about living

living take effort.
i was reminded of that this weekend. 
when things end, appreciation is born
the moment becomes clear,
we reorient.

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a friend asked me why i was doing this paleo challenge, what was i hoping to get out of it. i gave all my reasons and then told her how i was thinking that if i can commit to doing something like this, why couldn't i commit to painting everyday. well, there's no reason really. so i did. i committed to painting everyday for 21 days. and at the end of it, i hope to have a body of work built up again so that i can finally start an etsy shop, something i've been wanting to do for awhile now. 

we got snow this week in our local mountains. we were trying to decide if we should go up. it's a lot of work digging around for the snow clothes from last year, seeing what fits, dressing the kids, packing a change of clothes for four people, snacks, sleds, the laundry when returning home, the whole bit. but that's living, i mentioned. living, really living the life you dream of, takes effort. committing to eating healthier means more time in the kitchen. committing to painting means more focus, working at night when i feel like relaxing. the trip to the mountains was so worth it. it always is. 

this weekend, we found out we lost a good friend. we went to the memorial and listened to stories, talked about life. we remembered him. and reminded ourselves, about living.

6/52

"a portrait of my children's artwork, once a week, every week, in 2013."

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s. at six, conversation sometimes stalls at "good", "i don't know" or " i played." but sitting together on the floor in the studio painting and listening to her mix on the ipod, things start to flow a bit better. "mom, today when we bought lunch my teacher let us walk to the cafeteria by ourselves, since it was raining and my class had to stay inside to eat. she told us to come back after we got our lunch and, mom, it wasn't pizza, it was friday, why wasn't it pizza? it was a hot dog. i ate it, but i wished it was pizza. so the lunch lady said that we could eat in the auditorium. and we did mom. we didn't go back to class. we stayed and ate in there. and it was raining and there was this giant pipe, mom have you seen it? the water was pouring down from it and making this huge puddle, bigger than our whole kitchen! it was cool and then..." this piece is called the link. i named it. 

o. a tightly folded package with lots of tape around it was placed into my hand when i picked her up from preschool friday. "this is for you mama. you can open it when you get home". melt. the package, backpack, two stuffed animals, lunchbox, water bottle, muddy boots, wet socks, a cup of treasures, handmade headband, wrist bracelets and belt were all unloaded on the dining room table. in walks daddy, clearly the best thing to happen all day. tug, "mama, i want to give this to daddy." not waiting for an answer, "dad, dad, i made you something, open it!! it's a rocket ship! and my name, dad. olivia!" double melt. 

off to live

image via Rickshaw

I do not want to get to the end of my life and find that I just lived the length of it. I want to have lived the width of it as well. Diane Ackerman

busy weekend full of commissioned paintings & valentines makings. 

hope yours is a good one!

bon appétit meets paleo

Each month, when bon appétit arrives, I pour over the recipes, photos and beauty of the magazine. This month's pasta issue did not disappoint. I, however, am on day three of a twenty-one day paleo challenge. 

The ground rules: no grains, no breads, no pasta, no dairy, nothing made with flour or sugar. So basically I am gluten-free, grain-free, wheat-free, sugar-free, dairy-free, caffeine-free and alcohol-free. Yipee.

Not normally being much of a meat eater, this is my opportunity to live it up in that department. The cover photo of the Spicy Pork Ragu sounded like the place to start. In gathering recipes, I came across recommendations for zucchini noodles as a good substitute for pasta. They were delicious. If ever you find yourself in a similar situation, give this paleo recipe a try. 

Zucchini Noodles with Spicy Calabrese-Style Pork Ragù

Ingredients:

1 medium onion, quartered
1 carrot, peeled, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 celery stalk, cut into 1-inch pieces
4 garlic cloves
2 teaspoons fresh oregano leaves
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 cup coarsely chopped flat-leaf parsley, divided
1 28-ounce can whole peeled tomatoes
1/4 cup olive oil
1 pound hot or sweet Italian sausage, casings removed
1 pound ground pork
sea salt, freshly ground pepper
1 tablespoon tomato paste
6 zucchini, sliced with a julienne peeler or julienne blade of a mandoline

Preparation:

• Pulse onion, carrot, celery, garlic, oregano, red pepper flakes, and 1/4 cup parsley in a food processor until finely chopped; transfer to a small bowl and set aside. Purée tomatoes with juices in processor; set aside.
• Heat oil in a large heavy pot over medium heat; add sausage and cook, breaking up with a spoon, until browned, about 4 minutes. Add ground pork, season with salt and pepper, and cook, breaking up with a spoon, until no longer pink. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to a plate.
• Increase heat to medium-high. Add reserved vegetable mixture to drippings in pot, season with salt, and cook, stirring often, until golden, 8-10 minutes.
• Stir tomato paste and 1 cup water in a small bowl; add to pot. Cook, scraping up any browned bits from bottom of pot. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer until liquid has almost evaporated, 6-8 minutes.
• Add reserved meat and tomato purée and 1 cup water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, adding more water as needed to keep meat nearly submerged, until meat is tender, about 4 hours. Season with salt.

*Do Ahead: Ragù can be made 3 days ahead. Let cool. Cover and chill, or freeze for up to 2 months. Reheat before continuing.

Zucchini Noodles:

• Using the julienne peeler, slice zucchini lengthwise into long, thin strands. Slice the zucchini just until you reach the seeds in the middle and then stop (the seeds will cause the noodles to fall apart).
• Separate the zucchini strands. Transfer stands to a colander set over a mixing bowl. Toss the strands with salt; let stand 15 minutes at room temperature to extract excess water. 

• Heat olive oil in a pan and transfer drained zucchini strands. Sauté for two minutes. 

Divide zucchini noodles among the bowls, top with ragù sauce.

when to hide

image via ermie

s at home

another great image via ermie. a constant source of inspiration

picasso postcard in my bedroom

window art in little italy

a daily reminder

there are times when i want to stick my head in the sand
pretend i don't exist.
more accurately,
pretend everyone else didn't exist.

and there are times to do this.

times to hide,

to put blinders on. 

i love images of the half hidden,

masks,

messy hair,

downward glances.

you're not fully seen

but you're there

somewhat,

in your own space

in your own way.

in order to create more of me

i need to take me out of it

& other people too

stop looking around 

stop saying yes.

focus. 

hide.

be.

monday, creative morning

clare vivier.
i love your bags,
i love your store,
i love your style.

and now i love your story about creating a brand. found on los angeles creative mornings. 

happy monday!

5/52

"a portrait of my children's artwork, once a week, every week, in 2013."

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this week zoomed by with activities and a fantastic chinese new year production that s's school put on. saturday morning we crept down to the studio to paint for a bit. i showed the girls a photo and we talked about the shape they see when they look at it. you can see the photo and read the post here. 

s. sienna sometimes asks, what should i paint. my usual answer is, whatever you feel like, which she then follows up with a heavy sigh. this morning, she liked me suggesting a direction to take. we have been reading the little house series. the winters are bleak. this piece has that feel to me. solitude under a heavy sky. sienna simply calls it, "a tent out in the mountains."

o. olivia liked looking at the pictures and naming shapes, but wanted nothing to do with direction. she worked away at her piece and then painted four more. when i asked her if it had a name, she said yes, it's called, "not a triangle." 

pointed direction

via scout-holiday

it all started with this photo that i came across again a few days ago.

perfection
simplicity
the lines
angles
the mood. 

i love the shape
the drape
the stare.

as luck would have it, s brought home a study of shapes that she did in school this week. with this perfect confluence, i decided that the pyramid would be my inspiration this coming week. 

this morning, the girls were in the studio and i had them look at the photo of the hiding girl, as they called her, and tell me what they saw. 
a girl
she hiding
she's cold
she's sitting criss cross apple sauce 
she looks like you.

(sidenote: i love the generational transition from indian style to criss cross apple sauce)

i also showed them a handful of my favorite images that had the same shape & feel. here are a few.

this piece by Victoria Haven.

this beautiful teepee is from one of my favorite blogs, house of habit. their handcrafted teepees are available here. 

1. Otto Freundlich. i flipped this image upside down, for the purposes of this study. 2. image taken by laure joliet.


we talked about shapes, people and things that look like shapes, and then we painted. they were funny. olivia doesn't always like my guidance as you will see in my weekly 52 post tomorrow. 

of course,
i love a girl who takes her own direction.
it was a good morning. 

one down

field study. 60" x 48"
inspired by this from last week.

i have no wall space left in my house. i wanted to snap a quick shot of this painting so i went to the girls room, the only place with a big enough white wall and a bit of light. kind of rough, but you get the idea. 

i love working on large canvases. i love the freedom of space and really being able to put myself into the painting. i usually work on the floor, so i am literally on top of the painting, reaching and moving around it. 

i am also in constant need of perspective. and a different perspective. so no matter how large the piece, i am usually carrying it from the studio into different rooms of the house and yard, to help me see what needs to be done next. weird? i don't know. it's just what i do. i also take on and off my glasses so i can see it blurry and clearly and blurry again. 

lesson from the tub

see that rust?
well, i love it.

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my life is pretty unglamorous.
i spent yesterday scrubbing bathrooms,
cleaning porches,
raking leaves.

i wished i was painting
or browsing beauty,
or working on a few projects i need to get done.

but that rust.

as i gazed into the cold, clean tub,
the circle of rust
made me think of age.
and i, unlike many, like age.
i like what comes with it,
i like the look of it,
it makes things better,
in my eyes.

and i like the seaside.
the rust makes me think of that too.
and for these reasons
i like cleaning.
and if it weren't for the rust,
the beauty of it,
i might have missed 
being inspired
by what i am doing.