when anything is possible....

I love this first stage of creating, the moment when anything is possible.  That moment when the colors are all whispering, the slight texture on the prepped wood nudges your thoughts in one direction or another and an idea starts to take shape in your mind.  It can be a challenge at this point to take the leap and commit to an idea, lay that first shape, apply the first color but once you do a very organic process begins in which ideas change ever so slightly as you continue to layer and create based on what the painting wants to become rather than what you want it to become.  I've started on four of the eight pieces I will be sending to Nahcotta and a few mini block paintings to add to my shop as well. 

 This first weekend of 2010 turned out to be very interesting in that "oh, so your going to be that kind of year way".  Chuck and I went into the city to a dinner party at his boss's apartment.  Once we parked and started walking to the address I realized that our old and dear friends D & M used to live on the same street.  As we entered the building we realized they had actually lived in the same building, and as we entered the apartment at the back of the building we thought for sure it was the same apartment. It turns out they were in the apartment directly above this one but that and a few other incidents over the weekend have me thinking that 2010 has a few tricks up it's sleeves....bring it on!

Happy New Year!

...and the winner is Elizabeth!  

To say that 2009 was a busy year would be a bit of an understatement.  My work appeared in 4 publications, I participated in two gallery shows, moved my family from Illinois to Northern California and shared lots of the in between stuff here on this blog.  Having a place to share my ideas , prattle on about food and ask questions has become such an invaluable part of my creative process that I'm not sure I could do it without you. So here in no particular order are a few of the things on the list for 2010:

1.  keep the knitting needles clacking 

     *project #1 annri's hat

2.  read one book a month

     *book #1  "the elegance of the hedgehog"

3.  apply and participate in more gallery shows (one lined up already!)

     * show #1  "the enormous tiny art show" at nahcotta

4.  road trip

     * in reverse and a bit to the north

5.  go home (shown above)

     * to this beautiful old house by the lake

6.  tone down the room(shown above) with a cool blue grey paint by farrow and ball

     * i am in love (ok, obsessed) with thinking about color 

7.  try bikram yoga

     * but i hate being hot...hmmm. 

     * has anyone tried this? liked it?

8. see a real live whale during migration

    * whales are cool

So that's the list.  In addition I plan to continue to explore Northern California, cook lots of good local food and spend quality time with my kiddos and husband. So I'll see you later in the week to share progress on the  8 paintings I need to get ready for Nahcotta show....

Cheers! 

     

Pssst...(giveaway time)

Oh 2009, 

I can't say I'm sorry to see you go....you were a pip of a year and the only constant you brought was change.  But mixed in with all of that change was laughter, tears, heartbreak, growth, love and togetherness and I wouldn't trade a minute of it.  As a way to say thanks to all of you who have visited me here  I am excited to announce my 2nd annual New Year's Eve Giveaway!  Anyone who leaves a comment, hope, dream or resolution between now and midnight PST will be entered in a drawing for my new little block painting "Full House".  I will announce the winner tomorrow at noon PST and and share some of my own hopes, dreams and resolutions for 2010.  Thanks so much for reading.....

Warm Wishes....

I'm afraid this will have to be my last post until New Year's Eve.  I've kind of been putting off the massive task of  packing for our holiday travels and I'm starting to get a bit freaked out about the fact that the coat I ordered for Phoebe hasn't arrived yet (day 7) and we have been unable to find her any boots so she may end up sporting a sweat jacket and Converse tennis shoes in the snowy midwest.  I also have lots of goodies to fit into just a few suitcases and looking at it all it doesn't really make sense yet.  Usually I can look at a situation, size it up and tackle the task at hand but this time I'm just not feeling it (Perhaps it is the fact that it is 65 degrees and sunny and my little one just put on shorts?).  Anyways, my shop will be open for orders until noon tomorrow (PST) and I will be back on New Year's Eve with a special Give Away.  It's been a very big year (we've laughed, we've cried, we've moved, we've changed) and I want to show my thanks to all of you who have supported and encouraged me over the past 12 months.  Honestly, I couldn't have done it without you....thanks for reading.

 

Thoughts of love...

                              brown paper packages tied up with string

                                                          3.5" x 4"

                                                   one by one x five 

                                                           3.5" x 10

have been filling my head.  Love in all it's forms is such a mysteriously fickle thing. These two paintings  are expressions of what we hope for (for love to surprise us and show up at the right moment, neatly packaged ) and what we get ( a collection of lost loves that form who we become).  Lots to think about (and keep one up at night).

a little bit of everything good...

Last night Sage drew the picture shown above for me and as he handed it over I couldn't help but notice how chock full of goodness it is and I really wanted to share it.  First, there is the warm and cozy house, a chimney with smoke, the  sun, a cloud and a bit of rain, the moon, a flower, a tree, a bird (with a house and a nest who appears to be dancing...)....I love it!  It is night and day, cold and warmth, hibernation and celebration all at the same time (what a fabulous way to see the world).  The second photo is of the two pieces I worked on today and plan to finish up tomorrow morning.  I'm not sure if the hearts will stay (that's why i needed to stop).  Sometimes as I'm laying out pieces something wants to be there but it doesn't quite make sense, you know?  It's like I have to step back and give my head a little time to make sense of what my heart wants to put out there.  Well I better get working on the homemade pizzas we are supposed to be having for dinner tonight.  They are of the "everything but the kitchen sink" variety which is a result of me trying to make use of any bits and pieces still in the fridge before I clear it out on Friday.

  As the Holiday madness gets into full swing what are you cooking up? 

A gift of sorts (food love)...

The spaghetti squash pictured above has been on my mind for the past two days (I intended to write about it yesterday but needed time to get over the idea of doing an entry on squash.)  Two days ago my eleven year old son came into the kitchen (where I was in the process of making a big pot of vegetable beef soup) and said "Is that a spaghetti squash?"  I said yes to which he replied "Awesome!  Can we have it tonight?".   Now this may not seem like a really big deal but I've been thinking about how things got from point A (3 years ago when we first tried the squash) to Point B (two days ago when the squash became "awesome"). 

 If you've never tried this mild-flavored squash you should.  It gets it's name from the fact that after it cooks, the interior separates into a glorious golden tangle of long spaghetti-like strands.  There are two simple ways it can be prepared:  after piercing the skin 10-12 times with a knife tip (to prevent it exploding) you can roast it in a 350 degree oven for and hour and 15 minutes or cook it  in a microwave on high for 8 minutes, turn over and cook for an additional 8 minutes and then allow to sit for 5 minutes. Then you slice it in half, remove the seeds, and then shred the interior with a fork.  I toss the "spaghetti" with a bit of butter (or olive oil), parmigiano-reggiano, salt and pepper (of course the possibilities are endless but it's mild nutty flavor shines through with this simple mix). 

 So anyways, I first served this squash to the my children about 3 years ago and the response was "it's ok...not good but not terrible" (ok, that's a start..."not terrible" means the door is open).  So every two months or so I bring home a squash, make it, get the same reaction but tell the kids they have to eat the small portion they have been given while C and I eat up our larger portions.  It's not that I really care if they end up loving spaghetti squash (or anything else I introduce them to) but I think it's important that they are exposed to things and that they give foods second and third chances.  So two weeks ago I served this same recipe I had been serving for the past three years and during dinner Phoebe said "Mom, this is so good...I love it" and went on to have seconds as did Theo.  And then the other day I picked up another one and got the "awesome" comment.  So I guess the reason this has been floating around in my head is that I learned such a valuable parenting/life lesson about letting people come to things in their own time and what a gift that is.  There are so many other foods that this has happened with over the years but for some reason this one seems special because I realized that now this is in their catogory of "food likes" it will probably be there forever.  And so concludes my post on the humble yet delicious spaghetti squash.  

Thanks for reading...