Flat sound of wooden clogs

Moving house...

2010-07-18T15:12:00.000-07:00

I've moved my blog to Word Press. I hope you'll stop by!
Here's my new address: http://flatsoundofwoodenclogs.com/

I've posted a peach cobbler recipe there you might enjoy...

Blogger templates!

2010-07-08T20:08:00.001-07:00

Fooling around with the new blogger templates has resulted in the loss of many sidebar links, widget items, labels etc. on my blog and a rather bizarre selection of "heading" colors which I'm not sure how to correct. The "layout" tab is no more.

So be careful before you experiment...

Sally Holmes is happy...

2010-07-07T14:42:00.000-07:00

I'm not a big fan of roses, but occasionally I encounter one that smells so wonderfully fragrant or has a color or shape that is just too beautiful to resist. So I buy the rose bush, plant it, nurture it as best I can and hope for the best. But inevitably, usually before the first bloom, the rose displays distress - powdery mildew, aphids, black spot, often all three at once. Controlling these blights requires the use of toxic chemicals. I really believe using Ortho gardening supplies will send me straight to hell, so if the organic remedy (insecticidal soap) doesn't work, that's it for the rose bush.

Last year at a small local nursery I saw a lovely climbing rose with a stunning display of elegant white flowers and pointy soft-apricot buds. It was healthy and beautiful and just what I need to climb a corner trellis on my deck. When I expressed my concerns about growing roses, the nursery owner assured me the Sally Holmes country shrub rose was disease and pest resistant. I believed him, purchased two and planted them in containers beside the trellis in March. Throughout our very wet and cold spring I inspected them daily, anticipating powdery mildew on the leaves. Nothing! In early June buds began to form. I was really looking forward to seeing the first bloom. But a few days later the roses were suddenly covered with aphids. I sprayed with the soapy solution, it rained hard and the next day they were gone. Two days later, black spot appeared.

I'd like to end this rose story by telling you I did nothing other than remove the diseased leaves and hope for the best. But in reallity, I had so much emotional energy vested in the success (finally!) of these roses that I (lightly!) sprayed the bush with the toxic black spot killer. Only once! I'm just giving the bush a little head start on all the things in this world that want to destroy it.

Clouds

2010-05-16T14:09:00.001-07:00

Portland: Norse Hall

2010-05-14T13:46:00.000-07:00

The inspiration for this painting came from a photo in the Oregonian newspaper which I've had on my desk for awhile. I altered it a bit, adding clouds (it's Oregon!) and changing the colors. The building is quite wonky, but still, I like the cheerfulness of this painting.

The gladdest thing under the sun...

2010-05-11T08:50:00.000-07:00

Soup's on...

2010-05-10T13:29:00.000-07:00

My favorite soup ingredient...

In the vegetable bin...

2010-05-05T16:02:00.000-07:00

Across the river...

2010-01-02T13:21:00.000-08:00

Pear Vase

2009-12-31T14:42:00.001-08:00

Cezanne study...

2009-12-14T15:55:00.001-08:00

A gathering of apples

2009-11-19T14:20:00.000-08:00

Apples have replaced pears in my painting affections.

Falling off the table

2009-11-05T18:04:00.000-08:00

There's a definite downward slant to these apples.

My favorite color this week? Yellow ochre.

October still life...

2009-11-04T13:31:00.000-08:00

The colors in this painting are actually very different from what appears here, and there wasn't room for the whole painting in the scanner, but you get the idea...

Taco Chip

2009-11-03T15:44:00.000-08:00

Abstracting everyday objects...

Anaheim studies

2009-11-02T08:39:00.001-08:00

Saturday, with pears...

2009-10-03T14:06:00.001-07:00

Although I think about painting almost every day, I haven't picked up a paintbrush for several months. These brown pears have been beckoning me all week. Since they are starting to develop mushy spots, today was the day. It felt good to paint again, even if that one pear looks a lot like a piece of fried chicken.

Peach Explosion

2009-07-26T15:59:00.001-07:00

Trees

2009-07-12T17:10:00.000-07:00

Here are a few tree studies for Vivian Blackburn's tree challenge.

These black oaks are ungainly, with little foliage and often a lot of stringy moss at the top. Not a particularly attractive tree, but I do like watching them sway back and forth wildly on stormy days.

(Watercolor with graphite on smooth Bristol)

There are a lot of these in Oregon...

(Watercolor on Magnani Pescia 100% rag)

I'm not sure what these trees are, but I love the greyish/blue color.

(Watercolor on Magnani Pescia 100% rag)

The best part of summer...

2009-06-25T10:38:00.000-07:00

There's a lot that's wonderful about summer, but having garden flowers available for these simple little arrangements is at the top of my list.

A cup

2009-06-17T17:21:00.001-07:00

A (very vicarious) trip to France

2009-06-14T12:44:00.000-07:00

My daughter is in France for the next five weeks learning about the cuisine of Gascony. She reports six hour lunches, a lot of duck entrees and appetizers, the freshest food she's ever tasted, dinners at 10 p.m., homemade aperitifs, and $6 bottles of excellent wine. She's fallen in love with it all. And I get to enjoy it vicariously via the internet and Skype (a clearer phone connection than I get locally.)

She's staying in this 18th century farmhouse:

Near the town of Nerac:

And enjoying food like this (cured foie gras stuffed duck breast):

Mmmmmmmm....

2009-06-07T12:48:00.000-07:00

There is something deeply satisfying about creating a journal. It's full of potential, almost a book...

I made this journal, with Japanese stab binding, in a class which ended yesterday. I didn't select my most beautiful paper for the first book, because I figured I would screw it up, but I'm pleased with the way the handmade Japanese paper looks.

On the inside, I used three different papers: a soft Italian printmaking paper called Magnani; Niggedden (Roz Stendahl's favorite paper) and 90 lb. Arches watercolor paper.

I've taken two book making classes in the past few months. In the first class I learned to make simple pamphlet and folding books, which I found equally satisfying.

A few hours very well spent...

Oil Studies

2009-06-04T15:15:00.000-07:00

Here are a few of the studies I painted in my beginning oil painting class which ended last week. There are more, but they're not completely dry yet. I really like painting on gessoed mat board. It eliminates the pressure to produce something "worthwhile" that I experience when using a canvas.

My new favorite flower...

2009-05-26T18:45:00.000-07:00

This is all that's left of a large, beautiful bouquet of peonies which gave me great pleasure every time I passed them this weekend.

Peonies

This morning the green fists of the peonies are getting ready to break my heart
As the sun rises,
as the sun strokes them with his old, buttery fingers

and they open -
pools of lace,
white and pink -
and all day the black ants climb over them,

boring their deep and mysterious holes
into the curls,
craving the sweet sap,
taking it away

to their dark, underground cities -
and all day
under the shifty wind,
as in a dance to the great wedding,

the flowers bend their bright bodies,
and tip their fragrance to the air,
and rise,
their red stems holding

all that dampness and recklessness
gladly and lightly,
and there it is again -
beauty the brave, the exemplary,

blazing open.
Do you love this world?
Do you cherish your humble and silky life?
Do you adore the green grass, with its terror beneath?

Do you also hurry, half-dressed and barefoot, into the garden,
and softly,
and exclaiming of their dearness,
fill your arms with the white and pink flowers,

with their honeyed heaviness, their lush trembling,
their eagerness
to be wild and perfect for a moment, before they are
nothing, forever?

- Mary Oliver

Reflections

2009-05-18T06:57:00.000-07:00

The focus in my oil painting glass has been on painting transparent and reflective objects. This is my favorite (of several attempts).

Immersed in poetry...

2009-05-11T16:44:00.000-07:00

I received four new poetry books for my birthday last week from my son and daughter-in-law. As I was browsing through them last night, I was reminded of this poem my friend Anne forwarded to me last month:

How to Read a Poem: Beginner’s Manual
by Pamela Spiro Wagner

First, forget everything you have learned,
that poetry is difficult,
that it cannot be appreciated by the likes of you,
with your high school equivalency diploma,
your steel-tipped boots,
or your white-collar misunderstandings.

Do not assume meanings hidden from you:
the best poems mean what they say and say it.

To read poetry requires only courage
enough to leap from the edge
and trust.

Treat a poem like dirt,
humus rich and heavy from the garden.
Later it will become the fat tomatoes
and golden squash piled high upon your kitchen table.

Poetry demands surrender,
language saying what is true,
doing holy things to the ordinary.

Read just one poem a day.
Someday a book of poems may open in your hands
like a daffodil offering its cup
to the sun.

When you can name five poets
without including Bob Dylan,
when you exceed your quota
and don’t even notice,
close this manual.

Primrose

2009-05-07T13:31:00.000-07:00

Eggplant #1

2009-04-30T07:11:00.000-07:00

My first attempt at painting an eggplant with oil paints. More to come....

More yellow...

2009-04-23T10:41:00.000-07:00

My oil painting teacher encourages students to copy paintings by old masters as a way of learning about color and technique. When I encountered Claude Monet’s painting “Branch from a lemon tree,” I decided to give it a try since it provided more practice using the color yellow. Monet’s painting had a vertical orientation, but my copy seems to look "better" displayed horizontally, (Sorry, Claude.) I was unable to scan the canvas; the photo does not accurately depict the colors.

I’m really enjoying my class, although I’m a bit bored with painting red, blue and green boxes and cylinders. Yesterday my teacher suggested I move into the next class level now, rather than continue with the current beginning class. I'm thinking about it, although it's kind of nice to feel competent in a class. But it would be more challenging (and interesting) to be with experienced painters.

Oil Painting 101

2009-04-13T08:29:00.000-07:00

A few years ago I took an oil painting class at the local community college. The woman who taught the class was a watercolor painter who was assigned the oil painting class a few weeks before the term began. She was a very nice person, but didn’t really know what she was doing. I loved the lusciousness of oil paints, but found the class frustrating and didn’t learn much. Recently I decided to try again. I’ll be driving to Eugene once a week for the next two months for an oil painting class at the local art center. The first class was last week and I’m pleased with the teacher. She obviously knows a lot and has an encouraging and helpful manner in interactions with students.

For the next few classes we will focus on painting still lifes with objects of only one primary color. Last week we painted yellow objects, using a limited palette of alizarin crimson, cad yellow light, French ultramarine, and white.

Next week we will add cad red light to our palette when we paint red objects. By the end of the class our palette will consist of six primary colors - warm/cool versions of each.

This is my painting of a yellow flowerpot and crayon. In the oil painting world I think it’s considered important to cover the canvas completely. But I was still in partial watercolor mode and felt compelled to leave a bit of white canvas showing. I can see that leaving some white doesn't really enhance an oil painting the way it does a watercolor.

At the bottom of the bin...

2009-04-09T14:32:00.001-07:00

I cleaned out my refrigerator today in preparation for company this weekend and discovered these somewhat mushy items at the bottom of the vegetable bin. A quick little painting before they go out for the deer...

I want a flat file...

2009-04-09T08:19:00.000-07:00

Paper is everywhere around my house. It gets rolled up, hung up, laid in the corner of rooms, cut up and placed in portfolios. I'm sure it would be happier carefully laid in a flat file - dry, safe, and unwrinkled as it awaits its final expression.

Poetry and rain

2009-03-29T09:50:00.000-07:00

On this rainy Oregon day I baked a loaf of lemon bread, thought about painting, organized stuff, drank a lot of coffee, and revisited Raymond Carver.

April is National Poetry month.

Loafing

I looked into the room a moment ago,
and this is what I saw –
my chair in its place by the window,
the book turned facedown on the table.
and on the sill, the cigarette
left burning in its ashtray.
Malingerer! My uncle yelled at me
so long ago. He was right.
I’ve set aside time today,
same as every day,
for doing nothing at all.

From All of Us: Collected Poems
by Raymond Carver

zzzzzzzzz...

2009-03-12T15:36:00.000-07:00

Could it be any more symmetrical?

Chicken and dumplings...

2009-03-09T19:19:00.000-07:00

When I was a little girl, my favorite dinner was my mother's chicken and dumplings. I tried preparing it once when my children were young, but the dumplings had the texture of glue. When I was leafing through my cookbooks this week, I noticed a recipe for chicken and dumplings and decided to try again. It was delicious! The perfect dinner on a day when the the sky is spitting snow, hail and rain, and the temperatures are in the 20s.

I use this cookbook a lot. It's from the people who publish Cooks Illustrated magazine and the recipes are dependably good.

The buzzards have returned

2009-03-07T01:15:00.000-08:00

My husband mentioned this week that the buzzards have returned. Huh? I guess I didn't realize they left in the winter. So I was thinking about buzzards while reading the dismal news in the local paper. Then I read another article about how some of the people deeply involved in the sub-prime mortgage mess are now making a killing buying up the bad assets they helped create, at bargain prices of course. That's the inspiration for this collage. I wasn't sure how to put a suit on a buzzard, but you get the idea...

Yesterday I noticed an increase in my husband's paycheck, the first installment on Obama's $850 a year tax cut for the middle class. Had we received an $850 check from the government, it would have gone directly into savings. Since the goal of the stimulus bill is to get people to spend money, it's probably more effective to spread the tax cut out over 12 months. I know I'm much more likely to spend an extra $60 a month without really noticing. With a 16.5% unemployment rate in the county where I live, I probably should just pass it on to the local food bank.

But all is not doom and gloom. I do have a more positive harbinger of spring than the return of the buzzards. When I stepped outside yesterday evening, I heard the frogs croaking, a sound I always find quite joyful.

Carrots

2009-03-02T15:56:00.000-08:00

These carrots were laying on the table in front of me, but they look like I painted them looking down at them. I think I'm missing the part of the brain that interprets perspective. I'm stumped. Why don't these look like they are coming towards me? I'm sure it's probably obvious to everyone else...

Darker values

2009-03-01T20:42:00.000-08:00

I've had such a difficult time with watercolors recently that I decided to try oil painting again. I took an oil painting class five years ago, but then got busy with other things and never did much with it. I'd like to try again.

These mandarins are my first attempt. The color is too intense and the range of values doesn't include darks, as the gray scale version below clearly illustrates. After reading Laura's suggestion on Jana's blog about darker values through the use of glazes, I decided this painting might benefit from that technique. But I'm not sure what colors to use for the glazes and would welcome suggestions. I choose not to use a blue/orange complimentary mix to contour the mandarins because I didn't like the greenish brown color which resulted, (see under leaf on right mandarin) and adding darker red colors looked too garish.

Any suggestions regarding how to improve this painting would be greatly appreciated.

Blue Pitcher

2009-02-17T18:00:00.000-08:00

Watercolor on Winsor & Newton 140 CP paper

Queen of Hearts

2009-02-12T13:44:00.000-08:00

In our family my granddaughter Georgia, who turns four this weekend, is the Queen of Hearts. I'm not sure she really needs a symbol of her power and authority, but just in case, my husband made her this wooden scepter.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Rear View

2009-02-06T14:32:00.000-08:00

I was waiting in line for the drive-up window at the bank and saw an appealing image in my rear view window. The back wall of a building at the end of the drive had been painted half brick/raw sienna and half gray. In front of the wall were bushes with red and green leaves.

This painting doesn't really capture just how pretty it was.

Too gorgeous to pass up...

2009-01-31T12:43:00.000-08:00

I'm not a fan of Martha Stewart, but I couldn't resist buying the February issue of Living magazine. Aren't the colors fabulous! These frosted cupcakes are so pretty, I'm not sure I could bring myself to eat them.

It's a good day in Oregon. The sun is shining and mom is pleased with her new room in rehab. She even took a few steps during physical therapy today.

Some things are constant...

2009-01-30T19:33:00.000-08:00

One thing that doesn't seem to change is the pleasure children take in playing dress up. When my kids were little, the dress up box was in contant flux as they planned games and plays and various scenarios which required special clothing or disguises. The box contained a collection of discarded scarves, nightgowns, tutus, cowboy hats, wigs, swords, shields, belts, jewelry and various pieces of discarded Halloween costumes.

And now my granddaughter Georgia has begun dressing herself to play the imaginary games she stages. The clothing she selected in this photo, taken at Christmas, reflects her idea of the perfectly attired magic princess.

She turns four in a couple of weeks and her birthday list includes requests for more dress up clothes. I've ordered a set of fairy wings, with a fairy wand and headpiece. She's getting a feather boa and finished pieces of sparkly fabric to wrap around herself as she wishes. And if time permits, I'm going to sew a silk cape to go with a queen's crown.

I think it's a bit bewildering to her parents, both well versed in feminist theory, to have a little girl so fascinated with princesses and queens. You know, it's not really a family value...

Another Day...

2009-01-30T14:21:00.000-08:00

Yesterday when I visited my mother she was participating in physical therapy and in good spirits. I was pleased and hopeful she had turned an emotional corner. I traveled on to Eugene for lunch with friends and visits to bookstores, a welcome respite.

But today, she was in total despair, sad, angry, refusing to participate in physical therapy, wanting to "just go home and die." I think it's painful for her to do the exercises, as the only pain medication she tolerates is Tylenol. I was able to arrange for her to be moved to a better room - larger, with a window view of the patio area, in the rehab side of the facility. Because there were no rooms available in the rehab part when she was transferred from the hospital on Monday, she was in the long term care area, surrounded with the comatose and dying, not the best environment for recovery. I'm hopeful the change of rooms will help her spirits.

After I left her today, I went to a florist and bought this arrangement. Not for her really, she's always dismissive of flowers people send her, but to make her room look a little less dreary when I visit. I'll take them to her tomorrow.

This rendering is not very accurate - the pot is actually smaller (and square) and the plants were larger, but it felt really good to do something with pen and brush.

Art as an antidote to nursing homes

2009-01-28T01:31:00.000-08:00

Last week my 85-year old mother fell again, her third fall in four months. This time she fractured her pelvis, resulting in hospitalization and transfer to a rehab/nursing center yesterday. These rehab facilities are depressing as hell for so many reasons, on so many levels. So mom’s upset, I’m upset. She cries and asks me to get her out of there. I explain about the importance of physical therapy, how it will only be for four or five weeks. But four or five weeks feels like forever when one is the patient and not the visitor. She tells me she would prefer to go back where she was, the hospital with a private room and nurses who actually respond to call lights. She grips my hand and pleads with her eyes. I feel like crap and leave. It’s a complicated relationship, with edges shaped by compassion and love and disdain and neediness.

After visiting her yesterday, I tried to paint, but it was as if I had never picked up a paintbrush before.

Tomorrow it's back to contour drawings.

President Obama!

2009-01-20T10:19:00.000-08:00

"Our challenges may be new. The instruments with which we meet them may be new. But those values upon which our success depends — hard work and honesty, courage and fair play, tolerance and curiosity, loyalty and patriotism — these things are old. These things are true. They have been the quiet force of progress throughout our history."
(From Obama Inaugural Address)

A happy day...

2009-01-19T19:07:00.000-08:00

And tomorrow will be even better.

Bush's last FULL day in office is OVER!

Ask Me

2009-01-18T16:17:00.000-08:00

Ask Me

Some time when the river is ice ask me
mistakes I have made. Ask me whether
what I have done is my life. Others
have come in their slow way into
my thought, and some have tried to help
or to hurt: ask me what difference
their strongest love or hate has made.

I will listen to what you say.
You and I can turn and look
at the silent river and wait. We know
the current is here, hidden; and there
are comingss and goings from miles away
that hold the stillness exactly before us.
What the river says, that is what I say.

-William Stafford

(From the Sunday Oregonian newspaper.)

Number of days until Bush's last full day in office: 1!

Socked in...

2009-01-17T13:19:00.000-08:00

Another day of heavy fog in the Umpqua Valley.

Number of days until Bush's last full day in office: 2

Green Apples

2009-01-16T16:16:00.000-08:00

Today got away from me and now it’s 7:30 p.m. and I have no desire to paint or draw. So I’m posting a painting I did in an oil painting class a few years ago. The assignment was to paint a copy of an old master. I selected this painting by Cezanne, Green Apples.

My scanner makes colors look brighter than they actually are, but still, my mixes bear little resemblance to Cezanne's muted tones :

The original, by Cezanne:

Number of days until Bush's last full day in office: 3

In the mist...

2009-01-15T18:43:00.000-08:00

The river valley where I live in Oregon gets a lot of fog. It's been particularly heavy the past week, often lingering until late afternoon when it lifts to reveal a few hours of sunshine. Sometimes it feels a bit oppressive and gloomy, but I love what it does to the view. The trees, hills and buildings look mysterious and a bit magical in the heavy mist. And the light shining through as it begins to thin produces a beautiful glow.

Number of days until Bush's last full day in office: 4

Baby Bok Choy

2009-01-14T12:44:00.000-08:00

There were five baby bok choy lined up on a shelf in the display case at the grocery store. So tiny. So perfect. So organic. How could I resist buying one?

Number of days until Bush's last full day in office: 5

Bear Fetish

2009-01-13T19:21:00.000-08:00

This granite bear fetish from Santa Fe was a gift from a good friend. I've tried to sketch it several times over the years, but it never comes out quite right.

"According to Zuni mythology, the Bear fetish is the Guardian of the West and has the power to heal and transform human passions into true wisdom. They believe that Bear is invaluable whenever you are faced with change and transition and that it can be your ally when you are attempting to resolve conflict, forgive yourself or others for errors of the past, or when you are faced with new challenges in your spiritual path."

Hmmm, perhaps I shouldn't be so neglectful of this little guy...

Number of days until Bush's last full day in office: 6

It's a marvelous night for a moon dance...

2009-01-12T05:00:00.000-08:00

Driving home from town last night, I was stunned by how beautiful the moon was - huge and glowing, with a large, luminous nimbus around it. It only got better as we left the city lights behind for the darkness of the countryside.

Apparently it's the biggest and brightest full moon of 2009. If it were just a bit warmer outside, a moon dance would certainly be in order...

Number of days until Bush's last full day in office: 7

Deer food...

2009-01-11T11:18:00.000-08:00

A quick little sketch before I put this wilted flower arrangement outside for the deer to enjoy.

Number of days until Bush's last full day in office: 8

More Yupo

2009-01-10T12:47:00.001-08:00

Number of days until Bush's last full day in office: 9

Yupoland

2009-01-09T15:49:00.000-08:00

My guests left today and I'm starting to feel somewhat normal. Thanks for all the get well wishes.

After a short nap, I spent the afternoon in Yupoland, a strange and unpredictable place. Yupo paper has a plastic finish and there's little control over what happens when ink or watercolor is placed on it. I created a very nice abstract landscape, left the room while it was drying and when I came back later, everything had melded, moved, and turned into a completely different painting. The paper is just weird, slick and smooth. But I think there is amazing potential for some very interesting art. And I'm sure there are techniques for using it which I don't know yet.

I didn't produce anything wonderful, but did have fun moving the paint around. Another plus? You can wash everything off and start over again. (Don't you think the painting resembles this image of an amœba?...)

Number of days until Bush's last full day in office: 10

Two tulips

2009-01-08T10:03:00.001-08:00

A lost edge doesn't really work if there's an ink drawing underneath.

Number of days until Bush's last day in office: 11

Will it work?

2009-01-07T07:28:00.000-08:00

When I began having cold symptoms on Monday, I remembered reading about a new cold medicine which actually worked. I picked up a bottle of Zicam and began using it in the hopes of keeping the cold at bay, or at least shortening the duration. This medication, taken every four hours for 48 hours, is supposed to shorten the duration of one's cold. My husband was sick with this virus for eight days; I'm hoping my illness will be shorter.

A quick drawing before my guests awaken. ( Am I really posting a sketch of nose spray on my blog?)

Number of days until Bush's last day in office: 12

Bird Pot

2009-01-06T01:55:00.001-08:00

A value study, perhaps to become a little painting...

Number of days until Bush's last day in office: 13

Colds & Company/two more weeks to go!

2009-01-05T16:53:00.000-08:00

I woke up this morning with a sore throat, runny nose and general feeling of malaise. There’s never a GOOD time to get a cold, but with company arriving from Tennessee tomorrow, I really could have skipped this right now. The Kleenex box and I have been constant companions today.

The box is a little wonky, sort of the way I feel.

Number of days until Bush's last day in office: 14

The best of a bad lot/15 days to go

2009-01-04T16:51:00.000-08:00

I couldn't paint ANYTHING well today, but since I've committed to posting something every day until Bush is history, here it is. Maybe I'll try this again tomorrow. The orchid is really quite beautiful.

Doodles/16 more days...

2009-01-03T15:57:00.000-08:00

I spent the last couple of days in Eugene, picking up art supplies, browsing bookstores and visiting friends. This little doodle is all I have time for today.

Number of days until Bush's last day in office: 16.

Twisted leaves/17 more days

2009-01-02T06:56:00.000-08:00

I love the crazy, twisted leaves on Satsuma oranges.

Number of days until Bush's last day in office, and the fulfillment of my one and only new year's resolution: 17.

Bombay Sapphire

2009-01-01T14:52:00.000-08:00

When I make a gin and tonic I use the least expensive gin I can find, because it’s really the flavor of the tonic water that appeals to me. A hint of gin is all I want in the drink.

Someone gave me a bottle of Bombay Sapphire dry gin for Christmas and told me I would never be able to go back to the bargain gin after tasting it. It does have a rich, complex flavor which, according to Wikipedia, comes from a recipe of ten ingredients: almond, lemon peel, liquorice, juniper berries, orris root, angelica, coriander, cassia, cubeb, and grains of paradise.

It’s good, but honestly, what I like the best about it is the gorgeous sapphire blue bottle it's packaged in.

Number of days until Bush's last day in office, and the end of my daily paintings: 18.

Countdown Art

2009-01-01T14:45:00.000-08:00

I seldom make New Year’s resolutions because I never actually follow through with them. But this year, I’m feeling the need to kick-start 2009. So I’m making one short-term resolution - to post a small piece of art every day through January 19. No particular theme, just whatever appeals to me.

Then, on January 20, I’m going to pour a big glass of champagne, turn the TV on and watch the inauguration of our 44th President.

Number of days until Bush's last day in office: 18.

Wishing you a boogie woogie new year...

2008-12-30T15:44:00.000-08:00

Let's see, that would be a new year full of energy, enthusiasm, creativity and good health...similar to what these amazing dancers exude.

Winter rains...

2008-12-30T15:40:00.000-08:00

After a few days of heavy rain, the North Umpqua River is a muddy grey color and overflowing its banks. But the hills across the river are beginning to change from summer brown to spring green, a beautiful and hopeful sight.

Snail Bird

2008-12-29T08:44:00.000-08:00

The drive took twice as long as it should have, but we arrived safely in Portland last Tuesday and enjoyed a very pleasant holiday with our family. Christmas with a three year old is just FUN!

Although Georgia received a number of gender neutral presents, her new doll seemed to be her favorite gift. In addition to the doll, she received a small wicker laundry basket with clothesline and clothes pins and a child-size iron and ironing board, also big hits. Almost immediately Georgia B.'s Laundry was open for business. She took the doll clothes off the hangers and stuffed them under a pillow on the sofa (her pretend washing machine). After a while the clothes were hung up to dry, then ironed and returned to their hangers in the doll trunk. Then the cycle was repeated.

Oh, and the doll's new name?..."Snail-Bird" (shortened to Birdie). Don't ask. Because who can fathom the mind of a three year old.

North to Alaska, er I mean Portland…

2008-12-23T08:00:00.000-08:00

We’re loading gifts and food and heading north today to spend Christmas with our family in Portland. But not without some trepidation, at least on my part, as Portland has been hit with ten days of significant snow (for Oregon), freezing rain and generally treacherous road conditions. My ever confident husband isn’t worried (4-wheel drive, plus chains) but I am less sanguine about the plan. I guess we’ll find out. We really must show, because WE have the doll…

I wish you all a warm, cozy holiday, with good cheer, good friends, and delicious, decadent food. Who knows where we will all be this time next year, after the Masters of the Universe are finished with things...

(Photo credit: www.copyright-free-photos.org.uk)

Ready for delivery...

2008-12-22T15:07:00.001-08:00

My husband finished the doll trunk last night and if the weather gods cooperate, it will be under the tree for my granddaughter on Christmas eve...

Oh, baby, it's cold outside

2008-12-19T08:16:00.001-08:00

We hardly ever use our wood stove any more, but I woke up to this cozy fire, built by my husband before he left for work on this snowy Oregon morning...

Treeless

2008-12-17T11:23:00.000-08:00

I live in Oregon, the number one Christmas tree producing state in the nation. Last year Oregon harvested 7.3 million Christmas trees. They are bountiful and fairly inexpensive here, but this year we are without one. Since we will be spending Christmas at our son’s home this year, and because life is particularly hectic right now, we decided to skip the tree. My husband was THRILLED, since he is the one who ends up doing most of the work. I was okay with our decision until a few days ago when I suddenly began craving the scent of evergreens in my home…and greatly missed being able to enjoy my first cup of coffee in the dark living room, illuminated only by the lights on the tree.

So last weekend my husband cut down some evergreen boughs for me to use in this arrangement. And last night he spray painted some branches white for me.

And now there’s a hint of evergreens wafting through my home and life is feeling a little bit more festive.

A very big baby...

2008-12-08T08:22:00.001-08:00

Thirty-two years ago today I was hugely pregnant with twins. Within 48 hours, on December 10, my babies would arrive in the world and I would be recovering from a C-section and a broken shoulder joint.

The first months of my pregnancy were normal. The doctor and mid-wife at the birthing center kept telling me I was going to have a BIG baby. But at seven months, an ultrasound revealed that BIG baby was really twins. Exciting and scary news for my husband and I. My normal pregnancy soon began to change and by the time I entered the end of my eighth month, I had developed preeclampsia, a potentially fatal condition for mother and child. I was hospitalized for a week, then released. A day later I was back in the hospital where, within the next 12 hours, my son and daughter were delivered by C-section. During this time I also fractured my shoulder joint. (Twins are often born premature and underweight but mine were born on their due date and had normal birth weights – 8 lbs. 4 oz. and 6 lbs. 13 oz. I was huge. Teenagers laughed at me...)

Three days after their birth the twins went home with my husband, but I remained in the hospital for another two weeks. Two operations and two months later my shoulder joint had finally healed and I was able to hold them without assistance for the first time. Our little family had a bumpy beginning. The help we received from my husband's parents saved us.

Although the birth experience was not what I anticipated, my babies were everything I imagined and hoped for. They were mellow infants and happy children - smart, funny, creative and kind. Their teenage years were bumpy, but we all got through it. After high school they both went on to obtain advance degrees and have successful careers. My son is a wonderful father and I know my daughter will be a great mom if she has children. We're very proud of them.

Like all siblings, Zach and Camas have their prickly moments, but I’m pleased that they are friends and still close. They are probably rolling their eyes by now at my depiction of our family (not as perfect as I have perhaps made it sound). But we do love each other and enjoy spending time together, a sweet blessing.

On Wednesday they will be 32 years old. We won’t be able to celebrate their mid-week birthdays with them in Portland, but we’ll talk by phone. Happy birthday, my sweet babes. You'll always be my super kids!

Red trunk, rediscovered...

2008-12-03T10:24:00.001-08:00

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving with our son, daughter-in-law and three year old granddaughter Georgia. She pronounced the dinner, “very good” (although I think she was really just referring to the jellied cranberry sauce and the pumpkin brulée.)

While she was here my husband pulled more of our children’s toys out of the attic for her to play with. Georgia was quite taken with my daughter’s old doll and the red doll trunk filled with doll clothes hanging on brass hangers. My daughter’s grandfather made the little brass hangers and I spent many hours sewing and embroidering the “Vogue” doll clothes during my twins’ naps and after they were in bed at night.

After seeing her delight in the doll and her accessories, a plan was hatched. Although my daughter-in-law is not a big fan of dolls, on Monday she ordered a beautiful German doll for Georgia for Christmas. My husband began the search for brass fittings for a wooden doll trunk which he will make and I went shopping for fabric and patterns for doll clothing.

I’m sure this month will fly as I make dresses and pants and shirts and pajamas for the newest addition to Georgia's little family. And I suspect there won't be much painting...

Thanks, June!

2008-12-03T10:15:00.000-08:00

A big thank you to June for sending this award my way. I'm supposed to pass it on and will do so eventually, but life is just too busy right now. Stop by and visit June's blog Poetry and Photography: The Memory Thread. It's an interesting mix of photographs and musings about her life.

I know you have one, too...

2008-11-23T11:07:00.000-08:00

I suspect every American family has a holiday recipe which includes a very unwholesome ingredient made by Kraft Foods, General Mills or some other corporate food producer. Maybe it’s something with lime green jello in it, or a cake mix full of preservatives. Perhaps Lipton soup mix is a main ingredient or it has marshmallows on top. You know the one I’m talking about. It’s a throwback from the 1950s and family members refuse to give it up.

In our family, that dish is Artic Freeze, a creamy, tart frozen concoction with walnuts and whole cranberry bits in it. I serve slices of it on a plate with a serving of homemade fresh cranberry sauce. If I omit it from the Thanksgiving menu, there’s a lot of whining around the table. Most of the ingredients in the dish are okay. It’s a blend of whole cranberry sauce, cream cheese, shredded pineapple and walnuts. Not too bad, so far, right? The killer ingredient? COOL WHIP. According to Wikipedia: “Cool Whip is made of water, corn syrup and high fructose corn syrup, hydrogenated coconut and palm kernel oil (CPKO), sodium caseinate, vanilla extract, xanthan and guar gums, polysorbate 60 (glycosperse), and beta carotene.”

Cool Whip is pretty creepy used by itself as a dairy-like topping. (I always think of it as soft edible plastic.) But when it’s blended with all those other ingredients it actually looks and tastes like real food. I have in the past substituted real whipped cream for the Cool Whip. It was okay, it worked with the recipe, but it just didn’t have quite the right texture.

It would be a bad thing if I ate Artic Freeze everyday, but I’m sure once a year is fine. So I’m off now to add the ingredients to my Thanksgiving grocery list. And I'd love to hear about your favorite recipe, too...

Happy Thanksgiving!

Squash Primer

2008-11-13T10:54:00.000-08:00

With the exception of pumpkin (as in pie) I never eat squash. I believe squash really exists to provide an inexpensive front porch decoration during the months of October and November. I do, however, have great appreciation for their aesthetic beauty and always enjoy seeing them piled in colorful mounds at the fall farmers market. Their odd, beautifully colored shapes are wonderful to look at… and paint. I know the names of some of the members of the squash family - butternut, acorn, turban, but there are many kinds of squash whose names were unknown to me. That changed last week after the Oregonian newspaper featured a squash photo spread in the food section.

And now I know the names of all that squash piled on my front porch.

Delicate - According to the Oregonian, " This variety is unique in that the skin, provided it's cooked long enough, is thin enough to eat, and the nutty, creamy flesh has notes of corn and sweet potato. Best when baked or steamed; not as good for soups."

Sweet Dumpling - "A winner. Sweet and nutty with a super-creamy texture. Skip trying to peel those small ridges and just cut it in half and bake." (Personally, I think the name of this one should be "camo.")

Kuri- "Also known as Japanese squash, orange Hokkaido or uchiki, kuri squash is similar in texture to the butternut; red kuri is smoother, with a distinct taste of chestnuts."

I'm dedicating this post to my wonderful daughter-in-law Aimee, who apparently can never get enought of this stuff, since her freezer is full of jars filled with squash!

Evening view

2008-11-10T16:50:00.000-08:00

I was getting ready to put my paints away and close the curtains for the evening when I noticed these colors outside. Most of the trees around our house are naked now, but there are a few bushes and trees that refuse to give up their autumn finery.

Today is the day we get our country back!

2008-11-04T07:03:00.000-08:00

The champagne is chilling. The flutes have been washed. Our friends are joining us this evening for dinner and election returns.

We tried this four years ago and it was a bust. But I'm thinking tonight we're going to have better results.

And I'm really looking forward to not having to cringe every time our president opens his mouth.

Oh, yumm!

2008-11-01T17:41:00.000-07:00

Apple galettes are the quintessential fall dessert. Mine always taste good, but they are often rough and mishappen in appearance. Today I made a pretty galette. (Actually, I guess the apples should have been arranged in concentric circles.) But still, I had to share...

Foggy Foliage

2008-10-30T14:39:00.000-07:00

I had to drive into town very early on a foggy morning last week. The low lying fog and beautiful fall foliage against the dark evergreens was very dramatic. I tried to capture it from memory today.

Contours

2008-10-27T11:44:00.001-07:00

Nothing in the room inspired me while we were watching Sixty Minutes last night, so I drew this from a fashion magazine at hand. Contour drawings are relaxing, no worry about accuracy or creating anything special, just an opportunity to exercise the right side of the brain...

Ha! I'm certain that Vogue model did not have the hips I drew on her, maybe a bit of projection on my part?

October Virtual Sketch Date

2008-10-21T10:31:00.000-07:00

I have company coming this weekend, so I'm posting my painting for the October Virtual Sketch Date early. This is the first time I've used rough paper and I really like the granulation.

Abstraction

2008-10-21T09:22:00.000-07:00

I was looking through my bookshelf today for some art inspiration and came across the wonderful book, Lawrence Goldsmith: A Life in Watercolor. Goldsmith's use of color, calligraphic line and white space is exquisite. Sitting down with his book was a very good way to start my day. Here's more of Goldschmidt's art:

Imminent demise greatly exaggerated

2008-10-18T14:24:00.000-07:00

A couple of weeks ago I predicted these flowers would soon be history. But this is the bouquet I picked today. What the heck do I know? Maybe they'll bloom all winter!

Muse in flight

2008-10-15T14:25:00.000-07:00

If I ever had one, it seems to be gone now. It's Watercolor 101 at my house lately.

Or maybe this is just what happens when one neglects to draw or paint for days at a time.

3 a.m.

2008-10-09T14:50:00.000-07:00

Insomnia
Cornelius Eady

You'll never sleep tonight.
Trains will betray you, cars confess
Their destinations.

Whether you like it
Or not.

They want more
Than to be in
Your dreams.

They want to tell you
A story.

They yammer all night and then
The birds take over,
Jeering as only
The well-rested can.

Not much of a resemblence, but it does depict how I feel, wandering around the house at 3 a.m. A bit deranged and very tired...

Almost finished...

2008-10-01T18:30:00.000-07:00

After a week of very hot weather, rain and cooler temperatures are headed to Oregon. One night of freezing temperatures and these zinnias will be finished.

A very quick little study while I waited for dinner to finish cooking.

How difficult is it to name the newspapers/magazines YOU read?

2008-10-01T08:51:00.000-07:00

I guess it would be a tough question if you didn't actually read any...

Last night on the CBS Evening News, host Katie Couric asked Sarah Palin which sources she relies on for her news consumption. Three separate times, Couric tried to elicit a response from Palin about which specific newspapers she reads. Seemingly caught off guard, Palin could not name a single news source:

COURIC: And when it comes to establishing your world view, I was curious, what newspapers and magazines did you regularly read before you were tapped for this — to stay informed and to understand the world?

PALIN: I’ve read most of them again with a great appreciation for the press, for the media —

COURIC: But what ones specifically? I’m curious.

PALIN: Um, all of them, any of them that have been in front of me over all these years.

COURIC: Can you name any of them?

PALIN: I have a vast variety of sources where we get our news.

September Virtual Sketch Draw

2008-09-27T15:02:00.000-07:00

My most recent attempt to paint a tree peony which is this month's subject for virtual sketch draw.

An abundance of tree peonies

2008-09-27T14:57:00.001-07:00

I had dinner at a friend's house for my birthday in May and she sent me home with this beautiful tree peony. The photo is the subject for this month's Virtual Sketch Date.

I've drawn and painted the flower several times during the past few months. My first attempt (ink & watercolor) was done from life, right before the ripe flower blew apart. My painting is a bit blowsy and overdone.

This ink and watercolor wash was my second attempt. Anemic.

I also tried it using charcoal pencil.

What's in my journal...

2008-09-18T09:40:00.000-07:00

"Odd things, like a button drawer. Mean
Thing, fishhooks, barbs in your hand.
But marbles too. A genius for being agreeable.
Junkyard crucifixes, voluptuous
discards. Space for knickknacks, and for
Alaska. Evidence to hang me, or to beatify.
Clues that lead nowhere, that never connected
anyway. Deliberate obfuscation, the kind
that takes genius. Chasms in character.
Loud omissions. Mornings that yawn above
a new grave. Pages you know exist
but you can't find them. Someone's terribly
inevitable life story, maybe mine."

by William Stafford,
from Crossing Unmarked Snow

Acquainted with the Night

2008-09-13T10:20:00.001-07:00

I'v suffered from insomnia for many years and I was intrigued when I heard about this book, edited by Lisa Spaar. I finally got around to purchasing it. It's a gem - a collection of verse on the subject of insomnia, including poems by Emily Dickinson, Elizabeth Bishop, Charles Simic, Rimbaud, Shakespeare and Shelley. Something to read in the early morning hours.

Here's one I like by Charles Simic:

Mirrors at 4 A.M.

You must come to them sideways
In rooms webbed in shadow,
Sneak a view of their emptiness
Without them catching
A glimpse of you in retutrn.

The secret is,
Even the empty bed is a burden to them,
A pretense.
They are more themselves keeping
The company of a blank wall,
The company of time and eternity

Which, begging your pardon,
Cast no image
As they admire themselves in the mirror,
While you stand to the side
Pulling a hanky out
To wipe your brow surreptitiously.

The still drone of the time
past midnight.
All words put out,
men are sunk into the sweetness
of sleep. Even the far-flung world
has put aside its rages
for sleep.

Only I
am awake.

Delicious autumn!

2008-09-10T08:58:00.000-07:00

Delicious autumn! My very soul is wedded to it, and if I were a bird I would fly about the earth seeking the successive autumns. - George Elliot

Autumn actually arrives on September 22, but it already feels like fall in Oregon. September and October are my two favorite months of the year. I love the sunny days and crisp evenings, the beautiful colors and the knowledge that I'll soon be sharing the holidays with family and friends.

Every four years autumn also means presidential politics. While I think it's important for us all to pay attention and seek accurate information, I'm determined not to let politics ruin my enjoyment of this season. I'm trying not to obsess... and working on not spending half the night mulling things over. (Politics and insomnia are a BAD combination.) But instead of letters to the editor, I'll be posting my thoughts about the election here.

Painting helps...

Monday music...

2008-09-08T14:04:00.000-07:00

Two very different, but equally wonderful, CDs arrived in my mailbox today.

An excellent way to start the week...

Following Directions

2008-09-01T16:26:00.001-07:00

When I feel inspired to paint or draw, my usual procedure is to sit down and get to work, with little or no advance planning. My hope and expectation is that I will be able to intuitively create what is in my mind’s eye. Occasionally, the artwork turns out well, but for the most part it does not.

My watercolor teacher and the authors of the many watercolor books I own encourage a more thoughtful and systematic approach to creating a painting. I decided to follow their directions (for once!). This is the result. A bit too much contrast between the pink/orange color on the two pears, but overall an improvement over my usual work, I think.

I’ve also documented the process below.

The Process

2008-09-01T16:14:00.000-07:00

I began with a graphite sketch/value study of the arrangement:

As a watercolor warm-up, I decided to do a mono-chromatic value study. Problems with the composition were apparent and I adjusted the arrangement a bit.

I used a limited palatte of relatively transparent watercolor: Hansa Yellow, Quinacrodone Red and Cobalt Blue:

I was fairly pleased with this result, but the grayscale version confirmed a lack of darker values. I knew I would screw things up if I tried to darken the pears. I set it aside for a couple of weeks and did other things.

Today I went in and darkened things a bit, as in the image of the post above.

Patience

2008-08-18T19:45:00.000-07:00

After learning of Kay Ryan's appointment as U.S. Poet Laureate, I ordered her book Say Uncle. It arrived today, a wonderful treat. Patience is one of those virtues I hope to achieve before I die...

Patience

Patience is
wider than one
once envisioned,
with ribbons
of rivers
and distant
ranges and
tasks undertaken
and finished
with modest
relish by
natives in their
native dress.
Who would
have guessed
it possible
that waiting
is sustainable-
a place with
its own harvests.
Or that in
time’s fullness
the diamonds
of patience
couldn’t be
distinguished
from the genuine
in brillance
or hardness.

Kay Ryan
US Poet Laureate