I’m baking up some goodness for girl’s night tonight! I’ve never made millionaire shortbread before! But it looks and sounds delicious! I’m halving the recipe though. RECIPE

One of those recipes you to have cool, layer, chill, layer, chill…..but usually those are the BEST!

Before the artwalk last night we went to Clyde Common for happy hour! Delicious!!

The influence project turned out nicely! I got to see a piece that I started and it was passed to two other artists. The styles surprisingly matched in a surrealist sort of way. Hopefully she will post them on the gallery blog soon.

First Friday is tonight! Another art walk in a different area! Two new spaces opened up and I have prints at one and soon to be originals at the other! I talked to May about interning at nationale. Since its impossible for me to get a part time job right now, I figure It would be nice to get more involved in art galleries. Its volunteer mostly, but I’ll be able to put it on my resume and connect with other artists. She said I can still draw while I work, so win win win!
Perhaps the universe is giving me a little lift!

heart heart heart.
valerie

I’ve made some pretty decent vietnamese inspired bowls…but this one was the best! Fairly simple to make, lots of herb chopping! The only annoying part is deveining the shrimp…ewww!

So its First Thursday this week! Matt and I were apart of a show called “Influence”. Like I mentioned before, it was based on the idea that people are influenced by each other in different social networks. I had to start two pieces and pass it along. You can pass it to one or as many people as you want. You can spend a little time or a lot of time on it. Matt and I did one together and the other may have been passed to a bunch of people. I have no idea what it will look like! The wall of the gallery will be filled with artists working on other artists work. Can’t wait to see them all together!

This is the one that Matt and I did. It is a little hard to see because our digital camera really sucks! But Matt did soft metallic pencil designs around my ink/gouache girl and animals.

I had too much coffeeeee today! I need to calm my heart now and start on the worky.

valerie

Have you been here?? Its such a cute place full of magical chocolate creations! If you live in Atlanta go get some!

I did this drawing for a t-shirt competition they are having! Chocolates in her hair, how rare.

love,
val

SUN SUN SUNNY DAYS!! (but its going away tomorrow…oh well)

We’ve been doing outdoorsy things lately! Lots of walk, talks, and picture taking. I’m too lazy to scan in all the polaroids…but SOON!.
We did day trips this past weekend and last weekend. We hiked to Punchbowl Falls! So PRETTY outside! There are parts where water drips and sprinkles all over you while you follow around the rocks and edge of the trail. I can’t wait to keep exploring all the trails and go CAMPING!!!!

We also found a cute little antique store in Stevenson, Wa. (the smallest town ever!) I bought a frame of course. I keep collecting and collecting so I have plenty of them on hand!

I made some mini muffins for the art opening at Seven Virtues! And I made my first pizza crust ever! I can’t believe it turned out! The recipe is from a book I got from the library called Kneadlessly Simple by Nancy Basset. You just mixed the ingredients and let it rise at different stages…but you barely have to knead anything. I had my doubts…but it worked! I think I might change it up a bit next time…tasted almost too doughy. But other than that I was proud!

ok, I just wanted say a quick Hello! But now I need to finish a piece so Matt can work on it too. Its part of a “Influence” project for Errata Gallery. Multiple people work on a board and pass it along. You can pass it to as many people as you want. I already passed one off to a neat little lady named Kelsey! Can’t wait to see all the finished pieces and how we influence each other!

After this month its time to start some Spring cleaning…Matt and I are planning a new website design along with a shopping cart page of originals and prints!

back to the drawing board. bye interweb. you are too distracting.

I’ve attempted many sketchbooks and only ever finished a couple. Something about them never clicked with me. I think it may have to do with the pressure and importance a couple of my art teachers tried to force on us. The sketchbook homework, like getting graded on your incomplete thought processes. Whatever my reasons are…I think I have finally found one that I like. Maybe its because its old and falling apart and I’m not overwhelmed with making it this impressive masterpiece. Instead I’m actually turning out ideas and planning a new project.

This project is kind of overwhelming because I’m making up my own technique and I only have a limited amount of money from my last show to invest in the supplies. So hopefully my trial and error period will be short lived!

I made homemade sweet potato gnocchi last night with sage, brussels sprouts, and walnuts!

I got the recipe from HERE.

Her finished product looked better than mine, but it was already getting late and I knew Matt and I would just be gobbling it up shortly, So i didn’t see the point in making them gorgeous. Maybe if I make them for a group I’ll mold those bad boys more adequately.

BYE

We went to see Daybreakers…yeah not much to say about that one. But I wasn’t expecting much.

However, we did finally watch Beautiful Losers last night. Matt and I had different reactions to it…in a broken inspirational way. It didn’t tame that internal tiger that lives in my gut, constantly scratching
“what is this all for?”
But it sounds like I am saying it wasn’t a positive reaction, which it was…more like a cold water splash to the face.

A vast life full of opportunities. But I have to create them and I will.

also, made some Gingersnaps with the molasses I bought for the slow cooked brisket tacos and slaw I made yesterday. I have never made any before and did a quick search. I stumbled across some relatively healthy ones. I even added some wheat pastry flour to make them even a little bit better for you.

recipe adapted from david lebovitz

also, my secret ingredient was a tiny smidgen of chinese 5 spice.

I don’t have the patience and/or dedication to build a fancy blog that highlights and features what people are making. I’m glad they exist. They certainly help spread the word of all the talents out there! But goodness, I just don’t get it all. These collections of things are sort of taking over. If everyone has so much access to everything…then the access becomes debilitating. Does that make sense?

I don’t even know what I’m saying. just rambling. I do think the equal access to useful and useless knowledge is eating our brains.
But then again…I use my internet browsers and tabs like I use a list or sketchbook. Its kind of weird. I keep tabs and tabs open to remind me of images and or projects. It can get kind of ridiculous when I’m working on something.

After a day of depression because 27 started sinking in…I’m getting it back together. IDEAS are pouring in and out. Trying to have the mentality that Woody Allen had. Instead of comparing my making art to the tragedy that strikes the world and how pointless it makes it seem…I’m trying to think of it in terms of the collective unconscious and that my art can bring positivity to the world. Like if positive energy was a giant pot that we threw stuff in…and the bigger and bigger the batch gets, the more it spreads. Tangent time apparently. Oh well this is my blog… and not many people read it.

on a lighter note….

these ideas are glorious and I can’t wait to start on this new project. I want to take this one beyond my expectations!

Man, it was a pretty good weekend! We went to some antique stores on Saturday! I got an old journal to draw in and a ceramic kitty to hold my paint brushes. Then we went to a cute theater to watch THE IMAGINARIUM OF DOCTOR PARNASSUS! (which i loved!) And since it seemed all of the good restaurants were closed on Mondays, we decided to go to dinner last night instead.

We went early for happy hour because are running super tight on the budget these days. Holy moly! It was an amazing dinner. We both left giddy as can be!

I don’t normally blog about restaurants but we will remember this meal for a long time and surely be going back! Matt got a three course meal for $20. And I couldn’t pass up the burger! I’m a sucker for a juicy med rare burger with blue cheese! The chocolate peanut butter caramel parfait, which we paired with candied bacon,…was um heaven. The victorian setting and the best server topped the whole experience off! So it was the best birthday meal I could have asked for!

But I still want a bday cake…so I’m going to try to make a small layer cake today! Gotta do something on my actual birthday!

a little later and VOILA!