Art...again.

 

 

        

Art! Art! Art!

 

 

 

I am getting very excited for this coming weekend!  For the first time since it first began I am finally going to go to Art Prize!!  Had I been really smart (because in hindsight I am never very smart)during that first year I would have gone up there no matter what.  I would have been a much wiser attendant too.  But that is history and I am ready to make some this year!

 

Don't know what Art Prize is?  Here's a link:Art Prize.   around; I think you will like what you see.  If you don't have the time, here's some of the stuff I like that I hope to see IRL.

 

 

View more of this installation here: Link to Horses

 

 

Below is one of those that you just have to see up close.  The link to see a few other shots of this is below.

 

 

Detroit in Abstract Symmetry

 

 

 



Immortalized  Above - check it out.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I could post many more as there are thousands to choose from.  Art Prize is in Grand Rapids, Michigan and it runs for 3 weeks starting in September.  This Sunday marks the beginning of the last week in which cash prizes will be awarded to the artists whose work received the most vote - from the public, no less!  They award over $560,000 in prizes which is totally amazing! 

 

Imagine what this event has done for the city of Grand Rapids.  Whoever dreamed this up is one clever person and I admire that kind of savvy, don't you? 

 

I will be sure to post photos of my time there in hopes of adding some really cool and beautiful art to your day.  I just love things like this!!!

 

 

 

 

 

A Dog in the Life

  A Dog in the Life

 

 

 

 

I don't know or own these dogs. I just like their picture!  If I had multiple dogs I would train them to lots of fun stuff.  I probably wouldn't have any friends either as I can get wrapped up in a dog, or dogs, and completely forget people.

Allow me to show you a few from my life.

 

This is Stewart (named after Rod). I haven't seen him in a while but he used to come stay with me while his owner was away for a weekend or something. He normally doesn't wear a bow. My daughter thought it would be fun to put one on him. Oddly, he seems to like it. Of course, Stewart had been tortured by being dressed up in many outfits.

 

 

 

 

Next up is Scooter. Scooter is known by his owner as "Poo-Pie". He's got a lot of character in his expressions. Poo-pie didn't like my husband the first day or so he stayed with us. He'd bark so fiercely when Jim walked in the door....but he'd be backing up the whole time he was doing it. He eventually came to love Jim. Both of the above dogs love to take a nap with Jim on the sofa on a lazy Sunday afternoon. And, no, we never allowed our dog on the furniture when he was alive. Of course, Scooter doesn't shed and Stewart is so small, who cares?

 

 

 

 

 

These next ones are of my dog.  he was a Brittany Spaniel named Parker and he was my wing-man!  We grew very close over the years and while I still miss him every now and then, I do not miss the hair that used to line the edges of the hallway and covered his favorites spots on the area rugs.  He had a lot of personality too, as you will see below.

The above photo is Parker fishing.  Call him crazy, but he used to stand in the pond and watch and wait for the blue gills to get close enough to snap at underwater.  And, yes, he did put his head under to get them. You can see a couple of the fish by his nose in the photo.


This is Josie. She's pretty new - not even a year old yet. That picture on the top is pretty much not how she looks anymore. She is a chocolate lab and is going to weigh in at the top of the scale, I think. She is a big girl that loves the water and her boy. Her boy thinks he's the one in charge and in control. We all know better than that, don't we?

 

 

 

These last few shots are of Gunner. This is my daughter and son-in-law's dog. They rescued him from a shelter. While there were a few issues to be tweaked after his arrival, he has become a very firm member of his owners' family. As you can see, his expressions are priceless. What you see here barely scratches the surface. How can you not love a dog like that?

 

 





 

 

 

Think about the animals in your life, if you have any.  For me this just covers a few of the dog I know and love.  I never had any idea there were so many until I started writing this.  Surprised myself!

Now I better go do something productive and surprise myself again for the rest of the day.



Dinner Plans

 

 

 

Happy Monday everyone!  I have been on the run since early morning but have gotten home in time to get this on here today.  Tomorrow is my painting day (classes followed by lunch and then more painting for the rest of the day) so I won't get back on here for a day or two.

 

I really want to share this recipe that I found on a blog called Blue Kitchen.   I was looking for something different and it seems I cycle through the basic meat choices - beef, pork, chicken (pasta doesn't join the cycle until cooler weather comes around) - and then get bored. 

 

 

I was a bit skeptical when I first read the recipe but one bite changed all that.

Here is the recipe:

 

 

 

Asian Turkey Burgers with Sriracha Mayonnaise
Makes 4 burgers

For burgers:
1 pound ground turkey breast
2 tablespoons hoisin sauce (see Kitchen Notes)
2 teaspoons soy sauce (reduced sodium preferred)
2 green onions, thinly sliced (white and green parts)
2 teaspoons minced ginger
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper (or less—see Kitchen Notes)
1/2 cup bread crumbs  (see Kitchen Notes)
freshly ground black pepper
canola oil

4 hamburger buns (I used whole wheat)

For Sriracha Mayonnaise:
3 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 tablespoon Sriracha Hot Sauce (see Kitchen Notes)

Make the burgers. Combine ground turkey, hoisin sauce, soy sauce, green onions, ginger, garlic cayenne pepper, bread crumbs and a generous grind of black pepper in a large bowl. Mix thoroughly by hand. Form into 4 patties. Heat a grilling pan over a medium-high flame (you can use a large skillet, but grilling pan is preferred—you can also grill the burgers). Brush the grilling pan lightly with canola oil and toast the cut side of the buns in batches; set aside.

Brush the pan more generously with oil and cook the burgers until just cooked through, about 5 minutes per side. Use a quick read thermometer to make sure the burgers reach an internal temperature of 165ºF.

Meanwhile, make the Sriracha mayonnaise. Crazy easy. Put the mayonnaise and the Sriracha Hot Sauce in a small bowl and mix with a spoon. Done.

Assemble the burgers. Also easy. Bun, burger and a smear of Sriracha mayonnaise. You can add some lettuce or tomato slices, but I would discourage it. These are quite tasty on their own.

 

Kitchen Notes

Hoisin sauce. This Chinese sauce and glaze is used extensively in Asian cooking. You can find it in Asian markets as well as many supermarkets in what is often charmingly (if less than politically correctly) called the “ethnic aisle.”

Cayenne pepper. We like heat in our food; the 1/2 teaspoon I used for these burgers gave them a nice, but not overpowering, kick. Adjust the amount of cayenne pepper based on your own heat tolerance.

Bread crumbs. You can use Panko bread crumbs for this, if you have some on hand. If not, remove the crust from one or two slices of white bread, tear the bread into pieces and pulse it in a food processor or blender until you have crumbs.

Can’t find Sriracha? Make your own. Sriracha Hot Sauce is fairly widely available, both in Asian markets and many supermarkets. But if you can’t find it, Serious Eats offers recipes for both fermented and unfermented versions. I can’t vouch for them, having not made them, and they don’t keep as long as the commercial stuff, but desperate times, etcetera.

 

 

I found that these had a much better flavor than I was anticipating. I took a chunk of ginger from the freezer and thawed it for this recipe.  The last time I used thawed ginger root the flavor had mellowed so this time I used half again as much (3 tsp) and it was just fine.  I also used panko and believe these would have a much denser texture if I had used ordinary bread crumbs.  Watch out for the Sriracha Mayo - it's hot!  Spread on the bun, it's not too bad.  Stick your finger in for a taste and be prepared.  Also the 1/2 tsp. of cayenne was just right too.  Like I said, I was skeptical but these burgers were good!! They were also a nice change in the routine dinner options. Hope you like them too. Thank the folks at Blue Kitchen if you like them.  I am sure they would appreciate hearing from you!

 

  I hope this has been the beginning of a great week for you!!

~

 



 

Weekend

 

 

 

Weekend wrap up

 

 

It has been a beautiful weekend here in NW Ohio!  I love it when the air cools down but the sun stays warm.  It wreaks havoc on my sinuses but I love it anyway.

 

 

Today's photo-a-day is titled something I do every weekend.

 

This picture tells it all.  I usually run on Sunday mornings and then Jim and I head out to Delphos for breakfast at Baked to Perfection.  I love their blueberry pancakes!  I also like their homemade breads and pastries.  It is never an easy decision to make.  Thankfully I have never been disappointed.

 

 



 

 

I am going to wrap this up short (for a change).  It's another beautiful day and I need to go goof off a little before it comes to an end.

 

Have a great Sunday!

~

 

 

 



More paint

 I haven't had time to get on here lately and regale you with my fabulous stories and witticisms.  Did you miss me?

There has been a lot going on in the past three weeks or so - there was the wedding, my mom moving into a nursing home ( lots of trips north), the fair, terracotta pot hunting (looking for big ones to transplant my clivia into), appointments, painting, Scrabble,  haircut, gardening, and a couple trips to Fort Wayne for movies, food, and fun. 

I am fortunate to have time to do whatever I want to do, however I sometimes take that time for granted and just surf the net.  I am all over the internet and what I should do is get all over painting.  Skills don't develop without practice!

Anyway, I wanted to show you what's been happening in my painting world.

This first is mixed media - colored pencil and water color paint. Simple, really but I am struggling with the washes that go over what is already on the paper. Practice practice practice!

 

Below is a technique used for creating a fog-like background.  I need to work on this technique a little more too, I think.

 

 

 

 

Three barns, two ways.  The top is  just a plain old water color the bottom two are painted on a surface of modeling paste.  I love working on this medium and have two more pages ready to go.  Let's hope it's not a barn.

 

 

 

 

And these little  birds I just drew with an ink pen and then colored in with water color paint.  They make me smile because I have been trying to draw cartoon-like birds for a while and finally found an easy way to do it.  While I probably wouldn't hang this in my house as a "piece of art", I will put them on my bulletin board and smile when I look at them.  I think they are cute!

 

 

 

I have mixed emotions about pursuing this method of art.   I wish it was just a God-given artistic talent but it's clear that it's not.  However I do enjoy it...but when I tell people I am taking classes I get that look and/or response that says, "Oh.  Empty nest?"  "Midlife crisis?"  Well, the nest is empty and I am in mid-life and really hate thinking that my activities are cliche!  I want to be good at this, not just bide my time!  I am going to think of a clever statement to this look/response.  Trust me, the one talent I do have is sarcasm.

 

Have you ever tried something determined to succeed in but struggled the whole time?  Did you succeed or did you give up?  I take no issue with giving up as long as the effort is valiant.   How long should someone continue to try something before stopping?  For me, it's until I stop enjoying myself. 

 

Trust me, I have thought many times to just quit but I keep getting called back.  This is a new life-lesson.  Funny how we never really do stop learning.

 

~