EDM #138: Something Soft

I'm very attached to my feather pillow.
Graphite on Bristol.

EDM #137: Something that turns on and off

Where I go, my iron goes. I have friends who never iron anything, but I mostly wear cotton, linen or woolen garments and would be a wrinkled mess without my iron. When I was a teenager my older brother used to pay me $.25 per shirt to do his ironing.

I thought this was a good choice for this challenge because after using an iron, usually when I'm on my way somewhere, I often wonder whether I remembered to turn the iron off. So I end up thinking about this "something which turns on and off" much more than I should. It is a less pressing questions these days, since I purchased an iron which automatically turns off on it's own after its been unused for a while. Now I don't worry so much about burning the house down...except of course, the iron might be from China...and defective, and might not shut off on its own. I guess I don't totally trust the technology because I usually end up seriously thinking about turning around to double check, an impulse I have so far been able to restrain. And my house is still standing.

Graphite on Bristol. (My scanner seems to miss a lot of detail/subtle shadings on graphite drawings. Do other people have that problem with their scanners?)

EDM #135: A Salad

This is a painting of the tomato/mozzarella/basil salad I had for lunch. There was a vinagrette on it, but I decided to keep it simple. (Which really means, I didn't have a clue how to paint an oily vinagrette.)

Wednesday Kitchen: Harry's Tomato and Gorgonzola Soup

It’s cool and rainy where I live in Oregon today - perfect weather for tomato soup, which is what we're having for dinner. This recipe is quick and easy to make. It’s nothing special until you add the gorgonzola and then it’s quite delicious.

Harry’s Tomato and Gorgonzola Soup
Oregonian
4 Servings

½ cup diced onion
¼ cup diced celery
¼ cup diced carrot
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 large clove garlic, minced
28 ounces canned diced tomatoes, undrained
(see note)
2 tablespoons tomato paste (I often omit this)
1 cup water or more
1 heaping tablespoon minced fresh basil
1 teaspoon granulated sugar
4 ounces Gorgonzola cheese, crumbled or shredded (about 1 cup)
Salt and pepper to taste

In a heavy pot or Dutch oven over medium heat, sauté the onion, celery and carrot in the oil until the onion is soft. Stir in the garlic and sauté until fragrant, being careful not to brown the garlic. Add the tomatoes and their juices, tomato paste, 1 cup water, basil and sugar. Bring to a simmer and cook until the carrots are soft or tender-crisp. Remove from heat, add the cheese, cover for 2 to 3 minutes and then stir until the cheese is melted and well-blended. Add more water if you prefer a thinner consistency, and salt and pepper to taste. Soup can be reheated, if desired.

Note: While fresh is best, using good-quality canned tomatoes is fine.

EDM #134: Draw something from an unusual angle

I found this stylized head - which looks like it came from ancient statuary - at a garden store in Eugene. Although it’s really just poured concrete (with the addition of pitting and patina), I thought it deserved to be inside rather than in the garden. I drew it sitting on the edge of the bathtub, looking up at it.

Graphite on Bristol.

EDM #132: Draw a chain

I was ready with graphite pencil and bristol board to draw what I thought would be shiny links in a chain. But when I looked in the bucket in the laundry room which contained the chains, I discovered they were old and rusty. Although I've never tried to paint "rust" before, I decided to give it a try.

Pen and watercolor on 140 lb. CP Fabriano