Food

Ghost of Thanksgiving Past 2019


Tonight is the night before Thanksgiving, Bonnie’s traditional Pie Night when she bakes 4 Thanksgiving desserts, including an apple and pumpkin pie, of course. 

I can’t stop thinking about a year ago tonight, when she made her sweet creations in my new apartment for the first time. It’s an annual tradition that I look forward to every year, and it feels strange, almost surreal,  not to be her sous chef instead of Laura right now. 

For some reason, I keep thinking that the spirit of Jacob Marley and his Ghost of Thanksgiving Past (ok Christmas, I’m taking creative license) are going to appear tonight, just like they did to Ebenezer Schrooge in Charles Dickens’ novel. At first I attributed this thought to covid brain. Then I realized the Ghost appeared to Schrooge to help him relive past holidays, and learn that he has to change. That’s what 2020 is all about – change. The idea actually makes sense now.

So lets revisit Thanksgiving 2019 when Bonnie enthusiastically cooked much of the main gluten free meal on Thanksgiving Day – before we start talking about change in 2020.


Maybe you caught the gluten free (GF) part and are less than enthusiastic about the feast. But who says you can’t have a delicious gluten-free Thanksgiving meal? Gluten free food often gets a bad rap. Doesn’t taste good. Lacks flavor. Last year, Bonnie plowed ahead with her GF Thanksgiving concept, and never looked back.

She disproved all the naysayers by delivering such a flavorful meal that we didn’t even notice it was gluten free! 

Thanksgiving 2019 tested Bonnie’s organizational and cooking skills on many levels like never before.

Did you ever try and put together an ambitious GF Thanksgiving dinner menu of 2 main courses, 10 side dishes, plus 4 desserts, for a total of 16 dishes – in a small, strange kitchen without the utensils or pots & pans that you need to make a meal? 

How did Bonnie handle that? She showed up with her strategically packed red suitcase that functioned as a traveling kitchen cabinet – with a rolling pin, baster, spatula, pie tins, honey packets and a popover pan!

That was the challenge Bonnie took on in 2019 as she prepared her menu, shopped, and cooked in my downsized, ill-equipped apartment of less than 2 months. To top it off, Bonnie was used to cooking Thanksgiving dinner in a huge kitchen, on large counters, and in a double oven.  

I confess to being antsy beforehand since I was having a hard time finding kitchen items and serving plates from previous years that I suspected were still in storage, but Bonnie was undaunted. She eagerly started planning the menu weeks before, I helped gather up her ingredients.

Along the way, Bonnie and I realized we were missing a few things, and that more boxes of kitchen items were in storage than we thought. After looking around and comparing notes, I made a quick trip to Bed Bath & Beyond for a potato masher and a few plastic mixing spoons (I melted the only large plastic spoon I had in the dishwasher….great way to make an impression on everyone in the building by smelling up the whole floor….). Then we had to retrieve the big soup pot and 2nd muffin tin from storage, with the rest of my kitchen. (As you can see, she threw a few other boxes on the cart to help me out.)

Bonnie summed it up by saying this wasn’t her most elegant meal prep effort. Certainly things didn’t go as smoothly as in previous years. But she did end up making all 16 planned recipes last year. Here goes:

Butternut Squash Soup

 

Lemon Herb Turkey

Stuffed Mushrooms

Her Signature Popovers (that didn’t pop as well this because Bonnie tried a different Bob Red Mill 3-in-1 GF flour…oops!)

Green Bean Casserole With Crispy Shallots

Sweet Potato Casserole

Brussel Sprouts with Grapes

Stuffin Muffins (GF and Regular – only gluten item on the menu)

Roasted Garlic Mashed Cauliflower 

Goat Cheese Pears

Cranberry Sauce

Here are the three GF desserts:

Apple Pie from Against All Grain


Sour Cherry-Almond Pie from the Food Network Magazine 


Pumpkin Pie (and this extraordinarily spicy version froze so well it lasted well into 2020!) from Bakerita

It was a fabulous, flavorful feast! Full disclosure: Bonnie made the gluten pumpkin pie in her own kitchen for her dad.

This year we are adapting our plans because of the pandemic. Bonnie is preparing the entire Thanksgiving Dinner in her Manhattan apartment for the first time. She and Laura are bringing dinner to me (masks and all, windows open) on Thanksgiving Day. After they return to Manhattan, we’ll eat dinner together on zoom, like so many people around the country in 2020.

During the week, Bonnie picked up my all my empty Pyrex containers and Mason jars. (Didn’t think to take photos.) The plan is to deliver them back to me filled with her delicious feast food tomorrow. And it will all be gluten free and dairy free so I can eat everything. Am I lucky! I’m salivating just thinking about what awaits me tomorrow.

Now it’s after midnight and I just spoke to Bonnie. She finished the 3 gluten free pies with Laura’s help, and they decided to bring the finished desserts in tact tomorrow. We’ll have the dessert table unveiling (I better move my paintings off the buffet before they come!) like we did last year only with masks, and cut them together. I’ll get my share, and Bonnie and Laura will take the remnants back, if I leave them anything…. With 3 pies, that shouldn’t be a problem.

Thanksgiving 2019 seems like an eternity ago. When I thought about it last week, it felt rather ethereal and unsubstantial, like it was a ghostly dream. But after looking at all these photos, the entire fantastic eating experience is coming back to me. And I remember how Bonnie certainly debunked the gluten-free myths about Thanksgiving. I’m sure she’ll do the same this year.

It’s an understatement to say I’m eagerly awaiting the delectable food Bonnie and Laura are bringing tomorrow. In preparation, I started setting the dining room table that has my first Thanksgiving Ikebana spreading arrangement on it (my new obsession, more on that another time).

The familiarity of the tradition kicked in, and my mood shifted into full celebration mode and gratitude, a welcome change of pace. 

And to think I’ll have a hiatus from cooking, with lots of leftovers.

Now it feels like the Thanksgiving holiday we all know and love. To Jacob Marley and your Ghost, I say, “Stay home!” I got the message. It’s time to enjoy ourselves in the present moment,  and  embrace  our  family  motto, “Let’s  Get  Stuffed”.


Open Studio 2018

Welcome to my Virtual Studio Tour!

Thanks to popular demand, I am posting photos from my Open Studio. The original post never made it up since it was scheduled for 2019… (my bad).

It was a glorious weekend! The weather was great, as was the turnout. The week leading up to the Studio Tour was less hectic too than in previous years; we learned from past experience.

This year’s guests were greeted by this Oreo themed display, including oil paintings, pencil drawings and original giclée prints, covering a span of over 15 years. Thank you, Bonnie, for putting together this visually pleasing retrospective. It made quite a first impression, especially for first time visitors. 

My studio never looked so clean! I had plenty of room to show my latest vending machine paintings. I discovered I could fit eight 20 x 10 inch panels over the fireplace, which turned out to be the most requested spot for picture taking.

Vending Machine Series by Beverly Shipko

Husband Jay Sloofman, Beverly,our friend  Rhonda, Daughters Bonnie and Laura

My friend Linda

Annette and her students

Work was scattered all through the house. At times, it was really packed with visitors. We somehow never get photos of those moments since we’re all so busy… It would have been smart to ask other people to take photos. I guess there is always more to learn…

The Three Muskateers from Central School

Desserts waited in the dining room for guests who were craving sweets after looking at so many food paintings.

The dessert table from Riviera BakeHouse in Ardsley

The very first arrivals

A lot of the fun comes from being surprised by who walks through the door, from different times and places in all of our lives. I’m happy to say the Shipkos were represented by my first cousin Robert, who I grew up with in Detroit, and his son Harrison, who grew up in New York like my two daughters.


Every time I looked at Harrison, I kept seeing my brother Stuart in my minds eye at the same age. It’s funny how strong familial resemblances can be.
I was delighted that my Heart Shaped Box of Chocolates found a happy home with Sarah, who had been admiring it since first seeing the painting in the Hudson River Museum exhibit called  I Want Candy.

And I can’t end this blog without moving into the kitchen for the annual Oreo Cookie Contest – where we had the unexpected pleasure of being entertained by Samantha’s  amazing flexibility.
Finally, this year was a first when Charli and Jack brought their own work – and gave me an art show! That was just plain fun. I look forward to seeing more of their creations in the future.

As usual, I enjoyed Studio Tour weekend. Thank you all for coming!

Thank you to the team – my daughters, Bonnie and Laura, husband Jay Sloofman, and friend Maritza – for helping make this event a success. I could never do this without all of you! A special shout out to Doug Marouk-Coe and RiverArts® on the 25th Anniversary of the Studio Tour.

P.S. Despite our best efforts, there were several surprises that were out of our control, creating some concern in the weeks leading up to the Open Studio (an understatement…). I leave you with these two photos, when we were working on Plan B, just in case…

Egg-licious Breakfast

Every once in a while, you open up a morning email and read something that starts your day off right, just like a delicious breakfast does.

When Patricia, an artist friend, sent me an email with the subject “Breakfast”, I was intrigued and happily opened it. There was a short message and surprising visual in it

 

Beverly-
My steel cut oats (gluten free) with eggs and salsa!
Happy Breakfast Club!
XO
Patricia

I laughed so hard – for several minutes – at the real life egg which was paired with my Three Double Yolk Eggs print. How clever – and unexpected!

Here’s the entire Three Double Yolk Eggs Limited Edition Gicée print, showing the double yolk eggs in various states of preparation.

“Three Double Yolk Eggs”, Limited Edition Giclée Print, Beverly Shipko. 20 x 10 inches unframed

A few years back, I was fortunate enough to buy an entire carton of double yolkers. After a few mornings of cracking open double yolk eggs, I kept my camera near the stove, open and ready, as I cooked breakfast.

And the Egg-centric series was born. (Day 22. Egg on Stove,  Day 8. Eggs In-Sink,  Story Behind The Eggs,  Day 30 of the 30/30 Challenge – Egg).

I hope Patricia’s Egg-licious email started your day off right too. After all, laughter is the best medicine.

Vending Machine Series: Choices

With half of 2018 gone, I wish I could go back to April. I was totally focused, centered, and excited while working feverishly on my largest, most complex vending machine painting.  I called this Choices, for those of us who would need time to ponder what to buy from this fanciful machine.

Vending Machine Series: Choices, by Beverly Shipko, Oil and acrylic, 30 x 30 inches, Work in process

I spent a full week sketching the composition. First I decided on the scale and proportions of the painting, and the products to include in each row. 

Then I played with the position of each item. Would they lean left, right or stand up straight? For example, take the corn. I experimented with a few packs and took photos to get some answers. As you can see, I went with a single ear of corn with lots of silk.

Lastly, there was the pricing. I wanted to make people think about how they make food choices when faced with alternatives. I wondered: Would people ever select healthier vegetables from a vending machine? Would bargain hungers buy veggies because are larger and perceived as a good value compared to smaller, more expensive sweets?

Once I had the initial sketch, I started painting the black background using Liquitex Acrylic Heavy Body paint. I kept thinning the paint with water to avoid having little patches of black paint clump on the surface.

I commandeered the kitchen table so I could paint on a flat surface and better control my brush strokes and avoid dripping paint. I began with the sides so they could dry first, and I could easily move the painting.

Once in the kitchen, I turned the canvas to different angles to check the paint coverage. Even though the canvas came pre-primed, it frequently took 3-4 acrylic coats to cover those irritating little white spots peeking through the textured canvas.

I was so glad to be using quick-drying acrylic paint (15 minutes vs. many days for oils)! It was the best way to go to keep the background smooth, like the metal of the machines, without having to wait between painting sessions.

Since it was easier to make compositional changes at this stage, I spent an extra day or so painting in the numbers with white acrylic paint. As the black background progressed, I moved the canvas back and forth between the flat kitchen table and the vertical refrigerator – to step back and get a better idea of how the finished piece would look

I knew from past paintings that if you can get the black background right at the beginning, the rest of the painting falls into place. It almost paints itself! (OK, not quite…)

Now I was ready to move Choices back to my easel permanently and paint the products in vibrant colors using oils. I think oil paint has a richer look and distinctive texture that helps the products pop off the black acrylic background. I worked from the top down to minimize the possibility of smudging. 

The top row of chips was coming along pretty well, as were the bananas. Then I struggled with making the asparagus and broccoli distinctive, and went to the grocery store for guidance – a frequent occurrence with this painting. With two green vegetables next to each other, I had to differentiate them better using color, shadow, and texture.

I expected the carrots to be easier given their orange color, but that wasn’t the case. This was my first time painting carrots (and most other veggies), and they didn’t look convincing until I added significant texture. And similar to the green vegetables, I wanted to make the yellow banana color distinctive from the corn. Again, texture played a big role in the solution.


Finally, the veggies were finished and I cranked my easel higher so I could paint the bottom row of sweets without hunching over. I love my crackable easel!


Choices was by far the most ambitious undertaking so far in this vending series. I had painted chips before, but this painting included only 6 chip bags. The Choices composition has 5 bags, 5 vegetables and 10 candy bars – with 20 complicated logos.

“America’s Favorite Vending Chips” by Beverly Shipko, Oil painting on canvas, 20 x 20 inches

I had painted candy before too, but only 5 bars – not 10.

“Iconic Vending Candies” by Beverly Shipko, 10 x 20 inches, Oil on canvas

Last year, I even slipped in a single piece of broccoli. 

Beverly Shipko, Vending Machine Series: Super Foods II, Oil and acrylic, 11 x 14 inches

However, I had never tried them all together as I did in Choices.  When I showed this painting to a few people, they volunteered that they can see themselves standing in front of the vending machine trying to figure out what to buy. They related themselves to other indecisive people, often analytical people, weighing the pros and cons of the different eating experiences, and their relative prices. One of the neighborhood kids looked at Choices, and surprised me by picking broccoli as his favorite item! You never know…          

My frustration right now is that this painting is unfinished, and I can’t focus on it at the moment. However, since attending the Met Breur’s inaugural exhibit Unfinished, maybe that’s not such a bad thing.

When I do complete this, you’ll be the first to know!

Hastings Preview Exhibition for the 2018 Studio Tour

Every year I look forward to the events leading up to the RiverArts© Studio Tour and my own Open Studio.

On Sunday, Jay and I attended the first Preview Show Reception for the 2018 Annual RiverArts© Artists Studio Tour (aka RiverArts Studio Tour 18), which was held in the Hastings-on-Hudson Municipal Building (through April 28th). Every local artist participating in the Studio Tour can put a painting in the Hastings, Irvington or Tarrytown shows. This year I choose the largest Oreo I have ever painted, Cosmic Oreo, for the Hastings venue.

I come for the art, but stay for the chance to spend two blissful hours talking art with other artists. Here’s what Jay comes for….

Husband Jay Sloofman Digging In

Notice that he headed right for the sweets rather than the other options, which sparked ideas for other paintings.

This year I got a chuckle out of seeing Oreos on the buffet. Maybe Cosmic Oreo influenced that decision, combined with Oreo Mandala from last year, and my annual Oreo Cookie Contest…

The Hastings Preview Show is well attended every year, and the Municipal Building is a wonderful space for a artist reception.

The exhibit includes a variety of media – paintings, drawings, sculpture, etchings, photography and multimedia. 

Mosaic, charcoal and painting

Vicky Youngman and her ceramic sculpture, “Breaking Free”

“Trumped” by Neil Lahey

Mitch Goldberg with his etching, “Richard”

Brooklyn Bridge by photographer John Maggiotta

Mosaic by Kristin Javier

Towards the end of the reception, two of my friends asked me to demonstrate Oreo biting before they took their own bites… out of the painting!

Artist Deborah Offner-Freidkin and RiverArts Board Member Kara Kenkeit

For more information on the other two Preview Receptions in Tarrytown (tomorrow, March 29, show ends April 29)) and Irvington (April 17, show ends April 27th), go to the RiverArts Studio Tour page.

The RiverArts Studio Tour itself takes place the weekend of April 21st and 22nd from 11am-5pm. My studio will be open both days. I hope you eat first – but not too much – so you can enjoy the desserts, both real and painted.

Lessons Learned from Portland Herald Press Feature

 I just registered for the RiverArts® Studio Tour 2018 and had to update my artist statement, resume and website in the process. Notably absent was my summer 2017 solo Maine show, You CAN Have Your Cake and Eat It Too!, at the Michael Good Gallery in Rockport, ME. So I have some work to do.

How time flies! I need a better plan – my first lesson learned. The next time I come across an outdated art website, I’ll have more sympathy for the artist. 

My friend Lori, who was in charge of Maine public relations (PR), did a phenomenal job of getting press coverage for this show. Her outreach to the press resulted in my having two stimulating and fun phone interviews for newspaper articles. Both far exceeded my expectations!  The first awesome article, Shipko Shares Her “Sweet Revenge” was by Dagney C. Ernest, appeared in the Arts and Entertainment sections of The Courrier-Gazette and Camden Herald. The lively phone interview comes through in her writing, and she included our discussion on how my work has evolved because of technology.

The second interview was with Bob Keyes, arts writer from the Portland Press Herald, the closest large city to Rockport. Bob’s thought provoking phone interview somehow managed to cover almost my entire artistic life in 45 minutes. It turned into an extensive, insightful feature article with a shoutout on the front page! Here I am, the proud artist, right after buying the paper in Cape Neddick Light, ME.

Photo Collage by Bonnie at Cape Neddick, ME

Webmaster Laura is always reminding me to insert links. Laura – I’m listening! Being a conscientious student, I decided to put a link to this feature on my resume and website. This morning when I googled the article, I discovered the newspaper wanted $2.95 to download it.

One of the reasons I decided to write this particular blog today was to post the article so you can read it for free. Just click on the following link. 

PORTLAND HERALD PRESS PDF 7/4/2017 FEATURE ON BEVERLY SHIPKO 

 I was lucky enough to have a friend who was a Portland Press Herald subscriber and put a pdf together for me. Thank you Gary!

Being a former business school newspaper editor and high school yearbook editor, I was delighted to find my Strawberry Kiwi Blueberry painting in the masthead! Totally unexpected. A true honor. And I was pleasantly surprised (an understatement) that coverage dominated the front page of the Food and Dining section, with more on an inside page.

My strong presence in the Food & Dining section changed how I view my work, opening the door to new possibilities. As a former marketing person, I am embarrassed to admit that I had never approached food editors. Nor had I seriously considered the fact that Portland, ME is such a foodie town. Luckily Lori did! 

There were several lessons learned for fellow artists:

  1. The Story. Have one. Talking to Bob and Dagney helped me clarify my story in my head. Because of these two phone interviews, I researched my grandfather’s gourmet grocery store in Michigan, got more details, and realized how much more of an impact it had on my psyche as a young kid than I thought. The experiences helped me take a step back and reconsider my work in a broader context, first autobiographical and then art historical.
  2. Be Open. Don’t limit yourself. Be positive. Get rid of your preconceptions about your art. That’s what Lori did – she realized Portland was a foodie town and went for it. It paid off in with great exposure to a larger audience, in an unexpected section of the newspaper.
  3. Maintain your website. Just do it! Be more vigilant about this. From now on, I’m going to put regular check-ins on my calendar. Somehow this got away from me. And don’t forget to ask for digital copies of all PR! You never know when you want to post them in your blog…

I wasn’t the only person who learned something from this PR experience. Chef Bonnie (whose day job is teaching) realized that it was time for her to do something with her own dining experiences, whether in restaurants or in her own kitchen. She and I tentatively played with the idea of collaborating together in the future. Maybe one day Bonnie and I will be on the Today show as a mother-daughter duo…. Or maybe it will be a trio with Laura talking about promoting the book with a new algorithm she developed. We can dream, can’t we? As a first step, Bonnie decided to separate her personal Instagram posts from her foodie posts. And so @BonniesBitesOfLife on Instagram was born in Rockport, ME.

As I look back on last summer, I realize there were some big lessons learned, with implications for years to come. I shouldn’t be so surprised. After all, isn’t every new experience a potential learning experience?

Bonnie’s Super Food… for the Super Bowl

Chef Bonnie outdid herself for the family 2018 Super Bowl Party. Since the entire menu was paleo, I could eat everything. So could Laura (except she hates mushrooms…).

You can get the idea of how thoughtfully Bonnie planned the menu from her Super Bowl Whoopie Pies, which she served in the 4th quarter for her showstopper. I’m salivating as I think about them. What’s impressive is the Whoopie Pies taste so fantastic and are paleo. Thank goodness for leftovers!

Super Bowl Whoopie Pies

Super Bowl Whoopie Pies

Bonnie lived up to her Instagram handle @bonniesbitesoflife by proudly delivering flavorful bites in such complementary menu combinations that we couldn’t stop eating! Our family’s Thanksgiving motto, “Let’s Get Stuffed”, certainly applied to this year’s Super Bowl.

Part of the fascination of the day is watching Bonnie’s orchestration of the game day meal so she serves new recipes for each quarter. She has a plan in her mind and just systematically works to execute it. And that was after baking brownies for her school’s Super Bowl Pizza Party the following day! 

When I came downstairs Sunday morning, I found Bonnie standing on her favorite step stool working on the Whoopie Pies, which had to set before doing the piping later on. Bonnie also sliced the zucchini to get it into the oven for her Zucchini Pesto Roll Ups. She looked relaxed and happy, like she was having a great time!

Starting with the Whoopie Pies

Zucchini for the Zucchini Pesto Rolls Ups

Once Laura arrived, the food started appearing during the Pre-Game Show.

Bonnie’s opening bites included 4 different chips, 3 dips (salsa being the only store bought item), and Zucchini Pesto Rollups. One at a time, each item magically appeared on the table.

Trader Joe’s 3 Seed Beet Chips and Sweet Potato Chips

Our two favorite Multigrain Chips by Food That Tastes Good

Healthy Mexican Layer Dip (Vegan) with Beans, Yukon Gold Potatoes, and Guacamole

You can see the layers of her Healthy Mexican Layer Dip. The beans are at the bottom.

3 Dips and 4 Chip Varieties

The color combinations were striking, and I had fun arranging my first of many plates.

My Dip and Chip Sampling

At this point, I didn’t have the heart to take a Zucchini Pesto Roll Up, one my my favorites, and ruin Bonnie’s artistic design. I made sure to get this photo first. (FYI. My contributions were the pesto for the Roll Ups, and the template Bonnie used to pipe the Whoopie Pies.)

Zucchini Pesto Roll Ups

More delicious bite size morsels came along in the 2nd Quarter.

 

Butternut Squash Fries

Baby Pizza Bites

Sweet Potato with Guacamole and Pomegranates

Bonnie kept telling us to pace ourselves. Did we listen? No. We were busy stuffing our faces way too early. This became clear as we watched Bonnie prepare her protein bites for the 3rd Quarter. We realized we were filling ourselves up, and slowed our eating pace down since the best was yet to come.

Making Meatballs

For Spaghetti and Meatball Bites

Sweet and Sour Chicken Meatballs

2 Kinds of Meatballs

Sweet and Sour Chicken Meatballs

Meatballs for the Spaghetti Squash Bird’s Nests

In the 3rd Quarter, Bonnie finally sat down with her own plate to dig in. It didn’t take too long before a smiling Bonnie became a member of the clean plate club, and posted her bites of life on Instagram.

The Chef’s Tasting Plate

Bonnie earned a well-deserved break. She was a dynamo all day, moving around the kitchen all day. She developed a rhythm as she moved – leaving numerous pots, pans and ingredients in her path. That’s where Jay and I came in. Cleaning up was a small price to pay for such a unique eating experience.

But wait – there was more to come. The surprise of the evening was the Skillet “Corn” Bread – that didn’t use any corn. I saw Bonnie mixing up the batter, but I couldn’t figure out what it was since she poured it into a skillet.

Skillet “Corn” Bread (made with almonds)

The skillet went into the oven – something I was concerned about since I had never done that before. I was afraid the whole thing would explode and blow up our double oven! However, Bonnie assured me that our All-Clad skillet was built for this. To my relief, Chef Bonnie was right.

Skillet “Corn” Bread

To my amazement, this Skillet (Non-Corn) “Corn” Bread actually tasted like corn bread, texture and all. And of course, let’s not forget the showstopper, The Super Bowl Whoopie Pies. Their delicious taste and textures brought back memories of times gone by. Bonnie and Laura both insisted they tasted like Hostess Devil Dogs – despite the fact that the Whoppie Pies were made from healthy ingredients. Quite an accomplishment, Bonnie! 

Super Bowl Whoopie Pies

At this point, I was having so much fun eating that the game (as exciting as it was!), the commercials, and even Justin Timberlake took second place to Bonnie’s super food – at least in my eyes.

This is the first time I’ve posted about Bonnie’s Super Bowl extravaganza, clearly an oversight on my part. I’ve talked about Mother’s Day and Thanksgiving (2017, 2015, and 2014) but never the Super Bowl. I won’t make that mistake next year.

Now it’s time to go downstairs and have “leftovers”, but that term doesn’t do justice to the all super food I’m about to eat.

Don’t be jealous….Maybe next year you’ll score an invitation!

Old Friends

Holiday time is always a joyous time, when we renew our relationships with friends and family over tablefuls of food, surrounded by the lights of the season. 

We recently spent an afternoon with my long time friend Noelle (from my Maxwell House days), her husband Michael, and two kids, at their home for our annual holiday lunch. (Ok, one kid is was still finishing up a basketball game…)

After checking out the Christmas decorations and dropping Bonnie’s Nicoise salad in the kitchen, I wandered into the family room and discovered one of my favorite landscape paintings hanging in a place of honor over the fireplace. 

I was delighted that this pre-dessert oil painting, Provence, had found such a beautiful home in this bright, cheery, elegant room!

As an artist, after you part with a painting, you wonder where it’s going to hang. While I frequently ask for photos, it isn’t often that I receive them. In this case, I just walked in, and found my Provence cityscape in this perfect setting. Somehow it’s very satisfying to see, and brings the whole process to closure.

This landscape (or should I say cityscape?) painting of a village in Provence was inspired by our trip the south of France a few years after we were married. 

Believe it or not, I had forgotten about the painting in the excitement of inspecting the holiday decorations. When we first arrived, I simply had to check out the Christmas decorations. Michael erects a beautiful village on the piano every year. I am always mesmerized by the tiny, glowing buildings he carefully arranges.

Then I was distracted by the plethora of food being prepared in the kitchen. (Maybe there’s a future painting in that colorful platter… Noelle’s inner artist came out.)

And of course I couldn’t resist trying to get a decent photo of Max and Chloe (trying is the operative word). Both English Bulldogs are much cuter in person.

It’s not surprising that I forgot about my landscape painting with all the wonderful distractions. Back to the painting for a moment. Provence was painted in the early 80s when I was experimenting with a palette knife together with brushes. The palette knife gives the painting a whole different feeling, and enriches the surface with texture.

You can see how loose my brushstrokes were back then too. So those of you who wondered what some of my pre-dessert days looked like, now you have a sample.

While I was communing with my painting, lunch preparations were completed and we sat down to this bountiful table. We stayed there for a few hours while downing delicious food and enjoying very lively conversation!

During the holidays, there’s nothing like getting together with old friends. This time I’m talking about the people and the painting!

A Fun Oreo Cookie Contest!

This year’s Oreo Cookie Contest started off quietly enough, with these three boys carefully plotting their strategies and taking their bites.

The contestants kept on coming, and the bitten Oreo Cookie Contest entries rapidly piled up on our kitchen table.

Then on Sunday these two biters arrived, Jill and Rick. This was Rick’s first visit to my Open Studio, and he was a willing participant. He had talked about coming since last year, so he was ready, as was Jill.

After taking a look around, Rick sat down at the table and started chomping down, holding his plate under his chin to catch the crumbs. (Notice he didn’t have an audience yet…)

He was so disappointed in his first entry, that we encouraged him to try again. He got fancy with this cookie, and basically crushed it… and let all the crumbs fall out of his mouth. Clearly he knew I liked crumbs.

As Rick was assessing his entry, and writing his name on the plate so I would know which bite was his (as if I could forget!), he described his entry as regurgitated crumbs (spoken like a true doctor!).

The regurgitation comment really caught us by surprise. You can see his wife Jill laughing hysterically in the background at that comment.

It was a very funny moment that had us all belly laughing, including Rick.

Bonnie was having a hard time holding it together at the other end of the table.

All of this biting worked up Rick’s appetite for carrot cake, and he suggested I sponsor a second contest…

Rick certainly has a knack for biting Oreo Cookies, which you can see here (maybe carrot cake not so much…). How he got all that icing to hang out is a mystery to me. So to Blake, the 2015 Oreo Cookie Contest Winner, I say, “Watch out!”

I’m definitely not declaring this cookie the winner – especially since I haven’t painted any of the Oreos yet. I am suggesting that it’s interesting, along with entries from many other contestants. It was a good contest and I am inspired to get to work.

However, I will say that Rick won my Funniest Contest Participant Award! And for that, there wasn’t even a close second.

Rick, you should be proud!