The Latest

After yesterday morning's Hallmark moment, my day fell on its face and went splat. I had a wrestling match with Anabelle to get her into her carseat, she screamed all the way from Child's Play to home and my car's air conditioner on its very highest setting wasn't high enough. I cursed the 111 degree heat, and I cursed Las Vegas and called it "God forsaken."

Though my haircut appointment (and thus my moment to bask in trashy magazines and stare into space while someone else washes my hair) was cancelled at the last minute, I didn't cancel my babysitter. I went to the art store to buy myself some bristol board and new pens. Then I went to the library and drew for an hour. Heaven!

I continue to struggle with quieting my inner critic, but talking to my mom this morning I realized again that we all struggle with that -- no matter what medium you work in. For those of you who might not know, my mom's a journalist for the Evanston Roundtable.

Speaking of my mom, she gave me this "recipe" to make for dinner during my cooking strike:

avocado

black beans

fresh corn

cilantro

onion

tomatillo

fresh lime juice

queso fresco

YUM!!

Here are some pics of what I've been working on:

Here is the start of a portrait of my wonderful and fabulous husband Patrick:

And here are my new favorite pens:

The Best Ever

This morning before breakfast Anabelle and I sat in the green chair and listened to Neko Case and a skipping Crystal Gayle.  She seemed so happy there on my lap, bouncing on my knees, which surprised me because she is so wiggly now.  Pulling herself over to the floor lamp to yank on its legs (watching me while I warn her with my eyes, grrrr) is her new favorite thing.  And then, oh this is so my favorite part, she snuggled up close and lay her head on my chest, and we just sat there together.  It was 30 seconds of everything that's good in this world.  

Here are some more Best Evers:

Jennifer Ackerman-Haywood's podcasts on www.craftsanity.com

I mentioned her website before; I have been listening to her interviews with artists everyday while I draw.  Jennifer is a very insightful interviewer, and now I feel like she is a link to the art world for me!!

I learned about Jennifer's podcasts because she interviewed Abby Glassenberg, an artist/blogger/mom who I stumbled upon one day while I was searching the web.  The name of Abby's website,  www.whileshenaps.typepad.com

caught my eye and inspired me to do my art "while she [Anabelle] naps."  Pretty cool huh?

I've also recently learned about www.spoonflower.com

You can create your own textile designs, and at spoonflower there is NO MINIMUM order to print your very own design!!!!  Whaaaa?!!  Will my dream of creating textiles really come true some day?

Ho Hum

It's a hot hot July day in the desert, and the Brown family is bored.  After a jaunt to the bookstore, we are back home drinking iced lattes and wondering what to do with ourselves.  Pat googled "Summerlin upcoming public events" for family activity ideas, and the response was a very meager one:

no upcoming events. 

Oh my.  This leads me to the question on many Vegans' minds: is Las Vegas truly "a soul-less city" with no roots and no culture?  Or maybe Pat and I are bored because in actuality, we are just boring people. 

There.  Some topics to ponder this afternoon.  

Champagne Grapes and the Un-surprise Party

Hello all!  

Patrick's 31st birthday was on Wednesday, and I planned a surprise party for him - which was indeed a surprise until I blew it the day before.  Our conversation went something like this:

Kate:  Are you suspicious?

Patrick: No.  What would I be suspicious about?

Kate:  Are you suspicious that I'm having a surprise birthday party for you?

oops.

Anyway, there were 11 of us, and it was so much fun!  Anna helped me cook all day which was challenging with Anabelle army-crawling over to Buzz's water bowl every chance she got.  We made watermelon/blueberry/mint salad,  a really yummy spinach salad from epicurious, and a coconut cake from Barefoot Contessa.   I set out several cheeses, champagne grapes, salami, edamame, yummy bread and nuts for starters, and even though Pat wasn't surprised he really appreciated it all.  

We have about a pound of champagne grapes left over lucky for Anabelle.  They are the perfect size for her little fingers.  She LOVES them, and why wouldn't she?  They are as sweet as candy, and they go POP in your mouth.

Here is the recipe for Pat's birthday salad straight from epicurious.com:

Spinach Salad with Grilled Chicken, Mango, and Raspberries Szwarc

Gourmet  | July 1996

Sandy Szwarc: Albuquerque, New Mexico

yield: Serves 2 generously

ingredients

For dressing:

• 2 tablespoons raspberry vinegar*
• 1 tablespoon balsmic vinegar
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 3/4 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 1 1/2 teaspoons minced peeled fresh gingerroot
• 1 garlic clove, minced and mashed to a paste with 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or to taste
• 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil

• 1 whole skinless boneless chicken breast (3/4 pound), halved
• 1 bunch spinach (about 3/4 pound), coarse stems discarded and leaves washed well and spun dry
• 1 firm-ripe mango, cut into 1/4-inch thick slices
• 2 plum tomatoes, sliced thin
• 2/3 cup raspberries, picked over
• 4 scallions, chopped fine
• 1/4 cup walnuts, toasted and chopped coarse

• * Available at specialty foods shops and some supermarkets.

preparation

Make dressing:
In a bowl whisk together all dressing ingredients except oil. Add oil in a stream, whisking, and whisk until emulsified. (Dressing may be made 2 days ahead and chilled, covered.)

In a shallow dish or a resealable plastic bag coat chicken with 3 tablespoons dressing. (Marinate chicken, covered and chilled, 2 hours.)

Heat an oiled well-seasoned ridged grill pan over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking and grill chicken, drained, until cooked through, about 7 minutes on each side. Transfer chicken to a platter and cool. (Chicken may be made up to this point 1 day ahead and chilled, covered.)

Cut chicken into 1/4-inch-thick slices and in a large bowl combine with remaining ingredients. Drizzle remaining dressing over salad and toss gently to combine well.

On another note, I have been listening to podcasts on craftsanity.com, my new favorite website.  There are over 100 audio interviews with artists.  The one I am currently listening to is with a master quilter named Sharon Schamber (www.sharonschamber.com).  Her creative process is SO interesting, and her quilts are absolutely unreal.  She talks a lot about getting into her creative zone -- allowing the right side of her brain to completely take over (and that is, in my opinion, when you lose track of time and your surroundings fall away - love that!).  While I listen I have been working on a drawing and trying my hardest not to let my inner critic take over; I just want to see where my hand takes me.  I find it incredibly difficult not to forecast what the end result of my drawing will be -- what the composition should be, whether the drawing is any good, whether people will like it.  I am trying my best to just enjoy the journey and see what comes of it.  

Already I am so inspired by the detail in Sharon's quilts that I am determined to take this little drawing I am doing and make it larger -- 24" x 36" or so...  I love being able to use the hours when Anabelle naps to delve in and do my art.  However my struggle remains, as always, what do I have to say as an artist?  Is my final product just... to be pretty?  

Here's a detail: 

Hairdryer Hot

We are back in loverly Las Vegas where the temperature outside is a whopping 109 degrees. Ugh.  It feels like we are in a big hairdryer.    

We had a wonderful month in Boston, Cuttyhunk and Evanston.  Pat is happy to have Anabelle and me back at the ranch, and though I miss being surrounded by all the family, it is nice to set up shop in our own home again.  Anabelle is back to sleeping well; yesterday she napped for a total of FIVE hours between her morning and afternoon naps!  Lucky for me because I napped too.    

I have NOT been busy making art, but I have been busy in the kitchen and the laundry room.  I am actually really enjoying it!  Unpacking and sorting and cleaning has given me a real sense of... calm.  Plus it gives me real satisfaction to be cooking Anabelle's meals again.  Here is the cookbook I LOVE:  Top 100 Baby Purees by Annabel Karmel. 

Here's a picture of Anabelle on Cuttyhunk.  I love it because everything about her looks soft. During our month away she perfected her wave, learned how to clap and how to put her arms up in the air when you ask her "how big is Anabelle?"  SO BIG!

The Jolly 4th

HELLOOO fellow followers! oh my goodness, now that i actually have a following i have been lagging on my entries. vacation apparently makes me a bit too lackadaisical. in any case. i would like to formally tell you all thank you! for supporting my endeavors. it warms my heart.

we are now in evanston at my mom and don's for a couple of weeks. anabelle has learned to give kisses - a direct result from all the love she has been getting, i'm sure. she dives forward with an open mouth and plants one on a cheek or a mouth, whichever comes first. she has mastered waving, and now we are working on the art of sharing -- passing her new ball back and forth. she's only just discovered that she can let the ball go, and then what happens is that she will get it back.

we went to Lighthouse Beach the other day. What a strange transitional time i am going through... last time i was there i was a kid myself, lolling in the shallow water and ordering Chaco Tacos from the ice cream truck. now i find myself sitting in a circle of young moms, prying fistfuls of sand out of our babies' mouths. anabelle sat rather quietly there in her pink addidas pants (ha) inspecting the sand, and it wasn't until we were getting ready to drive home that i realized she was gumming a little black stone.

today is overcast, but hopefully the rain will hold off until, well... tomorrow. we just can not be bothered with it today; there is a parade to go to, and bbqs to attend!!!! pat and i went to the wilmette fireworks last night. the 4th of july has truly become one of my favorite holidays, and evanston today is america at its best.

I have not forgotten my art. it will continue, i promise.

Green

anabelle and i are visiting my dad and sarah here in boyleston, massachusetts where the green is so green it all looks like a big jungle compared to the sparse and jagged landscape and red red rock of las vegas. today she sat in the grass for the very first time. she hoisted her elbows up so high they almost reached her armpits, so unsure she was of the prickly mess she was sitting atop. i showed her how to pat it and wiggle her toes in it, and that made her giggle. we sat in the hammock which overlooks dad's gardens, and that also made her laugh. she clung to the ropes and refused to rest with me. who can blame her -- it's all so new! i showed her a bullfrog and a Full Moon japanese maple, let her touch the rough bark of a tree, and we picked a small purple violet. soon both of her chubby hands were filled with clumps of limp greenery.

then upstairs we went for her "morning" nap - i am clinging to the remnants of a tattered schedule - and as i nursed her to sleep (for shame, i know) i wondered if her mind is just now seeing only the greens of dad's garden. the hundreds and thousands of shades - the dappled green of the grass underneath the trees, the chartruese of the hostas... all nameless and wonderous. each leaf, each blade seen in great detail and up close, the big picture just a big blur.

Crave

This is definitely more "beg" than "crave," but time was short this week.  This is Buzz, our eight and a half year old bulldog.  I LOVE sketching him because he is really the most unbelievable shape.  He is like a:

burrito

tootsie roll

sea cucumber

piggy

He has a fabulously enormous head, and paws that look like big muffins.  Believe it or not he can sniff out watermelon if we are eating it, and he goes crazy for it! 

Anabelle gets a huge kick out of him -- she lights right up when he saunters by.  She pulls on his ears and yanks on his fur, and he either ignores her or he licks her, bless his heart.  

Adapt

We don't have daffodils out here in the desert, but Chicago's spring and summer weather has been on my mind lately.  There they light up the rainy spring days like little lanterns.  And the best part is that whenever the sun shines, all their little heads turn to follow the light.  That is what I consider a perfect example of adapting.  Each flower shifts its trumpet to make the most of its environment - to fit in, to survive, to be happy.  As my dad always says "you can get used to hangin' if you hang long enough."

I found this note on my drawing yesterday.  Pretty awesome, huh?!  

Purpose

It is an overcast morning in Las Vegas, and I love it.  We hardly ever get cloudy skies, so it feels like a cozy treat when we do.  

I've been working on my illustration for the word of the week ("adapt") at night after Patrick and I finish dinner and after we clean up.  Anabelle goes to sleep at 7, so we have the rest of the evening to ourselves.  (To draw or space out as the case may be.  duhhhhhhhhhhhh)  It feels absolutely delicious to be thinking creatively again.  It puts purpose to my days - roots them down so that every time I sit down to my paper I feel like I'm coming back to... myself. HOWEVER I also get really wound up from working which is not the best thing right before hitting the sack.  My brain just starts going and I feel like I could work and work and work. Good thing I am much too sensible to do that -- Anabelle wakes up at 6am if not earlier.  So the time that I do have to work is like a little gem.  

It's great to have a weekly due date because it keeps me from getting overly attached to each piece.  They are exercises rather than masterpieces.  I'll post "Adapt" in the next couple of days.

Older work

JOURNEY THROUGH A QUILTED SUBCONSCIOUS

I did this about two years ago when I first moved to Las Vegas.  I made no plans in terms of composition; I started in one corner, fitting each piece together like a puzzle or quilt, almost "weaving" it all together like a tapestry.    

FALLEN

Here I was inspired by the shapes and colors of sea creatures.  There is an endless supply of inspiration there!  I worked in the same way - the scene unfolded as I went along.

UNTITLED

Here I was exploring the power of two contrasting colors and values.

UNTITLED

This was my latest one.  You can't see, but there is a portrait of Buzz, our English bulldog on the right hand side.  ;)   

 

   
 

Cracked

This is my interpretation of the word of the week, "cracked."  I think of being little and lying in my bed, watching that crack of light under the door pierce the fuzzy darkness. I'd like to continue working on it because it's far from done (it's more of a sketch really), BUT there is more work to be done!  

On a personal note, my brother and sister-in-law, James and Ann left yesterday. We had a really nice visit; we took Anabelle swimming and she learned how to wave too!  There's nothing like watching her begin to figure out the world.  Ohhh, that chubby little hand opening and closing... Melts my heart.

I saw the movie "Up" in 3-D last night and loved it.  It's of the Warm-Your-Heart kind.  

The Beginning

Here's my muse -- Anabelle Violet!  

I'm excited about my new blog!  Stay tuned for more pictures, posts and artworks in progress.  

My friend Lorraine and I are signing up to do "Illustration Friday" to get ourselves inspired and motivated to do more art.  The website posts a word each week to illustrate, and this week's word is "cracked."  I'm always amazed to see how different people's ideas are for just one topic.