Little Girls...

"Little Girls" is a series that I have been working on since 2005. There are a few of the recent additions to the group.

drawings

The gargen growns greener

My beautiful garden this spring. Here in Oakland the days are growing grayer and grayer as fall approaches. Our summer doesn't really begin until fall is underway and our summers are mostly like cool spring days. I just planted a whole bunch of new plants in the garden. We had a terrible heat wave for about a week last month and it killed off all of our beautiful flowers, but there are new ones on the way and new pictures to follow. We also planted Swiss Chard, leeks, basil and cucumbers in our back garden. The pear tree and avocado trees are are making lots of fruit and I can't wait to start making tarts and other delightful treats again this August!

Some New Work from May-June

Bicycle

The Joy of Bath Time

Germany, Oh how I miss you

I don't know what to call you anymore

Bee's Nest & Black Birds

The Robotic Arm of Childhood Fun

I just opened an Etsy account and posted these little guys for sale there. The shop site is a bit rough around the edges at the moment, but I am hoping to have it as pretty as can be in the next few weeks with all sorts of new work on the way. I always thought that blogs were a bit weird, but now that I am doing this and reading other people's I am finding that it is really inspiring me to start working again everyday (provided Ian is sleeping) and to try to get myself out there as an artist. So thanks to anyone and everyone who has encouraged me to do this (whether they know it or not!)

Next Big project...redecorating our bedroom and replanting the front and back yards. Photos will be coming soon.

sick babies...

My son is sick. I took him to Los Angeles this last week to visit with family (of course forgot my camera on this trip) and then came down with a series of childhood illnesses all at once. I meant to post a whole bunch of new illustrations and collages that I have been working on, but have been busy taking care of my little man. So, I am going to post one of my recipes for a great comforting soup for all ailments!

Lentil Vegetarian Soup
Ingredients:
Spices (to your liking...but I usually use between 1-2 tspn)
fresh Rosemary
Fresh Thyme
salt to taste
Pepper
bay leaves (2 if Turkish, 1 if CA)
pinch of oregano
pinch of tarragon
7 cups either water or vegetable broth (if you use broth make sure not to add to much salt. I usually use half broth and half water)
3-5 tbsp olive oil
1/4 c. dry white wine
1 Shallot finely chopped
1 large leek finely chopped
3 cloves garlic minced
1 large can chopped tomatoes (are 4 fresh tomatoes finely chopped)
3 red potatoes chopped
3 large carrots chopped
4 celery stalks chopped
3 Zucchini
1 bunch spinach chopped
1 c. lentils

Saute shallots, leeks and garlic until they start to look glassy. Add spices and saute for about 1-2 minutes until it become fragrant. Add carrots and celery (you may need to add a little more olive oil) and sautes all on medium heat until the carrots start to looked cooked, but not soft. Add wine and cook down until you can no longer smell the alcohol. Then add the tomatoes as well as the broth/water, bay leaves and a pinch of salt and potatoes. Bring to a boil. Add zucchini and lentils; turn heat down to simmer for about 45 minutes. (If you only used water you will want your soup to cook longer so that all the flavors will come out). Check soup by tasting it to see if it need more spices or more cooking time. You want the lentils to be really soft but not falling apart. When you are almost done add the spinach and cook for another 5 minutes or so.
**you can make this with whatever your favorite veggies are and it is also really good with brown rice or bulgar wheat berries too!)**