Creative Spirits Soar!

Dance the Orange

I love color. Bright, beautiful color. Even soft, muted color. And of all the colors, it's hard to pick a favorite, yet one resonates with me more right now than all the others. Orange.

Orange happily transitions from the vivid orange of summer to the richer, moodier orange of autumn, my favorite season. It's full of energy, warmth, and rambunctiousness.

 

Can you imagine the color Orange didn't even have it's own name until the 1500s. It was simply referred to as Yellow-red, but eventually after the first orange trees were transported to Europe from Asia in the early 16th century, the color was named after the fruit. (And they fruit must have been extremely popular. It didn't take long for Europeans to figure out how to create heated greenhouses to grow their prized orange trees. These greenhouses were called what else? Orangeries, of course.)

 

Random minerals and clays were utilized to create orange paint over the millennia, such as realgar and orpiment. As artists we owe a debt of gratitude to the French scientist Louis Vauquelin, who in 1797 discovered the mineral crocoite, leading to the invention of synthetic chrome orange pigment and enlivened our palettes forever. 

Pomona painted by Nicolas Fouché in 1700, is often depicted in the secondary colors of orange, purple, and green, with orange being the dominant color. She was the goddess of fruitful abundance in ancient Rome. I love how the secondary colors work together in the most beautiful of triads.

 

Orange has become an important color for all impressionist painters, especially those who paint en plein air. Orange is the color of sunsets, and even light itself in the late afternoon, tinting every object it lands on with a warm glow. It lends itself to the exotic landscapes and seascapes of the Mediterranean as well as the charming, provincial pumpkin in a simple, country garden.

Matilda Browne's plein air painting In the Garden from 1914 also utilizes the secondary triad beautifully. I love how the organic hues of the woman's face and the shadows against the wall are equally as chromatic as the synthetic colors depicted in the woman's robe. Stunning.

Bullet Point Blessings August 21, 2020

Artists are different. 

Artists are in a perpetual search for inspiration... for beauty, joy, light, magic. 

Artists are inventive, expressive, adventurous, and intuitive with an overwhelming desire to share their world. 

I am such an artist.

__________________________________________________________________________________

♥  Opelske

I love words. In fact, each year I choose a "Word of the Year," a word I have inscribed on a bracelet that I wear most every day. This year's word is Veriditas, a Latin word meaning "greening" like in in the spring... youth, vitality, freshness, health.. it also has the connotation of physical and spiritual health. Last year's word was Eudaimonia, a Greek work meaning "human flourishing" implying happiness and well-being. 

This is the earliest I've decided on the next year's "Word of the Year," but if you are like me, you're ready for this year to be packed away in the books and to welcome a new, safer, healthier, more prosperous year ahead. My 2021 "Word of the Year" will be Opelske, a Norwegian word meaning "cherished to health and vigor" typically used in terms of gardening, but I love the possibilities of a bigger meaning.
 

“Words are, of course, the most powerful drug used by mankind.”
~ Rudyard Kipling

 

"We are what our thoughts have made us; so take care about what you think. Words are secondary.

Thoughts live; they travel far."
~Swami Vivekananda
 

♥  Limoges

I love beautiful bone china, and could never choose just one or two patterns to collect. I love them all. My latest obsession is French Limoges china. I counted 99 Limoges factories and studios that have been in business for nearly 200 years. The pieces I've collected from charity shops and dig stores can be found for $1.99 each. They don't match each other, but they still go together beautifully. Several of the treasured pieces I've discovered are from the 1880s, some from the 1910s, 1920s, and 1940s, which can be identified by the details of their marks. 

The little Limoges salad plates are perfectly sized for breakfast, and the teacups and saucers are divine!

♥ An Island Garden
For the past month, we've been studying the American Impressionists, and how in the summers they would congregate near the sea to form Artist Colonies to paint, garden, and escape the heat of the city. I was thrilled to discover the book An Island Garden by Celia Thaxter, an American writer in the late19th century who lived on Appledore Island in Maine at her father's hotel The Appledore House. Here she welcomed literary and visual artists such as Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Childe Hassam, and William Morris Hunt. 

In her book An Island Garden published in 1894 Thaxter writes,
"Year after year the island garden has grown in beauty and charm, so that in response to the many entreaties of strangers as well as friends who have said to me, summer after summer, "Tell us how you do it! Write a book about it and tell us how it is done, that we may go also and do likewise." I have written this book at last." 

She goes on to write, 
"Of all the wonderful things in the wonderful universe of God, nothing seems to me more surprising than the planting of a seed in the blank earth and the result thereof. Take a Poppy seed, for instance: it lies in your palm, the merest atom of matter, hardly visible, a speck, a pin's point in bulk, but within it is imprisoned a spirit of beauty ineffable, which will break its bonds and emerge from the dark ground and blossom in a splendor so dazzling as to baffle all powers of description. The Genie in the Arabian tale is not half so astonishing."

The book is also beautifully illustrated with paintings by Childe Hassam.
 

"God Almighty first planted a garden.
And indeed, it is the purest of human pleasures." 
~Francis Bacon

 

♥  George Washington

For the past month and ever since seeing the musical "Hamilton" for the first time, I've become obsessed with the learning more about the founding fathers, specifically George Washington. His story is amazing! And one I honestly don't remember learning in school other than he was the first President of the United States, which he graciously accepted after refusing to become monarch, emperor or king. 

Just the fact that he led a small group of unskilled, untrained state militia men to victory against the undisputed, greatest military force in the world at that time whose sole purpose was to colonize the world for the British Empire, is hard to fathom. The United States should have never won the Revolutionary War. Talk about an Underdog!

But they did win, and then were faced with building the foundation and scaffolding of a new, independent nation as a Republic with democratically elected officials and the peaceful passing of power every four years. It should have NEVER worked, and for the longest was referred to as the "American Experiment." My research over the past month has put so much into perspective.

Now I want to visit Mt. Vernon. 

 

“Human happiness and moral duty are inseparably connected.”
~ George Washington

 

 

♥ Tomato Pudding
My dad always talked about this tomato dish that was always served at Milan Plaza Court Meat & Three, the restaurant with the town's motel on the corner of Highway 70 and Liberty in Milan, Tennessee, next to the Big Star market and Dairy Dip ice cream drive-in. As a young boy in the 1940s, Dad loved dining here and would order the meat of the day, plus 3 sides of the "stewed" tomatoes.

Fast forward twenty years, and Dad wanted to make this recipe at home, but every recipe for Stewed Tomatoes disappointed him. He could not find a recipe to duplicate the tomato dish he remembered and loved from his youth. 

Until one day....

While waiting to be seated at the local Cracker Barrel restaurant in the early 2000s, Dad picked up a recipe book and started flipping through the pages. To his delight, he discovered a recipe for Tomato Pudding. Could it be???

Using this recipe as a base, he tinkered in the kitchen and was able to recreate the tomato side dish of his dreams.
 

Tomato Pudding

INGREDIENTS

• one 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
• 3/4 cups  brown sugar
• 1/2 cup whole butter, melted
• 8 slices white bread, cut into cubes

DIRECTIONS

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Pour the canned tomatoes into a medium sized mixing bowl with brown sugar, half of the melted butter and half of the bread cubes. Mix well and pour into buttered casserole dish. Some folks add a little salt and pepper. 

Top with remaining bread cubes and pour remaining melted butter on top. 

Bake until bubbly and golden brown.

Delicious! But Dad's recipe is much simpler. Throw it all in a bit pot, stir and simmer stovetop until hot and bubbly. This variation is just as delicious, easier, faster, and with less clean up. I'll be making this recipe stovetop from now on. 

 

"You don’t have to cook fancy or complicated masterpieces,
just good food from fresh ingredients." 
~ Julia Child

"People who love to eat are always the best people." 
~ Julia Child

"Cooking well doesn’t mean cooking fancy."
~ Julia Child

 

 

________________________________________________________________________________ Check it out...     susanejones.com     The work continues on my new website and just this week I've added a blog!  Please visit often and share it with your friends.    Let's Paint!! The new session of Creative Spirits painting classes in acrylics starts September 3 at 10am in Spring Hill. Join us at 563 Maury Hill Street, lower level. Registration required, 615-668-8263. In September we will be studying several paintings from the American Impressionists and painting our own versions of each.  Here is a painting we completed in Creative Spirits painting class in August. The original is titled Peonies by American Impressionist Matilda Browne.     To keep everyone safe, we will be observing social distancing, and the wearing of masks is encouraged. Class fee is $100 for four in-person sessions. Or you may prefer to watch the instructional videos from our classes at home on Patreon. Visit my Patreon Channel to subscribe, and please share with all your creative friends.  Please call me if you have additional questions or would like to purchase a gift certificate or register for class: 615-668-8263       The Watercolor Painting Classes at Southern Springs in Spring Hill continue to be postponed until the threat of the virus has passed. We are all praying that day will arrive quickly.  Please continue practicing at home. A few watercolor videos are available on my YouTube channel.  Links you may be interested in... My ETSY Shops... Colorful and Charming Art and Postcards from the Dimple of the Universe Do you enjoy receiving a personal, hand-written card in the mail? Do you know someone who would, maybe a friend or family member away from home or now living in Assisted Living or a Nursing Home? Postcards from the Dimple of the Universe is my Etsy shop that offers a subscription of 1-, 6-, or 12-handwritten cards, one each month, depicting an object or scene from my hometown, Columbia, Tennessee, aka the Dimple of the Universe or from around middle Tennessee, and delivered in a colorful envelope with a delightful US postage stamp. It's a charming and unique gift for yourself or someone you love.  Recommended Supplies lists... Supplies List for Creative Spirits Classes,  Adventure Awaits Supplies List,  Back Issues of Bullet Point Blessings at Creative Spirits Soar! blog. The Whole Kit & Kaboodle List of Lists

American Giverny

I've become fascinated with the American Impressionists, specifically the tonalist who lived and painted and planted gardens in Old Lyme, Connecticut, and rented rooms in the beautiful home of Florence Griswold at the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th centuries.

Griswold's home is referred to as the “American Giverny,” and famously she encouraged painters to take up gardening as a means of nourishing their creativity. The warm and welcoming gardens were meant to be lived in and tinkered with rather than simply observed.

Imagine.... renting a room...

...in a huge, historic home for only $7 a week with all your painting friends....

on the banks of the Lieutenant River...

and spending warm, sunny days laughing, painting, and gardening for the entire summer.  

...taking a break to enjoy afternoon tea on vintage transferware...

...or swimming, fishing, canoeing or picnicking on the lawn at the banks of the Lieutenant River.

Imagine...

...being encouraged to indulge your Creative Spirit with God's colorful palette....Flowers!

And in the evening....

or on rainy days, fill your time with song, music, reading...

....games, writing, illustration, conversation....

Or painting on the walls!!!!
Or turning the panels on a door into a diptych!!!

And if this could ever get old, wander farther.... every day.... a little farther with your watercolors and sketchbook in hand and explore the Connecticut River which empties a short distance away into the Long Island Sound, part of the Atlantic Ocean....the sea! With its sand, and shells, and crashing waves, and birds. 

Your dog is welcome here.

This is the stuff dreams are made of. 

I have a new bucket list item.... to visit Old Lyme, Connecticut, and specifically the Florence Griswold Museum. To tour the museum, historic home, gallery and gardens, it's suggested you allow 2-3 hours. I want to go for at least 2-3 days!!! And paint! And photograph! And read! And collect seeds! And learn! .... And Lunch!!!

Even the menus at Café Flo are little painter's palettes.

And dine on the Veranda. 

And before packing up and heading home....

... spend a few quiet moments counting my blessings, enjoying a spectacular sunset over Goose Island, watching more than 5000 Swallows dance and descend into the reeds, gathering with their swallow-tailed friends and resting here before migrating for the winter.

In Creative Spirits painting class this week, I shared a little history of the Old Lyme Art School, and we studied a painting by Matilda Browne called Peonies, ca. 1907. Oil on wood, 11.5 x 14 inches which is on display at the Florence Griswold Museum and Gallery. 

Here is a my study of her beautiful painting...

Bullet Point Blessings for July 31, 2020

Artists are different. 

Artists are in a perpetual search for inspiration... for beauty, joy, light, magic. 

Artists are inventive, expressive, adventurous, and intuitive with an overwhelming desire to share their world. 

I am such an artist.

_______________________________________________________________________

 

“We can’t control the world. We can only (barely) control our own reactions to it. Happiness is largely a choice."

~David C. Hill

 

♥ Small Gestures of Thoughtfulness

In the past few months we've experienced a global pandemic, race riots, the collapse of the stock market with a considerable shutdown of our economy, and the shut down of every group gathering from school, the 4th of July fireworks, Mule Day, and weekly church services. Nashville experienced a devastating tornado. Columbia witnessed a terrifying Derecho wind storm.  If ever we had a thimbleful of understanding of what Old Testament Job went through, it has been these past few months. Still, blessings abound. 

The thoughtfulness and generosity of family and friends in this time of crisis has been overwhelming. Some of the gestures were GRAND, and to the scale that I can never repay, but only vow to pay forward. And some of the gestures were small in comparison but still touched me deeply. One small gesture was when a friend came to visit with the gift of toilet paper.... beautiful, thick, name brand toilet paper. NONE could be found at the market, not even the rough, one-ply, gas station restroom tp, and I had resorted to hoarding survival Kleenex.  That gift of toilet paper couldn't have looked prettier if she had tied a pink ribbon around it.  

Another example is when a neighbor learned I was planting a shade garden under my bedroom window as a memorial to my little dog Max who passed away suddenly in April, and gave me two dozen Lenten Rose plants from her own garden for the project. I wanted Lenten Roses and looked everywhere to purchase some but found none in the local stores, and here they materialized in the sweetest way.

Thank you all for the kindness! 

 

“Happiness cannot be traveled to, owned, earned, worn or consumed. Happiness is the spiritual experience of living every minute with love, grace, and gratitude.”

~Denis Waitley

 

♥ Daily Rituals 

The first few days of pandemic self-isolation were fabulous! It felt like a "snow day" and all I had to do was pad around in my jammies, bake cookies, and watch old movies. Ok, I never did any of those things, but it was the prevailing attitude... a much needed, unexpected, and welcomed break.  But then the reality hit. If I was going to survive this, I was going to have to work harder than I ever have in my life, and in a new way. Pivot. And if I was going to be able to live with myself, I needed to make sure everyone in my line of vision was happy, healthy, and had plenty of soap, paper towels and toilet paper. Can you feel the A*N*X*I*E*T*Y??

Yet even in chaos, there are those who are calm and collected, even happy. So I set out to define the common denominators to peace and happiness and was not surprised to find at the top of the list Faith, a deep seeded understanding that God loves you beyond measure and is in control. But being the sassy, recalcitrant child that I am knew in my heart this to be true, yet God still let the Israelites spend centuries in slavery and forty years in the wilderness. I've seen The Ten Commandments. Charleton Heston wouldn't lie. So what else was there?

It turns out that little snippets of daily rituals and habits bring a modicum of peace and happiness to every day life that add up over time, starting with ...

1. Gratitude and starting your morning counting your blessings, even keeping a gratitude journal, 
2. Planning your day, even your week, and work in something fun or full of self-care,
3. Being with friends, even if it's outside and six feet apart, 
4. Instituting a routine for a treat, like tea at four or order in pizza on Friday nights or only turning on the TV during the day to watch your favorite YouTube Vlogger while eating lunch or at night to watch a movie, (Favorites are Bigelow's Salted Caramel Tea, Papa Murphy's Pizza Take & Bake, Chateau Diaries vlog, and movies such as Hamilton on Disney+ and Radioactive on Amazon. 
5. Get into nature, Walk in a garden or on the River Walk, Explore, 
6. Do for others and give back, like buying school supplies for those in need, or donating food and egg cartons to a food bank, 
7. Organize and declutter, 
8. Exercise, even if it's just a twisting balance board while listening to 1950s Rock n' Roll, 
9. Take time to reflect, ponder, dream, write down your thoughts, illustrate them with colored pens, and
10. Combine two or more suggestions.... tea with friends, explore nature with friends, pizza and gratitude journal. 

 

“The true secret of happiness lies in the taking a genuine interest in all the details of daily life.”

~William Morris

 

♥ APTA

If you live in Tennessee, here is a little known fact. An annual membership to the APTA, the Association for the Preservation of Tennessee Antiquities, is only $25. Benefits include free admission to any and all historic homes associated with the APTA, including the Belle Meade Mansion in Nashville. If you were to walk up to the ticket desk at Belle Meade to purchase a one-day adult ticket, the price is $24. Would you rather pay $24 for the day or $25 for the year?

Belle Meade Plantation is the home to the beautiful, antebellum mansion and out-buildings, but it also has a lovely garden, horses, restaurant, gift shop, winery, and ice cream parlor. They also have picnic tables suitable for travel illustration journaling and well, picnics. And that's just one of the locations free to tour to APTA members, with a half dozen more including the Athenaeum in Columbia, the Ramsey House in Knoxville, the Buchanan Log House in Nashville, the Woodruff-Fontaine House in Memphis, just to name a few. 

To purchase your membership, contact the Athenaeum at (931) 381-4822 or better yet, stop by at 808 Athenaeum Street, Columbia. They have been closed for a year completely renovating the place after receiving a generous donation from a county resident and history lover. The Grand Re-Opening is July 31.

♥ A Note from the Universe

Every morning I check emails as part of my morning routine, and every morning I look forward to receiving a personal note from the Universe. Some days the message is thought provoking, other days it's silly. Every day the message is positive and uplifting, and personalized. Try it. 

To subscribe to A Note from the Universe, click here. 

 

 

♥ Pareidolia

Pareidolia is the phenomenon that makes our brains see faces or other recognizable objects in random or otherwise unrecognizable shapes and patterns, like finding the face of the Virgin Mary seared into your grilled cheese sandwich or a dog howling made up of random clouds.  

It is also one reason why I love impressionism style painting with it's loose shapes and subtle variations in value tickle my brain to see detail that isn't really there. 

If you would enjoy a giggle, follow this link to see 40 humorous photos of pareidolia.  

 

 

“Count your age by friends, not years. Count your life by smiles, not tears.” 
~John Lennon

 

“Let us be grateful to the people who make us happy; they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom.”
~Marcel Proust

 

 

“I must learn to be content with being happier than I deserve."

~Jane Austen

 

 

 

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Check it out...     susanejones.com

    I've been working long hours to design a new website that does not use a pre-designed template like my former website through Fine Art Studio Online. This resource was an excellent one and served me well for a decade, but now I wish to showcase a little more of my personality and connect the dots between my vintage lifestyle and the subject matter of my paintings. 

 

Let's Paint!!

The new session of Creative Spirits painting classes in acrylics starts August  6 at 10am in Spring Hill. Join us at 563 Maury Hill Street, lower level. Registration required, 615-668-8263. (For August 6 only, we will be in a different location still to be determined. I will email current students temporary location once we have one confirmed.)

Green is the color of renewal, growth, and hope. It is the color of harmony, freshness, safety, fertility. Green is understood to be the most restful color for the human eye to view. Green is soothing, relaxing, and youthful.

Green is a healing color. “Nature in her green, tranquil woods heals and soothes all afflictions," said John Muir, father of America’s National Parks.

In August, the students in the Creative Spirits painting class will continue their deep dive in studying the effects of Green in painting by studying paintings by the old Masters of French Impressionism.

Here are a few paintings we completed in Creative Spirits painting class in July. 

     

To keep everyone safe, we will be observing social distancing, and the wearing of masks is encouraged. Class fee is $100 for four in-person sessions. Or you may prefer to watch the instructional videos from our classes at home on Patreon. Visit my Patreon Channel to subscribe. 

Please call me if you have additional questions or would like to purchase a gift certificate or register for class:

615-668-8263

Here are a few of the paintings we create from the Instructional Videos in the Patreon Library....

The Watercolor Painting Classes at Southern Springs in Spring Hill continue to be postponed until the threat of the virus has passed. We are all praying that day will arrive quickly. 

Please continue practicing at home. A few watercolor videos are available on my YouTube channel. 

Links you may be interested in...

My ETSY Shops...

Colorful and Charming Art

and

Postcards from the Dimple of the Universe

Do you enjoy receiving a personal, hand-written card in the mail? Do you know someone who would, maybe a friend or family member away from home or now living in Assisted Living or a Nursing Home?

Postcards from the Dimple of the Universe is my Etsy shop that offers a subscription of 1-, 6-, or 12-handwritten cards, one each month, depicting an object or scene from my hometown, Columbia, Tennessee, aka the Dimple of the Universe or from around middle Tennessee, and delivered in a colorful envelope with a delightful US postage stamp.

It's a charming and unique gift for yourself or someone you love. 

 

Recommended Supplies lists...

Supplies List for Creative Spirits Classes, 

Adventure Awaits Supplies List, 

 

Back Issues of Bullet Point Blessings at Creative Spirits Soar! blog.

The Whole Kit & Kaboodle List of Lists

Primary Colors in Art

The primary colors are red, yellow, and blue. The primary colors, plus black and white, are the essential ingredients for mixing all the other colors. You cannot do anything to mix pure blue, yellow, or red. They just exist.  However, artists will argue among themselves which red, and which yellow and which blue is the best. 

I've studied the palettes of more than 50 artists and have found that most select a cool and a warm of each primary color. For example, Cad Red Light is a warm red where Alizerin Crimson is a cool red. (This has nothing to do with the ambient temperature but whether or not the color leans towards a yellower version of itself or a bluer one.)

The problem with this strategy is you can never mix a perfect violet or a perfect orange. Both will be dull since a trace amount of the third primary color is present. So it's a constant quest to find the perfect primary colors on which to build your palette. 

While most artists will mix their colors from their primary palettes, many are famous for using their primaries neat. The first to come to mind is Piet Mondrian.

 

Another is Mark Rothko

And Pablo Picasso

And Henri Toulouse-Lautrec

And I have a few as well....

And, of course, one titled Primary Colors

 

Bullet Point Blessings for July 3, 2020

Artists are different. 

Artists are in a perpetual search for inspiration... for beauty, joy, light, magic. 

Artists are inventive, expressive, adventurous, and intuitive with an overwhelming desire to share their world. 

I am such an artist. _______________________________________________________________________

 

♥ Swan Upping

We need more summer celebrations, especially this year when so many of us are self-isolating or calculating our risks to attend any group event. If we have to live a more low-key life, I say let's celebrate at home even if we have to create or borrow a reason for the celebration.

This year I plan to celebrate ‘Swan Upping.’  It is the term used to describe the annual census of the swan population on a particular stretch of the River Thames in England, and if the Queen's involved, you know there will be a party. Having had a primarily ceremonial function when the tradition was begun over 900 years ago, it’s now come to play a significant role in wildlife conservation and a reason to celebrate.

This year, however, the official, historic summer event has been cancelled. But that doesn't mean we can't celebrate anyway. Typically held the third week in July, I plan to walk down to the Duck River and check in with floating and flying wildlife. Not really holding out much hope to see a swan, but I can take a bag of stale bread and feed the geese.

Just for fun I researched Swan Soiree supplies, just in case a party breaks out, and surprisingly there are lots to choose from. Regretfully, none include the color red which appears to be the official royal color for the historic event. 

 

"Ugly ducklings don't turn into swans and glide off down the lake. Whether your sunglasses are on or off, you only see the world you make."

~Bonnie Raitt

 

♥ Marquis de Lafayette

Over the weekend Disney+ offered the streaming of Hamilton, the 2015 Broadway musical that boosted creator Lin-Manuel Miranda into the stratosphere with international acclaim and a few awards, i.e. several Tony Awards, Drama Desk Awards, and one unexpected Pulitzer Prize for Drama. Watching the production was nothing less than inspiring. 

And although Alexander Hamilton's life was astonishing and worthy of the title role, the movie re-ignited my passion for early American History and all the founding fathers....especially the Marquis de Lafayette, who wasn't even American and only 19 when he joined the Revolution. 

With a little research I discovered that not only was he instrumental in the fight for our independence but he also returned home to France and was instrumental in theirs as well.  Lafayette advocated for a governing body representing the three social classes, and drafted the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen which is in essence the French version of the Bill of Rights. 

Laura Aurricchio wrote the book The Marquis: Lafayette Reconsidered, and I've really enjoyed listening to her interviews on a couple of podcasts: No Dumb Questions and The Age of Jackson. 

Last year a friends loaned me the book America's First Daughter, the story of Thomas Jefferson as told from the point of view of his eldest daughter Patsy.  Now I'm daydreaming of visiting Monticello, Williamsburg, Mt. Vernon, Montpelier, Ash Lawn-Highland, and basically the entire state of Virginia. 

** And if you are looking for more days to celebrate this summer, don't forget Bastille Day on July 14. 

 

 

"The good fortune of America is closely tied to the good fortune of all humanity."

~Marquis de Lafayette

 

♥ Thyme and Monet

On a used book rack was a delightfully colorful cookbook with a photo of paint brushes and a pansy-covered salad on the cover and the title Thyme and Monet.  Let's see.... painting, food, and Monet. Who says not to judge a book by it's cover? I was sold!

The inside page was inscribed to Kay and George with love and best wishes from their friend Mary, none of whom I actually know, but have enjoyed envisioning who they may be. Were they artists in St. Joseph, Michigan, in 1962 who organized an annual art fair? Were they members of the St. Joseph Art Association? Or were they patrons of the community art center? I don't know, but someone was because in 1976 George J. Krasl left a trust to build and maintain an art center for this community. And in 1980 the dream was realized... a place where the community could exhibit art and enjoy classes, lectures, concerts, and art-inspired trips. What a dream!! I applaud Mr. Krasl's generosity and the communities vision. 

It took a lot of time and money to realize the dream. So when they decided to start the Krasl Sculpture Fund, members and friends collected their favorite recipes to include in this book to raise funds and cleverly named it Thyme and Monet. 

Admittedly I had hoped the recipes were Monet's very own favorites using fresh ingredients from his gardens at Giverny, but alas, they are not. The contributing recipe authors have names like Annabelle and Pearl, Heartha and Emmarie, and their recipes are no less delicious!

 

Shoe Peg Corn Spread

Ingredients

• 12 ounce can white shoe peg corn, drained
• 4 ounces cheddar cheese, shredded
• 1/2 cup Parmesan Cheese, grated
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 1 Tablespoon grated onion
• Assorted crackers

Mix all ingredients together and chill. Flavor improves if allowed to rest overnight in the refrigerator and the flavors marry. 

Serve with your favorite crackers. 

Perfect for celebrating Swan Upping, Bastille Day, and every other party this summer. 

 **Monet's Palate ... The movie!

Why have I never heard of this before???

Monet's Palate is a documentary which examines the connection between fine art and fine cuisine as seen through the eyes of Claude Monet. Meryl Streep's opening narration takes the viewer through the region of Normandy in France and Monet's Home and Gardens. The greatest Chefs of the world prepare the cuisine Claude Monet adored. 

And there is an accompanying cookbook!!

We may have to celebrate Christmas in July. 

 

"Meals are a celebration of food. Art is a celebration of Life."

~ quote on the back cover of Thyme and Monet

 

"Agriculture is the most healthful, most useful and most noble employment of man."

~George Washington

 

“In life one has a choice to take one of two paths:

to wait for some special day - or to celebrate each special day.”
~Rasheed Ogunlaru

 

“I’ll sleep long and hard when I’m dead. You defy death by celebrating life.”
~ Grace Draven

 

"It is no bad thing celebrating a simple life."  
~J.R.R. Tolkien

 

"Write it on your heart that everyday is the best day of the year."

~Ralph Waldo Emerson

 

In some bullet points I may link to more information, related news, or to a product on Amazon.
As an Amazon Associate I earn a small commission from qualifying purchases.
Originally the account was created years ago to benefit "Happy Tails" animal rescue,
but now it benefits my pack of rescue dogs and assorted fosters at Windy Acre Cottage.
Thank you!

 

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Let's Celebrate!! Let's Paint!!

Creative Spirits painting classes  in acrylics start back July 9 at 10am in Spring Hill. Join us at 563 Maury Hill Street, lower level. Registration required, 615-668-8263. 

Green is the color of renewal, growth, and hope. It is the color of harmony, freshness, safety, fertility. Green is understood to be the most restful color for the human eye to view. Green is soothing, relaxing, and youthful.

Green is a healing color. “Nature in her green, tranquil woods heals and soothes all afflictions," said John Muir, father of America’s National Parks.

In July, the students in the Creative Spirits painting class will take a deep dive in studying the effects of Green in painting.

What subject would be more appropriate for impressionist artists to paint than Water Lilies?

Monet adored them and painted approximately 250 paintings of this subject, practically consuming the last 30 years of his life. I dream of visiting his home and gardens in Giverny!

This week plan to take an imaginary vacation to France with me. Imagine sipping a little wine, nibbling on a baguette and cheese, maybe listening to a little Debussy, and imagine standing next to Monet and his beloved water lily pond with his little dog beside while painting your very own pink water lilies with all the reflected greens in the water. 

We will use this photo for reference. 

To keep everyone safe, we will be observing social distancing and the wearing of masks is encouraged. Class fee is $100 for four in-person sessions. Or you may prefer to watch the instructional videos from our classes at home on Patreon. Visit my Patreon Channel to subscribe. 

Please call me if you have additional questions or would like to purchase a gift certificate or register for class:

615-668-8263

Here are a few of the paintings we create from the Instructional Videos in the Patreon Library....

The Watercolor Painting Classes at Southern Springs in Spring Hill continue to be postponed until the threat of the virus has passed. We are all praying that day will arrive quickly. 

Please continue practicing at home. A few watercolor videos are available on my YouTube channel. 

Links you may be interested in...

My ETSY Shops...

Colorful and Charming Art

and

Postcards from the Dimple of the Universe

Do you enjoy receiving a personal, hand-written card in the mail? Do you know someone who would, maybe a friend or family member away from home or now living in Assisted Living or a Nursing Home?

Postcards from the Dimple of the Universe is my Etsy shop that offers a subscription of 1-, 6-, or 12-handwritten cards, one each month, depicting an object or scene from my hometown, Columbia, Tennessee, aka the Dimple of the Universe or from around middle Tennessee, and delivered in a colorful envelope with a delightful US postage stamp.

It's a charming and unique gift for yourself or someone you love. 

 

Check it out...

Exhibit of my Summer & Patriotic Paintings may be seen through the end of July at Square Market Café in Columbia, Tennessee.

 

Recommended Supplies lists...

Supplies List for Creative Spirits Classes, 

Adventure Awaits Supplies List, 

 

Back Issues of Bullet Point Blessings at Creative Spirits Soar! blog.

The Whole Kit & Kaboodle List of Lists

Impressionism in America

On Monday a few students gathered to resume studying color and how it was used by the Old Masters, specifically Monet. During the lesson, I mentioned Monet never took students, but he come to America to do painting demonstrations at his friend's art school in New York. 

However, I wasn't sure where I got this information, so started researching it. 

In 1896 Charles Hawthorne became assistant instructor to William Merritt Chase at his Shinnecock, Long Island, outdoor “plein air” painting school where the lessons of the French Impressionists were first brought to American shores. In 1899 Hawthorne opened his own outdoor school in Provincetown, Massachusetts, called the Cape Cod School of Art, and was the first school to teach outdoor figure painting. Upon Hawthorne’s death, Henry Hensche opened The Cape School of Art.

Monet never took students.  Although Giverny became an artist colony, Monet kept a private existence and was not eager to socialize with devoted artists who were fascinated by his bright, sunlit canvases and energetic palette. 

According to Camille Przwodek whom I had a conversation with during the Olmstead Plein Air Invitational in Atlanta several years ago, Monet did travel to the US and demonstrated his painting style, if I understood her correctly. William Merritt Chase, Charles Hawthorne, and later Henry Hensche learned and taught Monet’s Impressionist style of seeing and painting color with the influence of light. 

As it turns out Claude Monet did have several exhibitions of his work in the US in the late 1800s and early 1900s, namely the New York Exhibition in 1896, exhibits at the Durand-Ruel Gallery in New York in 1899, 1900, 1908, and 1924. He had a exhibition of his work in Boston in 1911. So this potentially places the painter in New York and Boston during the last years of the Shinnecock Hills School of Art and the first years of the Cape Cod School of Art. But did he visit their schools? I still have not found this fact documented. 

Summer Morning at Cheekwood

My friend Kim and I explored Cheekwood Gardens on Friday and collected reference photos to use in painting our submissions to the upcoming exhibit at the Mansion of selected works by Chestnut Group members.

Ideally we would have painted on site, but neither of us had time to pack gear and spend the day painting en plein air. Hiking the grounds and trails and snapping photos was the next best thing, and what a lovely day! Although the temps were near 90*, the humidity was practically non-existent. 

After months of self-isolating, social-distancing, and every fun and worthy event cancelled, a morning among the gardens at Cheekwood were just what this creative soul needed for inspiration and rejuvenation.

Here is the highlight reel from our morning's adventure...

And the photos are stunning! Such a beautiful location just west of Nashville, Tennessee, every vantage point looked like a postcard. It was impossible to snap a bad photo. 

 

Bullet Point Blessings for May 8, 2020

Artists are different. 

Artists are in a perpetual search for inspiration... for beauty, joy, light, magic. 

Artists are inventive, expressive, adventurous, and intuitive with an overwhelming desire to share their world. 

I am such an artist. _____________________________________________________________________________________

"An egg today is better than a hen tomorrow."

~Benjamin Franklin

♥ Farm Eggs

Little things mean a lot. I'm so happy to have a connection to fresh farm eggs. I don't know what kind of chickens these beauties came from, but was delighted to find a variety of Easter Egg colors in the two dozen I purchased. Included were dark brown, light tan, a variety of pale blues and greens. 

And they are delicious!

Can't wait to use them in the vintage cake I plan to make my Mom this weekend for her 80th birthday. Lovin' from the oven!

 

 

 

"A party without cake is really just a meeting."

~Julia Child

♥ Vintage Cakes

Just the word "Vintage" makes my heart skip a beat, so to discover the Vintage Cakes cookbook, it didn't take long to decide to purchase it. Included are recipes for Daffodil Cake, Lazy Daisy Oatmeal Cake, Honey Bee Cake, Kentucky Bourbon Cake, Chiffon Cake with Brown Butter Icing, Watergate Cake with Impeachment Icing, and a myriad of other delicious sweets. I plan to make Old Vermont Burnt Sugar Cake with Maple Cream Cheese Frosting first for this weekend. My family will be celebrating both Mother's Day and my mother's 80th birthday. If there ever was a time for a celebration, this weekend is it!

I haven't made it yet, but will take photos and document it on my blog Charm of the Carolines. So click over for a visit next week and hopefully I'll have the post written and published. 

For a treat today, allow me to share this recipe for Shoo-Fly Cake which looks amazing. 

Shoo-Fly Cake

INGREDIENTS

CRUMB TOPPING

• 1/3 cup firmly packed brown sugar
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature, cut into small cubes

CAKE

• 1 cup sugar
• 3/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
• 3/4 cup blackstrap molasses
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 2 eggs
• 2¹/2 cups (12¹/2 ounces) all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ¹/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 1 cup warm coffee (can be reheated from the morning brew)

DIRECTIONS

Center an oven rack and preheat the oven to 350^*F.

To make the crumb topping, combine the brown sugar and the flour in a small bowl. Toss in the butter cubes and, using your fingertips, pinch the butter into the dry ingredients to form crumbs. Place the bowl in the freezer while you make the cake.

To make the cake, whisk together the sugar, butter, molasses, and vanilla in a large bowl until smooth.

Blend in the eggs one at a time.In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, ginger, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt, then whisk the ingredients by hand to ensure they are well mixed.

Using a rubber spatula, stir the flour mixture into the batter in three additions, alternating with the coffee in two additions, beginning and ending with the flour mixture. Pour the thin batter into the prepared pan (9 by 2-inch round cake pan, greased with 1 tablespoon of soft butter) and sprinkle with the chilled crumb topping. Bake in the center of the oven until the top is firm, about 45 minutes.

Cool the cake on a wire rack for about 30 minutes before serving warm from the pan.

 

"You're slower than molasses in winter."

~Old Southern Expression

♥ Molasses

Molasses is a thick dark syrup. The British call it treacle, which is a generic term for any syrup made as a by-product of refining sugar cane. Molasses was a popular and economical substitute for refined white sugar in the eighteenth century. By the end of the nineteenth century, it competed with maple sugar and white refined sugar as America's chosen sweetener.

When sugar prices dropped after World War I, molasses and maple sugar both fell in popularity. but not at the Jones house. I remember my granddaddy would take a tablespoon of butter and a big spoonful of molasses and smash it all together on the side of his breakfast plate in a very unappetizing goo. Then he would spread it on biscuits, lovingly prepared by my grandmother and hot from the oven. The butter in the gray-brown paste would melt, and at some point magic happened. 

(Please excuse the stock photo, but it is much more attractive than a photo of butter and molasses mashed together which doesn't photograph well at all.)

 

"If you love me, feed my sheep."

~Jesus Christ

♥ Olde English Babydoll Southdown Lambs

The Olde English 'Babydoll' Southdown is a breed of sheep developed in the United States to reflect the original type of Southdown brought over to North America by the early settlers.

Today, my friend Dianne invited me to the farm of her friends John and Linda to feed these somewhat timid lambs. The Swiss Valais Blacknose sheep were much friendlier and would eat out of the palm of my hand. So did the Scottish Blackface. The best I could accomplish with the tiny Babydoll was to feed her from a bucket. 

 

"Agriculture is the most healthful, most useful and most noble employment of man."

~George Washington

 

"My grandfather used to say that once in your life you need a doctor, a lawyer, a policeman, and a preacher. But every day, three times a day, you need a farmer."

~Brenda Schoepp

 

"Agriculture is our wisest pursuit, because it will in the end contribute most to real wealth, good morals & happiness."

~Thomas Jefferson

 

 "We have neglected the truth that a good farmer is a craftsman of the highest order, a kind of artist."

~Wendell Berry

 

"What is a farm but a mute gospel?"

~Ralph Waldo Emerson

 

____________________________________________________________________________

In keeping with current CDC health recommendations for social distancing, we have canceled all in-person painting classes for the duration. I am praying for everyone's good health and well being.  Hopefully soon I will be able to publish a full roster of classes and paint with you again. (I'm keeping fingers crossed that will be in June.)

Please visit my Patreon Channel or  YouTube channel for painting demonstrations and inspiration. 

Please call me if you have additional questions or would like to purchase a gift certificate or register for a future class:

615-668-8263

       
These are a few of the paintings I've been working on. What's on your easel?? Post to social media and tag me to see #paintingwithsusan.

Links you may be interested in...

My ETSY Shops...

Colorful and Charming Art and Postcards from the Dimple of the Universe

Do you enjoy receiving a personal, hand-written card in the mail? Do you know someone who would, maybe a friend or family member away from home or now living in Assisted Living or a Nursing Home?

Postcards from the Dimple of the Universe is my Etsy shop that offers a subscription of 1-, 6-, or 12-handwritten cards, one each month, depicting an object or scene from my hometown, Columbia, Tennessee, aka the Dimple of the Universe or from around middle Tennessee, and delivered in a colorful envelope with a delightful US postage stamp.

It's a charming and unique gift for yourself or someone you love. 

 

Recommended Supplies lists...

Supplies List for Creative Spirits Classes, 

Adventure Awaits Supplies List, 

 

Back Issues of Bullet Point Blessings at Creative Spirits Soar! blog.

The Whole Kit & Kaboodle List of Lists

Painting at St. John's Episcopal Church en plein air

Sunday morning after FB Live church services, I was anxious to get out of the house. Quarantine will do that to you. Even alone, I didn't feel lonely painting en plein air at St. John's Episcopal church in Mt. Pleasant, Tennessee (formerly Ashwood).

 

Built in 1839, this exquisite historic church building was made with slave labor on 6 acres donated by Leonidas Polk, one of the Polk sons of Col. William Polk who settled the region after winning a very large tract of land in a bet with the governor of North Carolina on a game of chance called Rattle and Snap.

 

Leonidas built on the land gifted to him by his father a fine plantation home called Ashwood Hall. His brothers contributed the materials to build the "family chapel." The cemetery behind the church is the final resting place for several Civil War generals, plus Bishop James H. Otey (the first Bishop of Tennessee) and four other Bishops, plus members of the Polk family.

 

If it wasn't so close to the Mt. Pleasant Highway I could swear I stepped back in time 150 years while alone painting with the birds, trees and spirits of departed southerners whispering about me. I love this section of Tennessee, lovingly referred to as the "Dimple of the Universe" or "God's Garden."

 

Was also very thankful to make it home about an hour before an unprecedented Derecho storm hit, blowing over massive trees in its wake. I returned the next day to see if any of the "witness" trees at St. John's suffered any damage or the church building itself, and luckily all was well. Limbs blown everywhere, of course, some even very large, but all in all it fared well.

 

And before I hear any criticism of my work, I was painting WITHOUT YELLOW paint. Must have "borrowed" it from my plein air backpack over the winter. Bought a new tube this morning.