Make things to know yourself

Here's a new little sketch from my sketchbook. I won't bore you with much to say about it because I don't know what to say. 


In Austin Kleon's great post about "How to Steal like an Artist", he says you don't have to know who you are before you create something. He says make things to know yourself. So I'm hoping some larger picture forms from all the disparate pieces.


Hope everyone is having a good Monday. We are on the mend here from last weeks rain and fevers.

Fancy Dad

Here is another drawing of my dad. I did this one and the one from Monday's post probably about 7 years ago. I made up some fancy clothes for him to give him a aristocratic look, just for fun. 

Anyhow, the creativity isn't flowing this week. We have a girl with a summer virus and seem to be surrounded by cranky calls and bosses (for Matt). So we are all a bit on edge this week. "Tangled" is starting for the 4th time in 2 days and the rain is still coming down... wish us luck and sunlight.

Visit with the Parents

Back from visiting my parents. There is my dad (his teeth don't really look like that it was a joke we had with chicklets). It seems like the visits are few and far between and are much too short. It is so strange, isn't it, how intertwined your lives are when you are growing up and then the relationship changes. I look at them so differently too. Once they were such a source of stability, like towers of reliability - sometimes frustrating in butting up against them, but ultimately a beacon. I still don't doubt their integrity, but they are more complicated and more eccentric than I realized. As they age I either notice it more or their personalities have gotten more extreme. 

In addition to this all being a little emotionally unsettling, the humbling part is remembering my parents having these conversations about their parents when we would visit 30 years ago. What's on the horizon in for me? (How about for you?). What traits of ours are going to get extreme?

The End of an Error

Today was L's last day of preschool (and my last glimpse of a little freedom). No camps, no classes and no scheduled activities on the horizon. My gut tells me this is what is best for my little, independent almost four year old. I can only speak for us (and if we have learned anything from our preschool experience it is that our little girl is supposedly different from all others), but all she wants out of summer is to run, swing, climb, go to the lake and have little to no schedule.

Now, lately I've been getting iphone pics and facebook messages from mothers showing their near four year olds at the piano in recitals. Are the pictures cute? Yes, all dressed up and looking like little adults... full of potential. But somebody fill me in on why little ones are doing piano recitals and the like. Again, I know I have a particularly independent minded kid, but I don't get it. Why so much driving, classes, schedules... Can we not just hang out, be with each other and have ice cream? What race are we in? And where's the finish line? I suppose we are doomed to come in last place. But I have a secret: off the radar is just where I like to be.

Now for the pandowdy report.

Again I made a double batch. And in both test homes the pandowdy was a hit with the adults and a miss with the kids. So if you want to please your under 6 crowd, go with the buckle. If you want to enjoy a dessert and not have to fight with the kids for your piece, go with the pandowdy. Therefor, perhaps the perfect recipe for daddy on Father's Day.

Have a good one!

Art and Cooking

Here is my little respect to Gertrude Jekyll- landscape designer of the Arts and Crafts period. I have been researching more and more on garden design of this period. Unfortunately, I haven't had much time to sketch. This week I am going to try to do more sketching than reading. But I find I must dip into philosophical texts- such as Echart Tolle's Power of Now, etc. when I do art work. For some reason (probably from too much art school) my mind drives me crazy every time I pick up a paint brush. So- primary purpose, enjoy the process and don't think, be... I know it sounds crazy. 

OK, I had such success with the buckle- this week I am baking a pandowdy. Its in the oven right now. I will take some pics and tell you the result.

Got to go...

Log book

I've started to keep a visual daily record. I stole the idea from a great post I read by Austin Kleon called "How to Steal like an Artist". (So I'm sure he would approve of my stealing). Now this is just the kind of thing I start in excitement and don't follow through. I've only been doing it for 8 or 9 days, but looking back through it, I can see I've already forgotten all these little things that we do in a day and I am tickled reading it. I will try to keep up.


The quick ink sketches about daily activities remind me a bit of one of my favorite artists: mummysam. Check out her drawings on etsy or flickr. Here is a link: (I sincerely hope I am not stepping on her toes by doing this- I know her in person and she is as lovely as her drawings).
http://www.flickr.com/photos/34366735@N06/4276158599/in/photostream/


I hope my drawings can look as good with some practice.


Here is what Austin Kleon says:
Be boring. Its the only way to get work done. Get yourself a calendar and log book, break down tasks into bits of time (make it a game). And for past events, I suggest a log book. You'd be amazed at how helpful having a daily record can be.

I'm so happy to report that the buckle was a success! I brought one (I made a double batch) to my bestest friends' house and to my delight the entire dessert was eaten in short order by her three kids- age 2,4 and 5 (my own 3 year old was a bit more ungrateful). Not only did the buckle go down quickly- but the older kids had fun with saying the name "buckle". Which got me thinking where does the term come from? My research says- a buckle is a single layer cake with berries added to the batter. The topping is similar to a streusel which gives it a buckled appearance. Surprisingly the use of the word buckle for pastry is fairly recent- dating only to the 1950's.


 While googling I came across other great berry cake names- "the betty", "grunt", "pandowdy", "slump", and (of course) "cobbler". Making the thought of being a food historian sound pretty interesting.


Anyone interested in the recipe? It came from this magazine- which is quite good. Here's the recipe:


1 1/2 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup applesauce
1/2 canola oil (or whatever kind)
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 1/2 cup blueberries
1 1/2 cup halved pitted cherries (but I used strawberries instead)
2 tbsp. slice almonds
2 tsp. sugar for topping (raw cane sugar if you have it)


Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat a 9- inch baking dish with spray.


Whisk flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt together in a large bowl. Whisk milk, applesauce, oil, sugar, egg, and vanilla together in a medium bowl. Add the wet ingredients into the dry and fold until blended. Add berries and fold. Spoon into baking dish. Top with sliced almonds and sprinkle with sugar.


Bake until golden brown and do the toothpick test. Should take about 45-55 minutes. Let cool for 30 minutes before serving.


Lastly, enjoy, make a double batch and bring some to your bestest friend!

Summertime and the living is easy

Now it really feels like summer is here. Yesterday began with the championship match of the French Open. Nadal v. Federer. (The best rivalry ever). And then strawberries at the farmers market. At least a third of the quart was eaten before we ever left the market, but with the remainder and some blueberries, I think I will make a "buckle". (I don't believe I've made a buckle before, but the picture above had me sold- I will substituted the strawberries for the cherries).  

What ushers in summer for you?

Summer Uniform

Why does this boring closet of mine give me so much pleasure? This weekend I culled the last of the ugly and bad fitting clothes and then I folded and tidied what was left. I have found I have a summer uniform of mostly black and white tops and a small variety of jeans, pants and a few simple skirts. Everything matches and mostly looks good on me!
I came across a quote yesterday that explained to me why I love my simple little closet:


"Be regular and orderly in your life, so that you may be violent and original in your work."- Flaubert.


OK- step one done. Now expect some violent and original posts in the future!