owl. I've been on a real owl kick recently - I've been drawing all sorts in my sketchbook, so I thought I'd add to the fun here. This may be the first stuff animal I ever made. He's a bit lumpy, and the eyes are crooked.
I think I had a pair of pants made out of the same material.
Nothing says the 70's like gaudy crimplene.
I picked him up in a little pawn shop on Queen Street east - 5 bucks. He's sort of a good luck charm.
OK - it's a whisk. I love him because his whisk-ee parts are flat and he stands up in the pot instead of flopping over to one side, falling out, dropping on the floor and getting cheese sauce everywhere (that would be the voice of experience...).
Anyway, I mostly use him (why are all my kitchen utensils male? Do I even WANT to know the answer to that question?) to make cheese sauce for J.'s favorite - macaroni and cheese. Do you want the recipe? Of course you do!!!
Start by boiling a big pot of water and tossing in a cup (or two) or macaroni. Let it cook while you make the cheese sauce.
Take some butter - about a spoonful. A big spoonful. Melt it on fairly high heat (but not too high, or you'll scorch it). Add an equal amount of flour. Whisk for a minute or so. Turn down the heat a bit so you don't burn it. Keep whisking while you add enough milk. Maybe a cup. Or two. Depends on how much butter you started with.
Grate up some cheese. I use the old nippy that comes in a plastic tub and a bit of old cheddar. You'll need enough to make the sauce cheesy - whisk it in, if it's not enough, add some more. Too much is better than not enough.
Whisk until the sauce is... sauce-like. Whatever that is for you. Turn it off and let it sit while you drain the macaroni and dump it in an oven safe dish. Add enough sauce to make a soupy mixture, and top with a half and half mixture of bread crumbs and old cheddar. Put in a 350 oven and bake until the top bubbles or your sweetie comes home from work - whichever is longer.
OK, so I'm not Martha (I'm not even "Not Martha" who is much funnier). Whatever.
J. likes it, so it's all good.
100 posts in a year! Just over 2 per week (yes, I know sometimes it seemed like WAYYYYY longer than that... hush.)
AND - this bear painting was accepted in to the Art Gallery of Peel's Juried Show taking place between April 8 and May 17 in Brampton - my very first gallery showing!
So let's celebrate! Leave me a note in the comments - the first 10 will get a signed 5x8 print of "A (small) Bear Thinking Big Thoughts" via snail mail.
xoxo Susan
(if I don't have your snail mail address - contact me through my brand-new web site: www.susanadsett.com)
Ok, he's not IN my closet - he's beside it - and I've been trying to paint him all month. With varying degrees of success. The first attempt was in charcoal, which caused some rather sever smearing proble
ms:
I was bugged by the background - I took it out. With sandpaper.
Much better. Will try to finish it up tomorrow.
I seem to be having an awfully hard time with this one. I think part of the problem is that it's such an ad-hoc set-up - I have to invent so many details and I get kinda lost.
Anyway, I have to finish it this weekend.
I can't get into my closet.
Here we are, re-compositioned (somehow I doubt that's a word).
Anyway.
Much better, even though it's obviously still in early stages. And there's no red in the painting yet - just in the picture.
I desperately need to repaint my studio.
I couldn't figure out what was wrong with the bear (except for the fact he's unfinished). I kept adjusting the colors... I was sure the proportions were right - everything just kept getting murkier and murkier - and then it hit me - it's composition problem. The scribble at the right is a much better layout.
Which means I have to start ALL OVER AGAIN.
I'm going to go have a chai latte to make myself feel better. I don't care how late it is.
whoo-hoo! This picture is a little dark, but pretty close - and a lot more accurate than the one I took with my camera phone. Doubleclick the picture to get a larger view.
I'm really pleased with this one. I guess it pays to take my time with things.
Why do I have the funny feeling my mother is laughing at me?
it's a work in progress - it will probably take me the rest of the week to finish it off - but it's a good start.
And I wouldn't want you to wait an entire week for a new post, now would I?
Now go think up a clever name for these "object portraits".
Yes, that means you.
bright yellow and blue! Yes, yes, I know you've seen this before - but I PAINTED this one. Which explains the glare at the bottom. I need a better camera. Or at least better lighting.
Kinda sketchy, kinda painty - I like it. Now I need a name for these kinds of paintings - I've been calling them "object portraits" but that doesn't seem quite right.
Go on. Think of something.
I used to collect owls as a kid (long story). This was probably one of the first ones I got - it was made by my oldest brother, I'm guessing when he was about 14 years old - I would have been about 6. It's carved or cast (or both) out of plaster, and painted with poster paints.
It reminds me of a Miyazaki character.
not that you can see a huge difference between the two pictures - I need a better way to take photos of my painting. THis one was taken with J's camera, the other one by my phone, and they're both lost a great deal in translation.
Take my word for it - it's a lovely painting.
We aren't going to talk about any resolutions concerning this blog. But hey, something new! This isn't finished yet - it needs a final glaze over the boots, then some highlights, then the edges need to be finished off. It's an actual painting (captured with my cellphone) - oil on canvas - I've been working on it for about two days now.
I really like how things turn out when I take more time with them.
There's a metaphor in there somewhere.
And my mother is laughing at me.
W. and J. both think these boots are ugly. They're right - but they are also very comfortable. So there.
This isn't a finished drawing - I'm going to play around with it a bit more and see what I come up with. But I can't spend too much time on it.
I need the boots back.
Yep. it's a buddha - AND it's a piggy bank!
Although, quite frankly, it's looking a little demonic.
Perhaps an unconcious commentary on the world-wide fiscal situation.
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