Puppy Update

Puppy Update! 

Here are pictures of our adorable Golden Retriever puppy taken yesterday at 22 days old.  So far the name that has stuck is Oberon.  I know, I know...I either hear instant approval or get strange looks and silence.  It's not your typical dog name.  Maybe best known as a character in Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream, Oberon is also a major moon of the planet Uranus. My 9 year old son Max, slightly obsessed with astronomy, made a long list of celestial names and Oberon stood out.  He would be affectionately known as "Obi" aka "Obi Dog Kenobi."  Since puppy won't come home to us until July we still have plenty of time and I'm wondering if any fabulous Hawaiin names will reveal themselves to us while we are on vacation. 

Feel free to make suggestions!

Illustration Friday - Faded

 

Even faded flowers can be beautiful.  I gave these yellow spray roses to my daughter after her last ballet recital.  I hung on to them even after they started to droop and brown and now I'm glad I did because they were perfect for this week's topic.  Watercolor on paper. 

A Corner of the Garden

 

A plein air watercolor of a corner of my backyard garden. 
Painted yesterday while waiting for my dinner guest to arrive.

Carmelized Onion, Ham & Apple Risotto

The other day I looked in the freezer for some dinner inspiration and found some leftover glazed ham from Easter.  I was going for a ham & rice dish inspired by Joy of Cooking's Arroz con Pollo but when I realized that the ham was too sweet I headed another direction.  This recipe is naturally gluten free and diary free.  Omit the ham and it's vegan, too!

 

Ingredients

1 medium onion, chopped (about 2 cups)
2 cups chopped precooked ham
1/2 cup apple, chopped, peeled & cored
1 Tablespoon brown sugar
1 Tablespoon olive oil
4 ounces dry white wine
4 cups low sodium chicken broth
1/4 teaspoon salt
12 ounces Arborio rice
1 Tablespoon Earth Balance or other non-dairy butter substitute

Saute onions in olive oil over medium heat for about 2 minutes, add the brown sugar and continue to saute about 5 minutes.  Add ham & apple, saute until apples begin to soften, about 5 minutes.  Add the rice and stir to coat rice.  Add wine and stir while it evaporates.  Add 1 cup broth, stir well and allow to simmer.  Do not allow to dry out, keep adding broth as needed  about 1/2 cup at a time, stirring frequently to keep from sticking., about 18-20 minutes.  Rice should be al dente, not mushy.  Once rice is cooked stir in Earth Balance to create a nice shine.  Let sit 2-5 minutes before serving.

Enjoy!

 

 

 

 

 

 

While I was chopping carrots for the salad I served with the risotto I noticed my fingernails were the exact color of the carrots...I had to be careful where I was chopping!!  This is Zoya Professional Lacquer "Arizona."

 

Illustration Friday - Sight

Rozsa, in traditional Hungarian folk clothing, was mesmerized by the sight of the giant butterfly.  Colored pencil and acrylic ink. Inspired by the book Tarka Lepke, which I have had for about 35 years.

15 Minutes

I came across this neat blog by South African Neville Trickett.  He says that in order to "learn how to see again" he finds images on the internet and gives himself 15 minutes to paint them...hoping that after a year of doing this he will be a better artist. 

I was very intrigued by this idea and decided to try my own timed painting.  Instead of finding a simple picture on the internet I wanted to try to paint my favorite picture of my daughter when she was 6.  Now considering this was my first ever portrait and considering I was giving myself only 15 minutes I may have over estimated my abilities just a wee bit.  Here's how it went:

15 minutes elapsed

Another 15 minutes, 30 minutes elapsed

45 minutes later

1 hour. 

At this point I decided I was done.  Not exactly what I had envisioned in my minds eye but I was determined not to spend more than 1 hour painting.  The my daughter came home and saw her portrait.  She thought she looked like a boy and demanded I paint her with her hair down. 

1 hour, 15 minutes

 What an interesting exercise this was!  I can see that I over-paint.  I need to remind myself to put down the brush and not keep trying to "fix" things things that don't necessarily need fixing.  Being able to stay with the strict time limit should help...I can't wait to do this again! 

For Charlotte

Since my youngest niece Charlotte recently turned one it was high time I painted something for her room.  I hope these little birdies make her smile.
14X20.  Acrylic on canvas.

 

Work in progress