creating art with food

Some of you may remember that this summer I headed to Vermont for a live art installation at Wanderlust Festival.  During the four days of the yoga festival, I worked on a 14 ft. mandala piece using only seeds, dried fruit, beans, grains, and other natural food ingredients.

The mandala depicted the different stages and elements of a seed's life: roots, sprouts, rain, sun, and flowers. In the photo above, I was forming organic vanilla bean into raindrops.  The mandala was smelling so good!

The installment was part of the Kashi booth at Wanderlust, and the work was captured on film by a New York crew.  For the last couple of hours I thought it'd be fun to get the community involved.  So a number of folks jumped in to help finish the mandala piece, including a few children who had been watching the process from the start. 

After snapping pictures of the finished work, the mandala was dismantled.  The ingredients were then given to a local farmer to use as feed for his animals.

Here's a short video that Kashi put together of the art installment:

Summer dreaming

Eagle Creek Trail, Oregon

Summer is nearly here, and you can feel the excitement in the Portland air.  Folks are showing off their dazzling white legs, and there's talk of backyard barbeques, festivals, and adventure trips in the Pacific Northwest.  

Now that the kids are out of school, I look forward to day trips to the coast and mountains.  A couple of months ago, we hiked the Eagle Creek Trail in the gorge.  The water was a little too chilly for wading, but, come July,  I'll be ready for some creek walking!

My summer schedule is quickly filling up with family and work-related activities.  Next week, I'm headed to Vermont for an art installation using food! During the Wanderlust Festival at Stratton Mountain, I'll be creating a 15 ft. mandala for Kashi using only natural food ingredients, like seeds, grains, beans, and nuts.  

I love to cook, but this is the first time I've used food to create large scale art.  It's been fun playing around with the different ingredients on our dining room table, and the vanilla bean, coconut, and cinnamon sticks make the room smell so good!

If you want to follow the the progress of my mandala art at Wanderlust Festival, I'll be posting pictures on Instagram. 

Lately, I've also been busy creating new work for my online shops.  Phenomenon is my newest art print, and it's available in two sizes.  

I've been wanting to mesh my mountain painting and weaving worlds for a while now, and Azure Mountain is the result of that coming together. Created on a lap loom without a drawing, the weaving process was slow-going.  But I enjoyed "painting" with yarn and seeing the piece evolve. 

Azure Mountain is currently available in my big cartel shop, as well as the weavings below.  This weekend, I'm running a free shipping promotion.  Use code HELLOSUMMER, and receive free shipping on your order. 

Weavings: Laguna, Summer Dream, Sea Breeze, Native Land

my week

This is my favorite time of the year in Portland.  The late afternoon light is ideal for shooting pictures, there's a slight crisp in the air, and I can start wearing layers.  I love scarves, in particular.  The beautiful hand-dyed scarf is from Driftwood & Fossil.   

Our family had a couple of outings this weekend.  On Friday, we took advantage of free admission night at the Portland Art Museum.  We spent an hour looking mostly at the works of Oregon artists.  I can't wait to come back in a few weeks to see the upcoming exhibit, The Body Beautiful in Ancient Greece. 

On Saturday, we drove to a farm outside of town to pick some apples, asian pears, tomatoes, and raspberries.  We couldn't have asked for more perfect weather.  On our way home, we witnessed the stunning sky and moon.  Mt. Hood was in a purple glow.  I had never seen anything like it before.

My time at my art desk has been limited this week, but I did start a marker drawing inspired by a trip to central Oregon in August.  One of my goals this fall for my Etsy shop is to add more 11" x 14" prints.  I just listed a larger print of In the deep dark woods.   I'm hoping to finish a couple new print designs this month, including the one shown above.

canning in a heat wave

Most [sane] people seek reprieve from the heat in 100° weather.  I decided to spend it over a hot stove making jam and pickles.  I'm usually the first to complain when it gets over 73°, so I was even surprised by my sudden keenness to can in a heat wave.  But, over-ripened fruit and vegetables is actually a big pet peeve of mine, much more than perspiration.  And, seeing I had plump pickling cucumbers on the vine and a vat of freshly picked berries, I was growing increasingly anxious with each rising degree.  

I had to purchase more jars, and you can say I got a little sidetracked with a couple of art related projects.   I love good food, and I love it even more when it's packaged well.  So, I created decals for the jars and illustrated stickers for the lids.  The decals are famous quotes on food.  The one in the photo reads, One cannot think well, love well, sleep well, if one has not dined well, quoting writer Virginia Woolf. 

For the canning lid stickers, I scanned a couple of my illustrations and printed them on glossy label paper.  I was pretty pleased with how they turned out, so I ended up making some more and listing them in my shop.  I'm not planning on going into the sticker business, but I do like the idea of handdrawn art on canning lids.  Maybe I'll be inspired to create a few more designs in my next round of canning. 

my week

we hiked the wilson river trail in the tillamook forest, about 50 miles west of portland

picked up textured treasures along the way and visited the sleek forest center

[view from a 40 ft lookout tower]

latest craigslist find: '80s patio furniture set for $10

nothing a little scrubbing and paint can't fix

dinner with the hubby at the koi fusion [korean and mexican] cart

k-dog: kosher hot dog with kimchee sauerkraut, bulgogi, seaweed flakes, and japanese mayo

"open sky"

6 x 6 painting on birch panel

I heart Portland

Just when I thought I made it through Portland's damp fall and winter without falling ill, I caught a bug this week that has kept me in bed the last few days.  Ugh.  No fun at all.  I try to make the most of it by watching a lot of funny clips from The Ellen Show.  I figure laughter is the best medicine. That and spicy Korean soup.

I don't have any new works to share with you all, since my art production is at a standstill for the moment.  But I did have an idea for a new monthly series called I heart Portland.  I was born and raised in Portland, so I like to think that I know a few things about the Rose City.  Did you know, for example, that there is a volcano (granted, a dormant one) in city limits?  Thanks to a three week unit on Portland in my high school history class, I have a wealth of fun and trivial facts like this. . . all to be revealed in due time my friends. 

[unless noted, all photos by me]

It's April, and that means tulips.  Lots and lots of tulips.  Just 30 minutes south of Portland is the Tulip Fest in Woodburn, Oregon.  It's a spectacular display of flowers that lasts for just a month. 

Portland has some of the greatest cheap eats around.  Here's one of my guilty pleasures.  Poutine from Potato Champion! 

"Keep Portland Weird" is a popular bumper sticker in town.  Portlanders take pride in being "different."

[images: crafted-systems.com]

Crafted Systems is the brainchild of Portland-based designer Aurelie Tu.  She partners with the local YWCA shelter to create her modern home collection.  Each product is made from 100% natural wool felt and is handmade here in Portland. 

My week

Painted these for my daughter who turned 12 this week.  On the day of her birthday, my husband and I chaperoned a class field trip to OMSI [Oregon Museum of Science and Industry] where the featured exhibit is Body Worlds.  My group was ready to move on after 20 minutes, which speaks more to the attention span of adolescents than the exhibition.

My dear friends brought back for me some anchovy stuffed olives from Spain.  I'm already on my second can today. 

I shipped off some of my original works and prints to a boutique in Beacon, New York called Blackbird Attic.  I'm the featured artist at the shop from March 10 - April 13.  Wish I could follow my works to New York, but that'll have to wait for another time. 

Here are two new originals that will be part of the show:

night journey and mountain glow, 2012.

my week

new painting // lost lake

found these sweet and tiny vessels by elycia camille at tender loving empire

just a few dollars apiece!

i gave them to the girls as earring holders

i was happy to drop off more of my art prints at tilde this week

so that I could take another look at the beautiful paper creations of

katie kulper [friend and fellow portlander]

i've mentioned her work before here

her latest paper sculptures are part of curves + lines: a papercraft show at tilde

utter and complete guilty pleasure

my favorite >> monkey muffin, top left

my eight year-old made this for valentine's day

and we turned it into cards for her classmates

xoxo

my week

The theme this week was, appropriately so, new things.  New hobby, new food, new show, and new project.

I got a gift card to Powell's Books for Christmas- actually it was more like I "stole" it from my father-in-law in our family gift exchange.  Powell's is an enormous new and used bookstore in downtown Portland, and it's a must stop for any tourist wanting to get a good dose of Portland culture.  I can literally spend hours in this place, and the beautiful thing is, so can the rest of my family.

Last week, my husband and I had a free night without kiddos, so we headed to Powell's.  I only made it about 10 feet in when a book caught my eye.  It's called Tart and Sweet:101 Canning and Pickling Recipes for the Modern Kitchen.  The title alone made my mouth water!

I've been wanting to learn how to put up food, and this book walks you through all the basics.  I'm also all about unique combinations of flavors in the kitchen, and I was enticed by the recipes in Tart and Sweet.  Here's what I made this week: Candied Kumquats with Cinnamon and Star Anise, Lemon Herb Pickled Garlic, Southeast Asian Carrot Daikon Pickles, Wasabi Green Beans, and Preserved Lemons.

I like exotic foods, but there are times when I just want a good cheeseburger.  Around the corner from Powell's is locally owned Little Big Burger.  Picture a modern and minimalist fast food burger joint, and that is Little Big Burger.  I ordered my hamburger with chevre cheese, and it did not disappoint.  In fact, it was so good, my husband and I came back a few days later with our girls.  Other nice surprises included the spicy house ketchup and the bold and graphic art of Damien Gilley blanketing one wall of the restaurant. 

Thursday night was my artist reception at Prana.  After a very busy season of work, it was so nice to catch up with friends.

Since my Etsy shop now looks a little bare without these paintings, I decided to take on a new project.  I'm going to commit to creating and uploading one new original work of art into my Etsy shop every day for the next 30 days.  Prices will vary from one work to the next, but most will be in the $30 - $75 range.  Again, these are all one-of-kind pieces that I will create in upcoming weeks.  I just completed the first one last night.  It's titled morning mist.

On this blog, I will show a recap of new works once a week.  If you want to get a daily update in your reader, you can subscribe to my Etsy shop's RSS feed here. 

my week

my husband and i spent a quiet evening [ie without kids] at st. jack
the pate was my favorite and the madeleines were so heavenly

whenever i need an article of clothing altered,
i go to a lady named ginny who has the most amazing barbie collection [100 plus and counting]

i brought the girls with me this time around- you can only imagine their faces

enjoyed one of the last days of summer break as a family wading at opal creek

wedding mania:

i worked on my first wedding invitation design

and i'll be heading to ireland soon for a friend's wedding! 

Art Show at Tilde

Tomorrow is the opening of my show at Tilde, and you are all invited to join me at the artist reception from 6 - 9p.  Seeing that a small number of you actually live in Portland, I've created this fun montage of the 19 new originals in the show.

Larger images can be seen here.

The good news is that you don't need to live in Portland to buy one of the pieces.  You can buy the art directly from Tilde.  The works, priced from $55 - $225, are already available for purchase online here. 

Although I don't like playing favorites, I will admit that I am most attached to oregon beauty (bottom row, second to the right).  The mountain in the painting is Mt. Hood, which is a short drive from Portland.  Locals can attest that it is one of the most glorious sights on any clear and sunny day. 

Along with my mixed media paintings, two of my embroidered works will be on display.  I created these original works last Fall but haven't shown both works together until now.  Although they are different from my landscape paintings, the two pieces go well with the mid-century decor in Tilde. 

The show goes through the end of July, but works are taken down once sold.  So if you were planning on coming by, I wouldn't wait 'til the last day to look at the collection.  And while you're in the Sellwood neighborhood, you should definitely plan on getting one of these.

It's a steamed barbeque pork bun from Jade, which is right across the street from Tilde.  So delicious and just $3.  Gotta love the cheap eats in Portland!