It's summer

Monday, the first day of summer the longest day of the year was a wonderful day. I am working on four paintings that will go together to become one. Each panel is long and narrow and represents a season. Kind of my own mythology is making up each one. I was working on winter. Each one will have it's own symbols: animals, birds, constellations, and a round object. So on the summer solstice, I started the summer one. Very exciting for me.

I finally chose a new camera and ordered it. It came today. It's amazingly great. Kilala and I went down to the lake so that she could swim and I took pictures and a movie! We also went on Monday and she swam and splashed and played as hard as she could for almost two hours. Just like a little kid. She was so incredibly happy. And where can you go to such a beautiful lake and there aren't any people? Wild and free!

Beltane! May Day! May Day!

Thousands of people turned out to watch the pagan-inspired spring rituals at the annual Beltane Fire Festival

One piece

One piece that's part of a new spring collection. Sterling, cut crystal, fresh water pearls. Best photo my camera can take. Hopefully that will be different soon.

science friday

This is the second stage of a project for letting my creativity be more spontaneous.

Lemon Custard Cakes
Serves 6

Ingredients
• Unsalted butter, room temperature, for custard cups
• 3 large eggs, separated
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 to 3 teaspoons grated lemon zest, (1 lemon)
• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
• 1 cup milk
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• Confectioners' sugar, for dusting

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Set a kettle of water to boil. Butter six 6-ounce custard cups and place in a dish towel-lined baking dish or roasting pan.
2. In a large bowl, whisk egg yolks and sugar until light; whisk in flour. Gradually whisk in lemon juice, then milk and zest.
3. With an electric mixer, beat egg whites and salt until soft peaks form. Add to lemon batter and fold in gently with a whisk (batter will be quite liquid).
4. Divide batter among prepared custard cups; place baking dish in oven and fill with boiling water to reach halfway up sides of cups. Bake until puffed and lightly browned (but pudding is still visible in bottom), 20 to 25 minutes. Serve slightly warm or at room temperature, dusted with confectioners’ sugar.

Some thoughts and ideas

Molten Chocolate Cakes Serves 6

•4 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for muffin tins
•1/3 cup granulated sugar, plus more for muffin tins
•3 large eggs
•1/3 cup all-purpose flour
•1/4 teaspoon salt
•8 ounces bittersweet chocolate, melted
•Confectioners' sugar, for dusting
•Whipped Cream , for serving

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Generously butter 6 cups of a standard muffin tin. Dust with granulated sugar, and tap out excess. Set aside.

2. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and granulated sugar until fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. With the mixer on low speed, beat in flour and salt until just combined. Beat in chocolate until just combined. Divide batter evenly among prepared muffin cups.

3. Place muffin tin on a baking sheet; bake just until tops of the cakes no longer jiggle when the pan is lightly shaken, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from oven; let stand 10 minutes.

4. To serve, turn out cakes, and place on serving plates, bottom sides up. Dust with confectioners' sugar, and serve with whipped cream, if desired.

nests

I have three birds nests made with the fur/hairs of the animals that I've had as an adult.
These nests are one from Donawee, my pinto horse, made from her tail or mane. The next is from Misha's fur (my malamute dog) and the third has fur from Kilala my second and present dog.
This seems like an odd coincidence but as we know, there are no coincidences.

I once found a tiny little nest that I walked over and over and scuffed aside a bunch of times.
Then realised that it was in fact a teeny little hummingbird nest made tightly with some
soft fbers and then covered with lichens. As many times that I had walked over it, the nest
still held together super strong.

Updates

December 23

Working on some presents. Kilala "helping". Listening to Louie Prima, "Big Night".

On the Eve of the Winter Solstice

Happy Solstice! And I so envy all of you that have had the blessing of tons of SNOW!
My big news is that I have a dog sled coming to me for my sweet husky dog Kilala. Here she is looking out our front window at 14! ducks by our front steps driving her keerazy! (Snacky time!)


Some new jewelry orders:

Photos

Malabar X - Seneca Falls

Malabar X passing the Statue of Liberty

I finally got some photos posted from last summer when the Malabar X was in Seneca Falls to go through the locks on the canal. My final farewell.

Self portrait

I'm participating in my first self portrait day that Misty Mawn has been doing. Actually the first art participation that I have done.

Beautiful day today. It's actually hot and not raining for a change. Been outside in my new little ankle support that fits inside a shoe. So much better than the Frankenstein walking cast. Hopefully I will get the pool worked on more this afternoon.

But now I'm taking a break from outside stuff to work on finishing two paintings and getting two new ones gessoed. Then back to the jewelry bench.

Still deciding if I can possibly make it walking around Grass Roots Festival and besides how can I go and not dance? Check out the schedule.

Courtship By Numbers - mixed media

Thoughts for a Tuesday

Cherry Orchard, Hector, New York - Seneca Lake

Little Kilala is out for her walk with the dog walker. It's so strange to watch her go down the road with someone else. She's so adorably cute.

I had a doctor's appt yesterday and halleluya (sp I know) I can walk. It's a miracle. When I first broke my ankle I thought OMG how can this ever be fixed. I am curious about what will happen when I go through an airport security check.

I've been trying to get the pool cleaned and going by this weekend. Bad timing to not be able to do anything. The pool is a mess, the garden is a mess, nothing is fixed up to be outside but I'm working on it. It will be done by the end of the summer just in time to put everything away for winter.

six weeks since breaking the ankle - argh

Dream #1 - mixed media

I need a different camera! It's so hard to decide on what to get on limited funds but I really need one that will take sharp and color corrrect photos of my artwork and jewelry. Canon? Nikon? I'm certainly not getting another Olympus.

The dog walker came today to give little Kilala a walk, "finally", she said! She was terrific. She gave her some training for walking with her and not dragging your arm off. Hopefully when I can get walking again she will be trained so that I won't have to worry about injury. By the way I traded vehicles with Barb yesterday and drove to the store! Amazing!!! It's been six weeks since I broke the ankle. Six LONG weeks.

Here she is all tuckered out (besides it was hot today):

Okay so she's not sound asleep - got too keep on eye on me!

She's so wonderful...

Music etc

Grotesques at Notre Dame Cathedral

Here's some music for you in case you're sick of hearing Michael Jackson songs running through your head:

Television On The Radio - Wolf Like Me

Rock 'N' Roll Goes To West Africa Vieux Farka Toure, 'Fafa ' - Look down in the story to get the link to hear the music

Justin Adams & Juldeh Camara 'Fulani Coochie Man' - Look down in the story to get the link to hear the music

Calexico/ Iron & Wine - Dark Eyes

New artwork

acrylic, mixed media, image transfer

I think my new summer drink is going to be Malibu rum with 2/3 club soda and 1/3 orange juice very refreshing. Hopefully with a fresh slice of pineapple and if not that then a big wedge of lime. They have a great website!

New jewelry. Sterling and freshwater pearls.

Producing

This is the necklace that I just made and sold. Sterling silver and marcasite. And yes, that is a hinge that you see in the blurry, best I can do photo. A teeny tiny pain in the butt hinge. Some day I'm going to figure it out so that I'm not making 5 bucks an hour.

My goal today is to finish two sets of earrings (who knows what else!) and put them up for sale on Etsy. I have my spot but haven't had anything extra to put up for sale yet.

And I'm working on three collage/paintings. Yes, all at the same time. I always have to wait for layers to dry.

Women in the art world:

Continuing wasted thoughts

Page from my sketchbook

OK. To continue with my last blog post I looked up satyrs, mainly because they are from Greek mythology and But they wanted something that was Italian Rennaissance. Here is an explanation about satyrs: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Satyr (...portrayed them with perpetual erections.) What the...? No wonder they wanted that image for themselves! And I can't believe that Wkipedia has an explanation link for erectons! Ha! Ha! Too funny.

Alright enough already!