the art of procrastination...

Have I mentioned that I am a procrastinator?  I am.  It's true. And I've gotten good at it.   So good in fact that it is now second nature (when I cooked all those great meals last week, ending with the Chicken Dumpling Soup Extravaganza, I didn't even realize I was doing it).  You see, I have this looming deadline for the "Enormous Tiny Art Show" and while I patted myself on the back for getting off to a great start with the eight little paintings for the show I then started  to stray.  First it was the cooking (after all I got a new cookbook, right?)  Then I picked up the knitting I had set aside for too long and decided I needed to finish the "Solace" sweater (so I could justify purchasing a new skein of Malabrigo to start Annri's hat).  And then while spending way too much time wandering in the blogosphere I came across "The Alabama Stitch Book" and became a little obsessed with tracking down the book and starting the "Bloomers Skirt"....yeah, it's a bit of a problem.  To make up for all of the side projects I spent a good deal of time in the studio yesterday morning and I'm heading in there now (although Wednesday's New York Times has the food section...hmmm).  Well it's homemade mac and cheese with panko breadcrumbs (which i could make in my sleep) and a simple salad for dinner tonight...so that leaves plenty of time for a bit of lunch and a quick fix of "The Minimalist", right?

Hold that thought...

These three ladies all feel very strongly about the need to fly.  They value the  ability to float above the idea that we are in a box and they recognize that to be strong, brave and true they must hold onto that thought every day.  More tomorrow...thanks for reading.

p.s.: these 3 wee blocks are headed to my shop later today...

On the border of crazy good....

...and just plain crazy.  The chicken soup with dumplings from Thomas Keller's "Ad Hoc at Home" Cookbook was absolutely delicious last night but there were a lot of steps involved.  I received the cookbook for Christmas and while it is much more accessible than the French Laundry Cookbook it's still has a few roll your eye steps like "bake a homemade loaf of brioche to make croutons".  That said, there are many great tips and techniques and some really amazing food combinations and recipes.  So far I have prepared the chicken soup(above), the oven roasted tomato sauce( a keeper) and potato pave( loved it, but again I had to start it at 8am to have it ready for dinner).  I think it's important to try a recipe the way it's supposed to be prepared before you start in with any shortcuts and while I'm certain I will make this velvety, rich and soul warming soup again I found a few places to streamline the recipe without changing the yumminess of the end product.  While I'm on the subject of food (and not painting which I will be getting to as soon as I get off the computer....) I also prepared this for dinner this week and it was both delicious and quick.  Have a great weekend, thanks for reading and Bon Appétit!

It's perfect painting weather....

...but life has other plans.  I've got the beginnings of Thomas Keller's recipe for Chicken Soup with Dumplings on the stove.  Yes,  I know it's before noon but there are lots of steps (more on that tomorrow).  The dog and the laundry need a wee bit of attention before I head over to school with my sewing machine to help Theo's 5th grade class with a quilting/heritage project. Then it will be back to the recipe that I hope will be as yummy as it sounds (did i mention the Pâte à choux dumplings?).  If all goes well today there should be plenty of time in the studio tomorrow....

 

I almost forgot to share...

...this amazing 6x6 encaustic piece I received as part of the Bee Team holiday exchange.  "Sheep Patterns" was created by the amazingly talented Kari J. Young. I love the color and texture in her work but most of all I love the subject of this piece (you know how I feel about wool...).  So a big warm thank you Kari, I love it!  

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!