT making this up!
May 28th, 2007 at 3:02 pm
Here’s the link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1gvGDsIYrrQ
May 29th, 2007 at 7:44 am
I must apologise to anyone I may have offended or if I have ignited painful memories. Every single recorded war has brought with it enormous loss. Those who survived or experienced personal loss may not want to go “over it all” again.
Painting with food or other products other than paint can be quite clever in that it delivers a message - but I certainly am not one to try it myself. The entire idea of it does nothing for me!
May 29th, 2007 at 8:19 am
John… that clip is absolutely fantastic! So upbeat… so much fun! That guy sure can paint… if he can paint that well with ketchup… imagine what he can do with the real stuff? Maybe I should send him some vegemite? LOL Thanks for posting the link!
This has been a rather wonderful discussion… for which I would like to thank each and everyone of you. What is life without frank heartfelt discussion of the issues that confront us in these modern times… the issues closest to our hearts? Isn’t it amazing what a little bit of vegemite can do… we should be exporting it to the middle east!
May 29th, 2007 at 11:15 pm
Jean! I am glad to see you are still at it! I have been lost in pigment for a few weeks. It’s a wonderful place to lose oneself. It’s amazing how a subject can go from vegemite to Iraq and the war and W. Katherine, the Pearl Harbor Memorial has been ingrained in my mind since I visited it in the late 70’s. I hope to visit the Viet Nam Memorial and WWII Memorial in DC later this year or next. There is a small Viet Nam Memorial in the mountains near Angel Fire, New Mexico. It’s a privately funded and in need of some repair, but still it, like the others, is profound and spiritual to visit.
Jean, you thought you were kidding up top when you suggested talking about politics or sex. Hey, where is sex? Is it next?
May 29th, 2007 at 11:16 pm
Vegemite might be the answer.
May 30th, 2007 at 12:23 am
Jean, When I was doing quick sketch portraits at Disney’s Grand Floridian Hotel, I met a gal that did speciality event paintings for conventions using colored icing. She had quite a collection of them and they were kept refrigerated and displayed only at the closing final dinner at the end of each convention. She had taught herself to do it and it was quite a hit with the tourists. Of course, they were for display only and she had done them over a period of about 3 years. Each one was an original using the subject material regarding the subject of the seminar. It was a fun job for her and she was very proud of her creations. The hotel set up a special area in the kitchen for her to work and provided a huge glass refrigerated place so that they could be viewed by propective customers for conventions. It was a selling tool to Disney and very successful.
I think you better avoid subjects that could become items for “hot” tempers as we all have different thoughts on sex, religion, Iraq, etc. Obiviously there are many that have hot trigger points and no discussion could change their minds.
May 30th, 2007 at 7:32 am
If respect is maintained for opinions from others, then why not listen. It is only when we can talk and share opinions that we gather a further understanding on any subject. Many people have reason to be Hot tempered, many have reason to not say a word.
Artists who use ice amaze me. To be able to create something in proportion when you can see thru it would be soooo difficult! Another art form that boggles my mind is sand sculptures…..wow! Their techniques and patience intrigue me.
May 30th, 2007 at 8:04 am
vegemite queen
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cJnR-BBLkRY
May 30th, 2007 at 8:18 am
Nita… so great to see you here! Yes… I have a strong suspicion that vegemite could be the solution to a great many things! (going by this anyways!) LOL So pleased to hear you are knee deep in it… (pigment that is)… it’s the very best thing for an artist to get lost in!
Katherine… I soooo loved the Grand Floridian when we stayed there back in 96! It’s the coolest place! We had the kids portraits done in the lobby and I still have them hanging in the family room… they were done by an artist called Knibs. Maybe you remember her?
I agree Jools… we cannot learn from the issues troubling our modern world (beyond our current understanding)…without fair minded and cool headed “discussion” of the issues. One does not seek to change minds… but rather to reveal a differing point of view so we may all learn and grow. Through level headed discussion we may not solve the current problems… but they may at least be better understood.
May 30th, 2007 at 8:24 am
Hey Gary! Thanks for the YouTube clip! How fantastic! I saw the original newsreel… but missed this one on youtube. It gives the whole story… (right from the horse’s mouth) So THANKS again!
May 30th, 2007 at 10:39 am
Yes, Nita and Jools. If we can’t voice our opinions to each other without letting our tempers get the better of us, then how can we possibly expect Sunnis and Shia to stop the killing at this point? The inablity for both sides of the debate to listen with an open mind to all points of view, and to carefully weigh the words, is one of the things that has got us into this tragic mess. And how can we have any opinions or feelings about what’s going on if we don’t constantly expose ourselves to the pain of reality? I watched the “60 Minutes” broadcast on Sunday about two years in the lives (and deaths) of a state’s National Guard, and I spent most of the hour sobbing. To hear these young men and their families parrot back the lies fed them by the administration was horribly painful, especially in view of the fact that so many of the lies have been exposed. This doesn’t make my opposition to this war right, but it certainly gives me the right to an opinion. One has to wonder what they think about the fact, mentioned on the program, that private companies are making fortunes supplying the troops with goods and services. (What wasn’t mentioned was what all of us know, that one of the main companies is Halliburton, whose former CEO was VP Cheney.)
May 30th, 2007 at 12:03 pm
Jean, Yes, the Grand Floridian is beautiful. I worked there only for a few months and then filled in for artists that went on vacation a few times. The set up for the portrait area was purely lighted and the artists were paid only 40% commission. After working for myself for so many years, I did not like working there. I do not know the artist you mentioned, but was told she is now working on a cruise ship. I still am in touch with some of the artists there, but now they have all gone to using digital cameras and working from photos. People don’t want to take the time to sit..
John, It is so difficult to sift through all of the news we get to know fact from fiction. I try to read all points of view and it is often confusing and I don’t know who to believe.
May 30th, 2007 at 2:40 pm
John… our sentiments are along the same lines… and your empathy for the innocent and disdain for the exploitation associated with this conflict is shared by so many… not least of all… me! Thank you for having the courage and the strength.
May 30th, 2007 at 2:53 pm
Katherine… I have a beautiful story re my youngest daughter’s portrait. She was first up and at the tender age of 8 I wondered how this busy little girl would be able to sit there for the necessary time. She looked just so cute sitting there flashing those big blue eyes… and I was obviously not the only admirer. After a short time… the elderly man maintaining the flower arrangements arrived on the scene with a single rose for the charming little girl who had by now attracted a captivated audience. Claire grew up like the Pied Piper… everywhere she went she drew a crowd… (mostly even littler kids… all wanting to join in doing what she was doing) Some people are just like that I guess! (alas… she doesn’t get it from her mother! LOL)
I also agree… it is sooo difficult to sort through the propaganda and the fiction fed to us by the powers that be via the media. I think that’s why good people need to keep talking… and asking the hard questions… and discussing the difficult issues… so that this whole sorry mess can’t be swept beneath the metaphorical Persian carpet.
May 31st, 2007 at 6:24 am
Oh John! I felt sick to the stomach when I read of Cheney’s “business sense”- how appalling! Now that I do believe - so much of of it happens in our country as well, where politics no longer means “serving your country” it means “dishing up to yourself!”
Jean what do you think of Rudds wife selling her business, so as not to cause conflict for her husband (this is the wife of the opposition leader here in Oz, during an election year!) I take my hat off to her. Not only has she been savvy enough to have such a successful business, but she has the loyalty as well as the courage to back her “man” and make it public.
June 1st, 2007 at 1:02 pm
Jools… the point of contention has been totally lost on the media. This is not about a woman giving up her multi-million dollar business to become the Prime Minister’s wife. Most embarrassingly… Kevin Rudd’s wife Therese Rein has been caught out underpaying 58 of her employees who were employed under personal contracts.
I guess when you’re the leader of the opposition and an almost definite shoe-in for Prime Minister at the next election… (and one of your key reforms is to abolish workplace agreements and personal contracts) you don’t want your wife running a multi-million dollar company which appears to have exploited it’s employees under such arrangements! Ouch!
Fortunately for the Rudd’s the facts seem to have slipped right over our heads. The media has taken the slant that we should be indignant that this woman should have to give up her business to stand by her man. If only it were so noble! *wink* LOL
June 2nd, 2007 at 7:58 am
Hmmm…Now that you have said that - I do remember a slight mention of the “slight of hand!” how clever are their PR people?????
Yet another example of wool pulling over eyes!