Elvis, opera singing tour guide to Leon, Nicaragua

The wake of the Rotterdam

Looking South East in Panama Harbor

Looking east in Panama Harbor

Rotterdam guests dancing

White rock in Panama Harbor

Panama Harbor

More of Monkey Island, Panama

Accordion Folded Watercolor Journal of Inca cruise

February 6 - March 8 my husband and I went on a 30 day cruise on the Holland America Rotterdam. We started in San Diego and went as far south as Lima Peru. The next few days I will continue to post more of my trip paintings. Please click on picture for seeing the detail.

In Panama February 15, 2010, my husband and friends went on a Monkey Island boat ride. We saw Cappuccino monkeys, Howler Monkeys, Broad Winged Hawks, an iguana, crocodile, and also some black headed vultures. We thought the monkeys were the most amazing.

On the actual boat ride, I sketched. I had a prepared watercolor paper folded accordion style. I had splattered watercolors I thought that I would see and was surprised at how yellow the water was. I also cut and folded my paper at home before our trip to Panama. After the boat ride I painted over the drawing.

Gluten free bread recipe

my husband's GLUTEN FREE YEAST BREAD THAT RISES

Most gluten free yeast breads receipts do not rise into light loaves. After becoming discouraged with some heavy rubbery bread recipes, I did a little investigation.

In a normal bread recipe the gluten has two functions - it provides the nutrients (sugars) for the yeast and provides the polymer to hold the bread together. The yeast releases carbon dioxide forming expanding pockets within the dough causing the bread to rise. In gluten free breads Xanthan gum is used to hold the bread together.

Put out 3 eggs to warm to room temperature a half hour or so before starting.

Yeast solution in glass or ceramic container

½ cup lukewarm water and half of the sugar

1.5 tablespoon bread yeast mix and let stand a few minutes

Beat 3 eggs in seperate container.

Set West Bend machine on program 1 for 1.5 pound loaf.

Liquids in the bread machine first

2 tablespoon butter melted

1 1/3 cup warm water

1 teaspoon vinegar

3 room temperature eggs mixed before adding to the liquid

Dry ingredient blend in bread machine
1 1/3 cup gluten free rolled oats ground in a blender into flour (substitute rice if oats are not tolerated)
1 cup white rice flour
2/3 cup potato flour
1/3 cup tapioca flour
1/3 cup sugar
2/3 cup dry powder milk
3.5 teaspoons xanthan gum
¼ teaspoon salt

Remove the paddle before the last kneading

Accordion Folded Watercolor: Trek to Samye

Earthquake Painting/North Albany Series

The earthquake in Haiti just couldn't be suppressed when I continued to paint on my North Albany Series. What if we had a big earthquake? Right now there are 10 new homes with roofs already covered since the beginning of the year. An additional blocks of new foundations are being prepared. It doesn't make sense when we just had a paper mill close down.

3rd update on a family heirloom - Aracapana Statuette

A drawing made this month of our Aracapana Statuette.

A 1991 conceptual painting of Miss Liberty as a scholar.

Hidding Behind the Poppies from Well Cared For Steers Series

When in doubt I review older work and sometimes parts of the painting cry for change. My eyes, changed by the dark months of winter and the muted colors, sent a message to my brain. Too much green my winter eyes said.

Dreams and Planning my future direction in art

Here is a link that is very close to the searching for my art direction this year. http://www.artbizblog.com/2010/01/bigenough.html

Memory from Woodsman Restaurant, Philomath, Oregon

When a painter friend and another friend, a weaver, and I entered the Woodsman Restaurant it was a very gray dreary day. We had a hot exotic Thai food lunch. We talked about the meanings of words like conceptual art, abstract art, objective art, non-objective art and gesture. The language about art is ambiguous. Gestural art could mean the human gestures of the subject or gesture could mean the movements of the artist leaving a mark where a gesture was made. Concepts could be the idea of a physical body and a realistic depiction. Or conceptual could be a meaning we put forth that doesn't have a physical shape. It was also clear that these words mean different things to different people.

This talk did not give me much food for furthering a group exhibit. Then when we were getting up to leave the sun started to light up the room and I saw a couple eating by the window and all the steam rising. I just loved the image and drew it from memory.

I could not detect much interest in arranging a group show around the theme of what is most precious and around expressing what is precious in ceramic material or woven fibers. The story hour for preschoolers was not well attended. I did receive a suggestion from a boy. He said books were the most awesome thing ever. And then he wanted to stay longer and draw a picture of his other idea an apple. These are very physical but the idea of being nurtured in both is intriguing.

Precious Vase series: Respect #3

The first two paintings of respect (above and to the left) were showing the vases leaving only footprints on the ground as they rocketed above the earth. Their fuel came from within. Their inner stars pushed out revealing outwardly their inner selves.

Their fuel came from within.

Each vase was shouldering against the other in mid air.

These are very complex concepts to express. So I did not put these paintings in the library exhibit for children.

Rethinking the symbols I came up with one that was wide and flowed up in a cylinder.

It deviated from the vertical moving aside to make room for one that was skinny and spiraling outwards until it realized it was going to collide.

To prevent conflict it respected the space of the wide blue flowing vase and took a different path as well.

One is the water and the other is gold both of value and each respecting the other.

Shanghai 1914, Grandma teaching English update

This painting is now on display in the Children's corner at the Philomath Public Library. There are some changes since I last posted this picture. I added some senna color to my great grandmother's wig. I think she might have had a wig although she might have had a full thick head of hair. Also I added a book.

Father read me Aesops Fables because he remembered them from his childhood. He shared his enthusiasm for them with me. So I added a copy of an old edition of the Fables found on line along with some heirlooms I do have. This painting may lead to another with my father playing.

Philomath Public Library exhibiting my "What is the most awesome thing ever?"

January 8 - 30 the paintings and ceramics of my Children's Ceramic Project has its premier showing at the Philomath Public Library. The show in the show case and the walls is about what is most highly valued by people who have answered my blog questions. On a low table by the showcase there is a suggestion box so kids can write what is the most awesome thing ever. If I get a good response and the Library feels good about my work, in September I will do another show of ceramics based on their suggestions. Then we will schedule with the area schools, a library field trip and I'll get to meet an audience for my art work. When schools have severe budget cuts, an art experience like my project might be meaningful.

A few coincidences : Kids get to vote on what they value most right next to the adult citizens' official ballot box. Second, the paintings about what is most wonderful and most highly valued fit just above the shelf on Buddhism. The second green painting is of "A Long Good Life" taken from an interview of the then 84 year old High Lama of China Tibet. Then in the children's corner there was a shelf up high where the painting of my great grandmother and father fit perfectly. She was teaching my father English who spoke only Russian his first three years. He is drinking hot chocolate while she peals a Mandarin orange. In front is an antique book of Aesop Fables. What could be better for the children's corner?

Reviewing and planning my 2010 paintings

My friend "Rain" and "arm Boss brought back a painting they were borrowing for their second home in Tucson Arizona. The big painting is called Desert Morning. It was painted in 1965 when we were living in Arizona and Rain's and my husband were doing graduate work at the University of Arizona. The painting is 35" x 57" acrylic on canvas.