Day 224. Unfettered by Convention (No Longer Available)

Unfettered by convention, Clementine fell to her knees, grabbed her boyfriend, and took matters into her own hands.  Knowing that he was the man for her, she proposed that they remain crazy in love together forever. No furtive glances, approving or otherwise, held any sway on her impulsive actions.

Day 223. Sudden Realization

Sudden Realization

Day 5 August Photo Challege - Close-Up

Close-Up

Condensation on a plastic wrapper, found on ground while walking Saturday morning.

Day 4 August Photo Challenge - LOVE



Day 222. Lungs Under A Brick

There is an Italian way of cooking chicken called, "Pollo al Mattone," (mattone is a heavy tile), or more popularly called in the United States, "Chicken Under a Brick."  According to a 2008 NY Times article, this method of cooking also has Russian roots.  That fact, I was unaware of, but I have seen a heavy skillet or brick or some sort of weight placed on top of a split chicken to weigh it down in the skillet or on a grill in order to increase the surface area of the chicken and give its skin a crispier searing than traditional cooking methods.  It's delicious, to be sure, but that's not what I want to talk about.

We just had our busiest week at work, fall payment due for college classes.  During these times we--literally--wait on over a thousand people, many of whom are sick, and we hand papers and pens and credit cards back and forth.  Sure enough, Friday I started feeling sick (really Thursday).  Saturday I managed in the morning to get my shots of "yellow" photos, but I felt weak.  My family was supposed to go out of town, but we only made it as far as a local restaurant.  Last night and today, I spiraled down, down until I was at Walmart FastCare again.  What is happening to me?

Allergies.  Allergies from beyond.  The doctor was concerned--um, very.  She said they were raging out of control, my nostils were worse than swollen, they were small slits barely open.  I left with 6 prescriptions.  I know no one wants to read about someone's sickness.  It's boring, and I've been sick a lot this year.  Never--regarding lung capacity--have I felt so near death.

So here you have it, Lungs Under a Brick.  Some sweet lady sitting next to me asked if I were o.k.  She was on a day trip and had lost her blood pressure pills.  She said she would pray for me; the kindness of strangers, non è giusto? (Isn't that right/the truth?)  I was so grateful.  Other friends saw me and said I would be alright.  I'm sure I will be as soon as I can get rid of this brick and struggle for breath.  I don't know how I wrote or drew this today.

Day 221. Take A Picture of Something Yellow - August 3rd Yellow SOLD

My photography assignment today (Susannah Conway - August Break) was to take a picture of something yellow.  Suddenly, everywhere I turned, a yellow object appeared.  The whole world is filled with yellow!  Isn't that the way it works, though?  Once you sharpen your perception to a thought or idea, it manifests itself?  "The Secret" at work again.  Anyway, I made my painting a day about it as well.

Here's my land of yellow:

Our door knob:

August 2nd - Circles

Day 2 - Circles*

 

 

(*Photography suggestion from http://www.susannahconway.com/the-august-break-2013/)

Day 220. Fido Engages All of His Senses (No Longer Available)

Mmm.  The snap back sound of the can lid; the vacuum releasing the pungent aroma of mystery meat into the air; the sight of the aluminum tab flying through the air signifying imminent joy.

Fido engages all of his senses at the anticipation of his afternoon treat.

August 1st Breakfast - August Break with Susannah Conway

O.K., I'm running out the door for work, and I know I'm not doing this correctly, but here's the link to Susannah Conway's "August Break"  Thirty-one days of photography prompts.  Check it out, and join me in the fun! (-:

http://www.susannahconway.com/the-august-break-2013/

Breakfast:

Huevos con Chorizo with Texas Medium Salsa and Shallots

Day 219. Smoke

Smoke

 6" x 12" Acrylic and Ink

 A little different lighting

Day 218. Pumpkin Pie in the Watermelon Boat (SOLD)

It's hard to believe the weather this summer in comparison to last year.  The heat and humidity were so unbearable during 2012.  In contrast, yesterday the drizzly, overcast weather almost made it feel like fall.  That's fine in my book.  Give me a 63 degree day over one that's 97 Fahrenheit any ol' time.  Like my Day 36, "Spring Day Folded into Winter," (http://livedrawpaint.blogspot.com/2013/01/day-36-spring-day-folded-into-winter.html) I'll take an inter-seasonal day whenever they pop up. (-:

Day 217. They're Real and They're Spectacular (SOLD)

Vanessa knew that her curvaceous body had power over men.  Maybe some would see that admission as a bad thing, but then she thought of those beauties of the big and small screen--Sophia Loren, Marilyn Monroe, Elizabeth Taylor, Rita Hayworth, Monica Bellucci*, Christina Hendricks, Sophia Vergara and yes, even Jessica Simpson and Kim Kardashian.  On some level (and perhaps on many), they enjoyed and luxuriated in their overdeveloped God-given curves.  If they could, why couldn't she?  She would celebrate herself and be proud of her body.

With that thought, Vanessa dressed carefully for the evening, wearing just the right gown.  And when the time was right, she positioned herself underneath a sparkling, pink chandelier, letting its soft light shimmer onto her skin.  She had picked her prey for the evening, and when he leaned in and boldly asked, "Are they real?"  She laughed seductively, briefly recalling Teri Hatcher in a Seinfeld episode, and said, "They're real, and they're spectacular."

Teri Hatcher in "Seinfeld"

*See Monica Bellucci in the French film "How Much Do You Love Me" ("Combien Tu M'Aime?) for the best explanation of what I'm trying to convey--9:15 to 12:00.   I'd put in a YouTube link, but it's a little too spicy. (-;

Bellucci: "It's only natural. All men love me.  That's what I was made for, to be loved.  All I have to do is move a little."

Day 216. Curling Mousse Goes into Overdrive (SOLD)

Oh, good grief!  Her friend had convinced her that putting some curling mousse into her hair would give her a younger, fresher, "beachy" look.  Meredith was hesitant.  Her hair had curl in it already, but since she blow-dried it straight every day, not many people realized it.  Having been out of the practice of using any hair product, she maaaaaay have used just a little bit too much.  Who knew it would have so much power?  She now found herself walking around the house, tangling her hands and feet in her own curls.  She did find, however, that she wouldn't have to mop the floor later.

String Gel, Acrylic, Ink

Day 215. He Was A Slow-Talking Cowboy (SOLD)

This painting was inspired by my facebook friend, Conversationally Crafty.  One day in June she posted this beauty:

"He was a slow-talking cowboy in a Taco Bell uniform

who told me my order was made with love and joy."

Oh!  I loved it so.  She gave me permission to use and illustrate it.  I added the little "saucy" exchange between the pretty patron and charismatic cowboy. (-;

Conversationally Crafty, in her own words says, "I tend to be a bit poetic at times.  I write a lot of business-related copy, articles, etc."  She comes up with some wonderfully insightful posts.  Thank you, CC.  You are a beautiful writer. (-:

Day 214. Long Fingers Give Good Piano (SOLD)

Finally, he was no longer seen as a "strange creature with freakishly long fingers."  From the moment he sat down in front of a piano, his raison d'être, the reason for his existence, the reason for his physical abnormality, became clear.  He was made, unlike anyone or anything else, to master this beauty before him.  Now, celebrated as unique in the world, his ability to play 4 octaves with one hand could be surpassed by no one.  True love, indeed.  Now with complete certainty he knew, there is "a lid for every pot."

Day 213. Tangled and Entwined

Tangled and Entwined

Taken amongst pieces of my life.

Day 212. Do I Already Have Cinnamon?

You know how you're in the grocery store and you're standing in front of the spices and you think, do I have cinnamon at home?  Maybe your faulty memory extends to allspice, nutmeg, cumin, cream of tartar, dried mustard, tarragon, or almond extract.  So, just to be on the safe side, you throw that little jar into your cart, only to get home, open your cupboard, and find 3 jars of cinnamon staring back at you, and then you realize, what you really needed was ginger and thyme.  Well, I've done the same thing when I'm staring at art supplies.  You know those babies aren't cheap, so when you finally make your decision to buy a tube of Cobalt Violet Daler-Rowney Oil Color and a pale orange Faber-Castell Watercolor Pencil and you come home and see that you've already got them, it's complete buyer's remorse!  Not that you won't use them, but there were so many other colors you could have picked up for a relationship. (-;

I got the brilliant idea of writing all my supplies down (not really, but I started with good intentions).  Basically I have one brand of oil, acrylic, and the aforementioned watercolor pencils written down.  I only have 85% more of my supplies to record.

This tool works fantastically if I remember to bring the notebook with me...which I did for awhile.  Then, if you look closely at the stain in the middle of the notebook, the second you forget that you threw a small package of goat cheese in your purse and forgot about it all day long, and it completely reached a beyond-brie-like melted stage and oozed its fatty nature all over your art supply notebook, you decide to take it out of your purse and JUST take it with you when you go to the art store.  But then, you're at the art store and you have forgotten the notebook.  And guess what, you come home with another tube of flesh tint acrylic color.  Drat!  Foiled again!

Day 211. Claire Craves Plum Clafouti

One of my favorite desserts is the French-inspired plum clafouti.  I also make them with Bing cherries (which I just saw at the grocery store for $8.88 a bag and which prompted this post) too, but there's something about the plum one.  I always made the full-fat version with heavy cream, but about 15 years ago I found a lightened version made with yogurt in Martha Rose Shulman's book, "Provencal Light."  It became my go-to recipe not for its lessened calories, but rather because it had this thick, baked consistency that permitted the juice from those luscious plums to bubble and burp their sweet purple liquid all over the golden custard they're encased in.  Yum!  Throw in seeds from a real vanilla bean, and you'll look at this dessert with the same crazed eyes as Claire!

I'm still going to give you the full-fat version here, because it's always important to start with the classic so you can compare variations against the original.  Besides, you might be in the mood for full-blown indulgence. (-:

http://www.finecooking.com/recipes/plum-clafoutis.aspx

One last note, unless you live on an orchard or the south of France, the only plums you have access to may be the rock-hard variety in the grocery store.  When you're in the mood to make this, you can't wait for a week to pass as your plums ripen in a brown paper bag.  Instead, use the canned brand OREGON fruits in light syrup.  It's located by the pie filling.  Do not use pie filling for any version of this clafouti, though.  Yuck!  And finally, if you can find a good plum liqueur or plum brandy, use that to replace the brandy and amaretto.  Isn't this recipe getting more enticing by the second?! (-;

 

Day 210. Are These Bifocals Really Helping?

This painting started out as an experiment.  I wanted to work with a palette knife which I have never used before.  They stared at me from Dick Blick's wall, all shiny and professional looking.  I've had them in my mini shopping cart many a time, but have always put them back.  Not this time, baby!  I grabbed a small one, and it has hung out in my art room for only a few days.  Now is the time!  I didn't use the knife with oils, however, but rather with acrylics.  Let's see how I did, shall we?

Here's my awkward handling of it.  But gosh darn it, maybe I'm some totally twisted freak, but I really like it.  I secretly wish I still had this one. (-;

Here's where I spilled an entire bottle of red paint on the floor, my chair, and my new white skirt that I wore for the first time today.  I was 3 minutes from the finished product.  I ALWAYS think I won't get the paint on me.  Uh huh.

Here is the final product after I whipped out my brushes.  I tried to retain some of the crude painting marks.  See how he's trying to convince himself that these bifocals work? Ha!  His mouth tells the truth.

Here's a close-up of the floating eye chart I tried to put in the background.