You don't have to be a total chocoholic to appreciate the many levels of pleasure that comes from chocolate. There's the often-agonizing decision of what to buy this time: a favorite or something new, a big bar of cheap chocolate or a small imported bar? The anticipation while getting through the wrapper, making sure you don't leave any tiny bits of foil to hit a filling. The distinctive crack as you break off a piece. The picking up with a licked finger of any crumbs. The popping of the piece in your mouth. The slow melting on your tongue....
But then there are the side effects, such as all those calories, the high fat and sugar content, the triggering of migraines. Which is where your paint brushes come in, because painting also rewards us with a 'high'. And while I'm too much of a chocoholic myself to suggest that painting could (or should) ever replace chocolate in your life, here a few ways to use your love for chocolate to the benefit of your painting:
• Reward 'Good' Behavior: So you really, really fancy a chocolate. Okay then, give in to the temptation and buy it, but then use it as the subject for a painting – and no eating it until you've finished the painting! Or if you know you won't be able to wait that long, investigate and sketch the compositional possibilities: as the sole object in a still life, as a still life with the till slip and change, with the wrapper scrunched next to it, broken in pieces, a cross-section, with a bite taken out of it, just the empty wrapper and a few crumbs (and maybe some ants).
• Create an Abstract Painting: Use the emotions chocolate generates as the subject for an abstract.
• Create a Tryptich: Use a selection of seasonal chocolates to create a triptych or series painting, such as Easter eggs, Valentine's heart-boxed sets, or Christmas tree chocolates. Or of the 'life' of a chocolate – before, during, and after the eating.
• Color Theory: Learn the 'real' names for pigments by picking up a color chart from your local art shop then identifying specific colors in various chocolate bars and their wrappers. Paint a monochrome picture using only 'chocolaty' browns. Do a three-tone painting using the colours of white, milk, and dark chocolate.
• Quality Versus Quantity: Think of the difference between cheap chocolate and quality Swiss chocolate. The same applies to student and artist's quality paints. Artist's quality paints have better pigments and less fillers than cheap, student paints. Both have their place, but ultimately you're better off with the better quality stuff. Don't cheat yourself by only ever buying the cheapest paints (or the cheapest chocolates!).
• Savor the Moment: Enjoy what you're doing and don't feel guilty about it; don't punish yourself or feel guilty for the time you spend painting.
Evidence that Chocolate Works as a Painting Medium: Take a look at this painting of a Onion in Chocolate by Lorry
