projects...

Hey Beautiful People!

I have been a busy beaver in the studio this summer. And a remiss blogger about the experience. Oh, sure, I post pictures of the Bunny with a Toolbelt work on that blog, but I do have some more earnest projects going on too. I will start posting images soon from a new batch of wall pieces I'm working on, plus another big project I won't announce until I've hammered out some of its final contractual details.


In the meantime, it's been a while since I have posted any blog entries about cooking. I want to share one of my favorite summer recipes with you--pizza on the grill. I found this recipe a few years ago in one of my favorite cookbooks of all time, the Weber Big Book of Grilling.

Arugula Pizza on the grill

pizza dough

pesto:
2 cups arugula
1 large clove garlic, crushed
2 T pine nuts
1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan reggiano

topping:
3 med. bell peppers - red and/or yellow
1 1/2 pounds fresh shiitake mushrooms, stems removed
extra virgin olive oil
kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper
1 cup chopped arugula
1 tomato, chopped
1/2 cup freshly shaved parmesan-reggiano cheese
juice of 1 lemon
----
divide pizza dough into four flat crusts, roll out to about 1/8 to 1/4” thick. Use lots of flour to keep the dough from sticking. Lightly brush both sides of the crusts with olive oil and place on baking sheets. Gently slide the crusts onto the grate of the grill and grill over direct
medium heat until the undersides are marked, 1-3 minutes. Don’ worry if the crusts bubble in spots - they will deflate when turned over. Transfer the crusts to the baking sheet, grilled side up.
to make the pesto: in a food processor, finely chop the arugula, garlic and pine nuts. Add the pepper. With the motor running, slowly pour in the olive oil. Transfer the mixture to a bowl and stir in the cheese.
to prepare the topping: grill the bell peppers over direct med. heat until evenly charred on all sides, 10-12 minutes, turning every 3-5 minutes. Remove the peppers from the grill and place in a paper bag: close tightly. Let stand 10-15 minutes to steam off the skins.
Remove the peppers from the bag and peel away the charred skins. Cut off the tops and
remove the seeds. Cut each pepper into thin strips.
Brush or spray both sides of the mushroom caps with olive oil. Season with salt and
pepper. Grill over direct med. heat until tender, 8-10 minutes, turning and basting with the oil as needed to keep them moist. Remove from grill and cut into 1/2” slices.
Spread pesto over the toasted side of the crusts. Distribute the mushrooms and peppers on top. Grill the pizzas over direct medium heat until the crusts are crisp, 4-6 minutes. Remove them from the grill. Top with the arugula, tomato, cheese, and lemon juice. Cut into wedges and serve warm. (I find it better to have the arugula slightly damp so it will steam ever so slightly.)

makes four yummy servings.

Big Time (so much larger than life)

So imagine this scenario....you're driving down I-5 or some such major highway, kind of zoning out because your destination is still miles away...in your peripheral vision you take in the scenery, the buildings, the billboards...wait a minute. I know that person on that billboard! This is what happened to a few people last week when they saw my friend and bass player extraordinaire Leah Hinchcliff's happy smiling face. Apparently, and without letting Leah know, the Salem Art Association saw fit to use a picture of her on their advertisement for this weekend's annual art festival. I heard about this last night when I happened to be listing to Leah's duo "Gravy" play at Tapalaya. (I highly recommend both the band and the restaurant!) Anyhow, we decided that a road trip was definitely in order to see it for ourselves.

Coincidentally, I happened be one of the jurors for the Salem Art Festival this year! (I don't remember how I voted on that glass vessel and take no responsibility for it whatsoever!) Anyhow, I thought I'd share this fun afternoon's event and Leah's 15 minutes of I-5 fame.

Gideon Chase

I have had the pleasure of knowing Gideon Chase since he was a wee little pup. His family has been friends with my family since...oh sometime around the late 80's, I believe. He comes from a great family of creativity, which includes but is not limited to his mom and brother. Anyhow, I love these images of a show he's in in San Francisco right now and wish I could see them in person. They're at Ampersand International Arts through the month.




If Gideon were here in town, I'd tell him to go see the divine works of recent PNCA MFA grad Nicole Eriko Smith. Seems like they'd have something to talk about...

more sound art

wow....I could watch this all day.

To read more about artist Sachiko Kodama and her beautiful ferrofluid art, click here.

thanks again, Tripper!

high frequency art

Hate to say it, but I recommend you turn the volume down once you get the idea....

thanks Tripper

what, no beehives?

My hairdresser Jenn gave me an appreciation for hair as art. Of course, that's because she's really turning hair into art with stuff like this wig, which is made entirely out pf packing peanuts. This short article by Laura Jacobs in today's New York Times has this great illustration of the hairstyles of all the first ladies since Martha Washington.
Hair-Portraits of First Ladies. From left to right: Martha Washington, Abigail Adams, Martha Randolph,* Dolley Madison, Elizabeth Monroe, Louisa Adams, Rachel Jackson,** Hannah Van Buren,** Anna Harrison, Letitia Tyler, Julia Tyler, Sarah Polk, Margaret Taylor, Abigail Fillmore, Jane Pierce, Harriet Lane,*** Mary Lincoln, Eliza Johnson, Julia Grant, Lucy Hayes, Lucretia Garfield, Ellen Arthur,** Frances Cleveland, Caroline Harrison, Frances Cleveland, Ida McKinley, Edith Roosevelt, Helen Taft, Ellen Wilson, Edith Wilson, Florence Harding, Grace Coolidge, Lou Hoover, Eleanor Roosevelt, Bess Truman, Mamie Eisenhower, Jacqueline Kennedy, Lady Bird Johnson, Pat Nixon, Betty Ford, Rosalynn Carter, Nancy Reagan, Barbara Bush, Hillary Clinton, Laura Bush, Michelle Obama.

happy independence day!

I'm not that much of a fireworks fan, but I usually buy a box of sparklers this time of year. I love their simplicity, the smell, and all the memories they bring back. Plus, what other pyrotechnic can you make art with?

just another thing that happens in Portland that makes me happy I live here:

Stock:
Clear soup broth, investment, estimation, faith,
gathering, accumulation, appraisal, cash, assets,
a stem, tree, or plant that furnishes slips or cuttings
Ancestry, lineage
Merchandise

Stock is a monthly public dinner event and presentation series, which funds small to medium-sized artist projects. Hosted at Gallery Homeland in Portland, Oregon, diners pay a modest $10 for a dinner of homemade soup and other local delicacies and the chance to take part in deciding which artist proposal will receive the evening's proceeds. In other words, the dinner's profits immediately become an artists grant, which is awarded according to the choice of the diners. Winning artists will present their completed work at the following Stock dinner.

Stock is inspired by InCubate's Sunday Soup granting program in Chicago and its offshoots in Brooklyn, Grand Rapids, Mexico City, Newcastle, and Houston.
Organizers Katy Asher, Ariana Jacob and Amber Bell are interested in the participatory and democratic aspects of the Sunday Soup model and its potential to encourage support for artist projects in Portland.

For more information, click here.

random stuff that is making me smile today.....

This picture of Bucky Fuller that the Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago sent in their email to let me know they're extending the show through the weekend. Shame I can't be there to see it. (I do love being on their mailing list though, one of the few that I can say that about!)

Couroupita guianensis, otherwise known as Cannonball Tree. My mom's in Hawaii right now and she knew I'd love this plant. The flowers and fruit grow out of the trunk!Apparently, this plant is native to South America but some thoughtful person brought it across the ocean to share.

And this website: There, I Fixed it. Thanks again, Mr. Hash. You've been quite helpful to my blog lately!

more stimulus!

Want to see more Stimulus? Arthur Hash took some great shots at the opening that shows a lot of the work, all priced to make you look fabulous despite the economy. I particularly love Sienna's brilliant display, substituting tool storage units for the usual flat-file display you see in many jewelry galleries.

Click here to see Mr. Hash's Flickr Stimulus photostream, or pop over to see his blog post with a short video starring Doug Bucci. (If I were there, I'd be buying this Melanie Bilenker piece!)

more Maira!

Another installment of Maira Kalman's charming series "And the Pursuit of Happiness" came out in a recent New York Times. This one especially grabbed my attention, since I'm still thinking about the best series I've seen on dvd in the past year: "John Adams." Even though the focus is on Adams, there's also a great character sketch of Thomas Jefferson and it reminded me fondly of my visit to Monticello when I was in college. Kalman's NYT piece illustrates her fascination with this same historical landmark. Click here to read it.

Hidden Portland

I'm pleased to announce that the small museums bike tour, previously mentioned right here, has now expanded into a limited edition book, self-published by the author Carye Bye. The book is called "Hidden Portland: The Museums" and costs less than 20 smackers. There's a show right now at Reading Frenzy, where the book is being sold, as well as a show of original illustrations and card racks of take-now original illustrations, all of which are also at very affordable prices. Carye is, in my humble opinion, one of Portland's gems, so I highly recommend you grab your piece of it! (FYI: The Reading Frenzy show only runs through the weekend.)

Click here to read the article in today's Oregonian. The books are selling fast, so grab yours today! (As of this publishing, there are none at Reading Frenzy, but the last batch will arrive tomorrow. I just bought my copy online at her Hidden Portland website.)

stimulus

Okay, so there are a TON of artists, businesses and otherwise using the phrase "stimulus package" or some variation on that theme in order to drum up sales during these rough economic times. I'm really excited to be part of this one called simply "Stimulus" at Sienna Gallery. The show has an impressive roster of artists, all of whom have made one of a kind wearable work priced at $500 or less.

Begins June 26, Available online July 1. Opening Party, June 27, 6-9pm

Included in this show is one of my favorites, Arthur Hash, (whose necklace I wore during my Natural Selection show at Velvet da Vinci--remember, loyal readers?) He's showing us how to make a ring his way. Mr. Hash has been doing some very interesting cad-cam work, which you can read about on his blog The Art Escape Plan.






Participating artists: Efharis Alepedis Jon Anzalone Suzanne Beautyman Jamie Bennett Harriet Estelle Berman Thyra Bessette Danika Bevirt Melanie Bilenker Kristin Bolhuis Allyson Bone Melissa Borrell Jana Brevick Lola Brooks Doug Bucci Raissa Bump Sarah Kate Burgess Tzu-Ju Chen Sharon Church Petra Class Alexia Cohen Erin Daily Leslie Dickerson Noam Elyashiv Ashley Ernest Pat Flynn Steven Ford David Forlano Susie Ganch Erin Gardner Grace Gerfen Caroline Gore Rebecca Hannon Arthur Hash Amy Haskins Anna Hinkes Reiko Ishiyama Dan Jocz Yevgeniya Kaganovich Lauren Kalman Anya Kivarkis Shoko Kozu Seung-Hea Lee Anna Lorich Sharon Massey Paul McClure Bruce Metcalf Myra Mimlitsch-Gray Seth Papac Joan Parcher Mary Pearse Hilary Pfeifer Maria Phillips Natalya Pinchuk Robin Quigley Tina Rath Alexandra Rivera Shella Robinson Vera Rust Biba Schutz Barbara Seidenath Sondra Sherman Leslie Shershow Sakurako Shimizu Marjorie Simon Kiff Slemmons Barbara Smith Tracy Steepy Rebecca Strzelec Kristin Sword Hisano Takei Islay Taylor Amelia Toelke Jenn Trask Sarah Troper Julia Turner Johan Van Aswegen Veleta Vancza Jonathan Wahl Stacey Webber Brian Weissman Heather White Joe Wood Sayumi Yokouchi

new craft blogs alert!

Just found out about this blog from Australia called "CLOG" (craft+blog....get it?)
Looks great. Just wanted to share. Click here and carry on.

this link came via Susan Lomuto, who writes her own craft blog, updated daily! Click here to read the Daily Art Muse

Hello San Francisco!

If you're in the Bay Area tonight or in the next month, pop on over to Velvet da Vinci for a long-awaited showing of new sculptural work by Tom Hill whose statement reads: "The starting point, as always for me, was drawing. Usually drawing is something I do in sketchbooks, which I then go on to use as information to make sculptural pieces. I have occasionally shown framed study drawings with my work but for this exhibition I decided to make a series of cut-out, freestanding images that would form a kind of "stage set" in which a group of three-dimensional pieces could be placed like actors in a play. The drawings are made on thick mount board. I make a multi-piece stencil and spray with enamel paint to form the initial surface. These pieces are then worked into with Indian ink … both the ink and the enamel paint have a luminous kind of finish … I wanted clean bright colours , like a children's illustrated book ; think "Where the Wild Things Are" . Also showing is some amazing anodized jewelry by Jane Adam. I am sad I won't be able to be there to see this work, but if you go, please tell them I sent you!

posthumously yours....

If you wanted to choose one icon to be remembered by, what would it be? I have thought about this ever since being exposed to the fantastic tradition of creative "fantasy" coffins that are commonplace in Ghana. In this culture, people (I assume it's the people who can afford it) are buried in a handmade coffin that reflects something important to them in their life. Here--I'll take you through a little photo gallery of some of these functional artworks:





The other day, a friend of mine emailed to say that he's off to Ghana to work as an apprentice to Eric Adjetey Anang who makes Fantasy Coffins. Anang and his coffins were profiled in a commercial for a soft drink company--even though it's an ad, it tells a nice story about what's going on:


Here's a link to my friend Michael DeForest's blog, if you want to follow along with me on the fantastical journey he's sure to have. He's still en route as I write this, but it should be rolling in a few days. (Click here to read it)

it's that time of year...

Every June, I wipe a wee tear from the corner of my eye, thinking back on the best summer of my life: the summer residency at the Wood Turning Center in Philadelphia. They're at it again, and this year, the residents are all participating in a blog to keep us up on the nitty gritty details. (I hope we'll get some juicy gossip this time!!) Click here to read the blog.


And here's a video on the super project that the Wood Turning Center is working on--to purchase the historic John Grass building in Olde City section of Philadelphia and move their center over there. What is John Grass, you ask? The John Grass Wood Turning Company is a fully-functional wood shop, founded in 1863 in Philadelphia, when the city was known as The Workshop of the World. The John Grass Task Force, formed in 2006, is seeking assistance from individuals, corporations, institutions, and governments to help save this unique, historic time-capsule which contains working machinery and ephemera from 150+ years of operation as a production wood turning shop. Items produced at the John Grass shop includes replacement ballustrades for Philadelphia's Independance Hall and Christ Church, and night sticks for the Philadelphia Police Department. To make a donation to support this effort, contact the Wood Turning Center, whose information is at the end of the video.

curso verso

I'm going to have to have my sweetie explain how this works to me later...

click here and move your mouse across the screen to see what I mean.

via swissmiss