Day 10. Tootsie Rolls

I already had candy on the brain, as you know from Day 7’s Vending Machine. The immediate inspiration for Three Mini Tootsie Rolls, however, was a conversation that I had with Ed Price, an old and dear friend who I met at the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern when we were getting our MBAs. We don’t talk that often, but when we do, it’s a marathon!

Ed and I were talking about eating well and how that fits (or doesn’t fit) with my decadent paintings. He mentioned that his fiancé, Debbie, (now wife – congratulations to both of you!), snacks on a little Tootsie Roll every day despite the fact that everything else she eats is wholesome and healthy.

It turns out her father’s daily routine included a mini Tootsie Roll, and Debbie is carrying on the family tradition in memory of her father. I wish I could think of a simple ritual to honor my father every day, but I’ll have to settle for watching Washington Week every Friday which was how we spent some time together (along with moderator Paul Duke).

I took so many photos of these little chocolate Tootsie Rolls (which Tootsie Industries actually refers to as Midgees; who knew?) on multiple days to get this layout. It turned out once again, that simpler was better, and I eliminated a bowl of mini Tootsie Rolls that was overly complicated.

As usual, my desire for perfection is showing. I want to keep fine-tuning the background color, the shading and the logos, but it’s time to stop and move on. I have to remember that one of the reasons I am doing the Challenge is to get in the habit of learning when to stop and to avoid overworking paintings (having said that, I confess there is one letter or two that I’ll probably clean up tomorrow….).

After I began painting today, I thought about putting part of a Tootsie Roll bag in the composition to add contrast and interest. Alas, it was too late for this painting.  So that’s something I plan on trying later on this month.

I hope to see you again soon.