Valerie Pensworth - Fine Art + Illustration

this one is all ready to be wrapped up for Saturday.

I’m making dinner for a few people tonight…and I’m making something I’ve never made or even tasted. crazy talk!
Harissa sauce from scratch and then this recipe ! hope it turns out.

Then we’re off to another night of bowling. Last week we played trivia…which I hope we do again!

oh and its warm today! I live across from a huge park so its always funny to see how many people come out of their mole holes to suck the light in!

sea ewe.

(by the way…Stumptown was my all time favorite Portland show that I’ve had…good fun, good people)

So lately I have realized that Portland is finally feeling like home. I remember people telling me to give it two years…and the end of July with be our two year anniversary. They were right on.

I have loved this city pretty much the entire time we’ve been here, but for awhile my roots just wouldn’t plant deep enough and every time a gust blew…I would have to replant myself. Not anymore my friend.

This past weekend was pretty wonderful. Matt and I attended a birthday celebration where Ryan performed shostakovich sonata no. 2 in b minor on his piano, while we all sat on his floor in amazement. After everyone filled their tummies with brats and veggies, instruments started breaking out from every corner. Let’s see…there was an accordion, trombone, trumpet, stand up bass made of an old war plane(ww1?), guitar, piano, and maybe a couple others… Everyone started playing…and most of them seemed at least a little classically trained. It was quite the spectacle. It was a marvelous and random event for people to just start playing and actually sound good from the get go. They played part of a Beirut song too…

Then on Sunday Matt and I had a pretty chill day of chocolate pie and ping pong, and later we had a little grill out get together to de-virginize our new grill. Good conversations and a few rounds of scattergories ended the weekend wonderfully!

I have a feeling this summer is going to be epic.

Well, I worked for a few hours in the garden the other day…finally got all the mint out of the ground! The mint had formed underground vine-like roots and were holding on strong to the earth. After shoveling and sweating I finally conquered…hopefully…

We planted zucchini, thai peppers, jalapenos, basil, tomatoes, dill, cilantro, kale, spring lettuce, and the strawberries, green onions, and parsley from last year have already come back!

Tonight is the show at Stumptown(Belmont 6pm-8-pm)! and then bowling! As a sort of healthier treat I decided to do dark chocolate(58%) dipped strawberries for it! Slightly sweet and nutritious!

I hope summer is around the corner…it looks like we are finally going to hit 80’s this weekend. Really, I just want a full week of sunshine! Today its supposed to rain…again…record rainfall apparently lately. But thats what makes everything so GREEN here!

Summer fun list

1. more river hanging
2. tubing
3. hiking new trails
4. CAMPING
5. picking berries
6. grilling out (we bought one…but haven’t had a change to use it yet)
7. hosting backyard parties!

A couple of group shows lined up for July…better get on it!

See yaaaaaaaaa

As of 10pm last night both shows I’m in are hung and out of my hands! I’ve been painting like crazy every day! I get to share a show with Julianna Swaney at Tolivar.
And with some great help from Gracie, Wendy, and Matt the show at Stumptown looks awesome! I’ll take pictures at the opening reception next Wednesday (June 9th)!!

Now I have time to get a few more things rolling. Matt and I are still going to make a newer website for me. I have tons of new work that needs to make it on here. We’re also working on a photo blog that will feature film based photographers every month. And I also need to get working on a tattoo design for a good friend of mine!

I probably should clean all the matte board scraps piled up under the kitchen table too.

ta ta for now.

AND after the show at Stumptown (June 9th), we’re going to Hollywood Bowl and I’ll break 100…maybe with some coaching from a few good men…who may or may not eat cheese.

We were hitched 2 years ago! It seems like time has flown by, but kind of in a marshmallow time warp. I always spell marshmallow like marshmellow at first. I like it better the way I spell it.

I just had the best run. It was 6 miles in a constant meditative state. I still feel it. It was the perfect weather…cool and windy, with bursts of clear skies in between the overcast.

I could have more days like today.

green tea mornings, itchy sunburned shoulders, blankets that smell of sun and grass…

we laid in the park yesterday…eating sandwiches and watching kids heckle a softball team. man, those simple activities feel so good. I got to pet probably about 5-6 different kitties around the neighborhood this weekend. The cutest was Blanket. He’s a kitty that sits on the corner of Alberta and 15th right behind the bus stop. He’s such a player. He waits for the endless amounts of attention from all the people wandering through that intersection. You win Blanket. Good life.

We also did some overdue yard work. I’d like to think I’m a garden type of gal. But I don’t know. Its a ton of work…my arms are pretty sore from destroying those stronger than life weeds. In the next couple of weeks we’re gonna plant some yummy varieties of veggies. The strawberries are already coming back from last year, as well as the the parsley. If anyone wants some mint, it exploded. Better get it before we uproot most of it. Oh mint, you are such a space hoarder.

ok, well I better get back to scratching my shoulders in between sharpening my pencils.

Hi.

Woops. I’ve been missing in action lately. MIA, ya know…for the cool kids.

I think I turned down my first show. WHY? well because I’ve had 3 different shows open up all within the same week. I can swing two…but three…totally pushing it. Mainly because I’m visiting the SE for 2 weeks in May. Which means I need to be prepared for everything really really soon. So I will be apart of two shows coming up in June. I’m going to have my first solo show at Stumptown! (Belmont location) Yippee!

I’m going to try and post all the details as soon as possible.

What have I been doing besides making myself reevaluate my focus on what I want my art to be/say/feel….um mostly getting over a crazy allergy ridden couple of weeks, mowing the stupid lawn, baking some breads, walking miles with new shoes(I’ve got the blisters to prove…ouchy), and getting back into my running schedule!

I’m afraid I won’t be doing much of anything except painting and/or cutting/glueing/sewing at every opportunity…until its time to get on that plane!

ok, so this was short…and a bit rushy… *mental note: Russian Sea Horse.

But I gotta run…literally. and I even have some new gum to chew while I do it. Yeah, I chew gum and run at the same time…keeps my mouth wet and I can blow bubbles at the stop lights. so?

Heart,
Valerie

For the last 7 days I’ve been suffering some major sinus nastiness! I’m about to try and go for a run to see if I can clear it out. I’m tired of sitting around and blowing my nose. Endless amounts of snot.

Will you leave me a golden egg? or perhaps a cheap, purple, plastic one with a wad of cash inside? Thanks Bunny.
I’ll bake you a carrot cake!

Love,
Val