Poison Poison Tasty Fish!

My studio has been set up to accommodate painting of the dolls so it’s been pretty hard to transition to flat paintings. I need a sloping desk top and some bits and pieces to hold my paints in while I’m working. It’s a bit of a nightmare, really, trying to paint on paper, but I’m making a go of it. I’m painting on top of a dinner tray that I can tilt up or down and since I don’t use palettes I’ve been taping pieces of cardboard on top of the actual painting I’m working on to mix the colors. I’ll figure it out soon. In the meanwhile, I am having some fun practicing new techniques and working on projects that I never got around to doing.

This is the latest, inspired by my Dad’s penchant for fine and sometimes dubious cuisine and an episode of The Simpsons. My Dad had an insane zest for life. He loved trying new things. When Colorado legalised a certain green thing, he happily drove me to the nearest dispensary and went in with me and paid for my “goods.” And when he drove me to my first gynecology appointment, he repaired to the nearest sushi bar while I was getting checked out and ordered himself a plate of fugu to calm his nerves, as my appointment, he had claimed, was more traumatic for him than it was for me. Fugu, if you are not aware, is deemed both a celebrated and notorious cuisine in Japan and selected countries. The difference between eating this dish and the garbage they serve in the “wet markets” of Asia is that fugu is only legal if it is prepared by a highly trained and licensed chef. As ambitious as my Dad was in his epicurean endeavours, he wasn’t about to make his own fugu in the kitchen.

Later on in his life, he more or less stopped eating fish. He hated seeing fish struggling to breathe when captured and then slowly asphyxiate, and that man LOVED his seafood! After he passed away I went through his files and found that he had been making substantial contributions to the WWF and other animal charity groups. And so this painting is not so much a study of an obscure Asian cuisine but more of a celebration of the life of a man who truly lived his own to the fullest.

The earthenware pot and the sake set are replicas of the ones my Dad owned! The pot is a representation of all the fun family dinners we’ve had to mark a special occasion. Shabu shabu is one of our favourite meals, even for me, who would not voluntarily eat 5/8 of the stuff I painted here, but I always sat around with everyone for hours on end as the pot bubbled and boiled with a seemingly never-ending array of food. At the moment, when visiting families is now either forbidden or a huge ordeal, I’m glad I have plenty of memories to hold onto.

A Fishy Exercise

I am taking a break from painting dolls during this down time. It’s true I still have stacks of unfinished dolls to paint, and it will happen, just not now. As much as I appreciate the amount of work that came my way in the past, the days were very long and sometimes grueling. I was painting seven days a week, but that’s only because my work and hobby is one in the same so my schedule leaves very little time for me to do anything else.

On my first full day off, I went to see my doctor and wisely requested a cortisone shot for my shoulder. This time I was determined to rest for a few days before doing anything to let it settle, which I had not done previously and the shots were herefore ineffective. Now that I’m back in a fairly good shape again, I decided to go back to basic and do some painting exercises on paper.

Like everyone else in this world right now, the Hubs is upset about the state of the world we’re in. We’re one of the lucky ones, but who knows what will happen from one day to the next? The Hubs is now deemed an “essential worker” and on top of everything else, he was responsible for the welfare of up to 150 employees at his job and he moved heaven and earth to make sure everyone still had their jobs and would be able to come back if they fell ill. He was forced to make some personal sacrifices and I am so proud of him for doing so. In the meanwhile, I decided to cheer him up by painting his absolute favorite thing in the world: Swedish Fish. Whenever I go back to the States, I would be tasked to bring back a 5 pound bag of this stuff just for him.

It took me two days to work up the courage to get this guy down on paper. Once I got going I stopped second guessing myself. It amuses me to no end that I’m always convinced that I’ve forgotten how to paint whenever I start a new project! But here we are, and it made the Hubs smile. My work is done!

Please stay safe, stay healthy, stay inside. If this is as tough as it gets, being indoors, then I consider us all very very lucky indeed.

Sideways

Here are some interesting facts about wine after the film “Sideways” was released:

“Throughout the film, Miles speaks fondly of the red wine varietal Pinot noir, while denigrating Merlot. After the film’s U.S. release in October 2004, Merlot sales dropped 2% while Pinot noir sales increased 16% in the Western United States. Other reports claimed that sales of Merlot dropped after the film’s release. A 2009 study by Sonoma State University found that ‘Sideways’ slowed the growth in Merlot sales volume and caused its price to fall, but the film’s main effect on the wine industry was a rise in the sales volume and price of Pinot noir, and in overall wine consumption.”

The cast of Sideways (largest to smallest): Miles Raymond sniffing his wine while plugging his ear, Jack Cole, broken nose and clearly in disgrace…let’s face it, anyone wearing a bandage and a bedspread is clearly up to no good; Maya Randall the waitress and Stephanie, who had beaten up Jack with her motorcycle helmet but she’s got a good reason to. What’s the fifth doll? Why it’s a bottle of Belle Glos wine, which is not featured in the film, but a representation of the buyer’s husband’s favorite inebriant.

Daniel Zalkus’ Charcoal and Whisky

I totally believe that when the Great Organizer of the Universe hands you a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, you better grab it and run with it. That’s exactly what my friend and former colleague Dan Zalkus did when Glenfiddich came a-knockin’. He was an artist in residence at the Glenfiddich Distillery in Scotland for a few months, doing nothing but knocking back endless shots of whiskeys and drawing. The fruits of his labor resulted in a show at the distillery AND a wonderful picture book of the daily going ons there.

Flipping through this book reminds me of my own trips to Scotland oh so many years ago. Although I’m not a strict whiskey drinker, I do recall ordering a number of them there since my coat wasn’t doing sufficient enough a job keeping me warm while looking for the wee Nessie at Inverness.

Dan’s able to capture the movements of the distillery workers with his impeccable style by showing up every day with his charcoal pencil and drawing board. It’s not a bad way to spend three months of your life, is it?

When I got his book in the mail, it went right up in a place of honor…right next to our very own Glenfiddich bottle! This is one book that should not be shelved!

The Pastry Chef

For someone who’s obsessed with food and miniatures and miniature foods, Re-ment is a godsend. Well, not really, since collecting it can burn a serious hole in one’s pocket. I was able to amass a serious collection a few years back and am now the proud owner of many hard-to-find and discontinued sets. Unfortunately, I have collected so much that it required multiple shipments for me to transport it all to Oz from the US (my parents simply gave me this look when I suggested that they send it to me bi-monthly), so I only have a few sets here at my disposal.

Luckily, I had the foresight to bring fourth my entire cakes and bakery collection so I was able to do this:

I know, I know, I should use my free time more constructively…like maybe figure out how to stop the ants from coming in and dying in my bathroom.

I’ve Got a Golden Ticket

It’s a no-brainer which version of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory to paint…the original, of course!

Clockwise from left: Augustus Gloop, Violet Beauregarde, Willy Wonka, Veruca Salt, an Oompa Loompa, Charlie Bucket, and Mike Teavee.

Wonka with an Everlasting Gobstopper and Augustus Gloop with not one but two Wonka bars.

Violet Beauregarde just before turning into a blueberry and Veruca Salt in the midst of a temper tantrum.

Mike Teavee in all his spaghetti western movie glory and Charlie Bucket with his golden ticket!

And of course the Oompa Loompa! He’s mainly the reason why I went with the classic version and not Tim Burton’s. Nothing against the re-make, but I love my Oompa Loompas with orange faces and green hair and those kicky overalls.

A Fear Factor Birthday Treat

It all started out as a joke. A customer sent me a photograph of a cake shaped like a cockroach because that’s the kind of stuff she does. After I stopped laughing, I passed it on to a friend a told her it would be funny to present something like it for the hubs’ birthday, as Anthony is deathly afraid of the itty bitty vermin. Honestly, we’re talking about a man who has faced crocs and sharks on a regular basis whilst on his kayaking expeditions yet he’d scream for me to come and kill the roaches. I can’t tell you how many time he’s run out of the house and wouldn’t come in till I got rid of it.

As luck would have it, my friend Kristy actually knew an award-winning cake maker who made it happen. I can’t say the roach has cured the hubs of his fears, but he can safely say that he’s had himself a birthday—fear-factor style—by eating a cockroach!

Come on, a cake like this can’t be bought from ANY shop! When it was unveiled we basically just stood around and stared at it, our mouths open. No one can work fondant like the fabulous Debbie Crispin.

We didn’t even bother with candles or the birthday song. The cake absolutely overwhelmed us.

This was another cake Debbie has made earlier for Kristy’s daughter Charlie’s fairy themed birthday. Yes, that’s a full miniature tea set and cake on the toadstool table. There was a debate then whether or not the cake should be cut up, but with eight little girls hopped up on sugar and wanting more, Kristy had no choice…although she did manage to salvage the entire tea set and the woodland critters! We didn’t have much problem cutting up the roach cake…as it was chocolate and it’s been a whole month since I had any sugar based product and I was itching to have a go at it!

Thanks, Debbie! You rock! It’s a joy to have someone as talented as you to be a part of our special days.

Bread Deconstructed

It’s occurred to me that the walls in my unit was shamefully barren so I devoted a week to doing something about it.

I mentioned once that I was a bit obsessed about putting everything in chart forms. That was a bit of an occupational hazard as teachers were forever telling their pupils to deconstruct the world around them in chart form. It eventually rubbed off on me.

I’d meant to do this series about 15 years ago and finally got around to getting it done. If I’m not the Queen of Procrastination, I don’t know who is.

Another Mini Cupcake Pageant

I couldn’t help myself! I love cupcakes and I love glitter! I recently got my little hands on several bottles of Martha Stewart’s glitter and after much deliberation, I decided to combine my two passions!

These gals competing for the Little Miss Cupcake Pageant have done it again! It’s obvious that Miss Mango Parfait Cupcake is the front runner from the beginning. You can’t miss her cupcake…nor her outrageously orange gown from the start. Is it any wonder she got the coveted Cupcake Trophy?

But the two runner ups: Miss Key Lime Cupcake and Miss Cherry Chocolate Cupcake, are nothing to sneeze at either. Although they haven’t got the top honor, the loss will be sure to send them back into the kitchen, bettering their cupcake recipes for the next pageant!

Body By BoBo BaBushka

Ever wonder how you can achieve that lovable nesting doll shape? Well, wonder no more! Here are three easy steps to procure and maintain this glorious figure!

Step 1: Eating right is essential. BoBo BaBushka recommends a high-calorie, high carb, high sodium, high fat, all-sugar and grease street fair diet. Corn dogs, candied apples, chicken kabobs, mozzarepa, funnel cakes, corn with mayo on it…just to name a few. You can wash it all down with the saccharine sweet lemonade and enjoy a sno-cone topped with extra syrup for dessert.

Step 2: Low impact exercise. High impact exercise regiments will not help you achieve the nesting doll figure. But BoBo BaBushka has figured out a way to aid those who are exercise-conscious. A walk from the couch to the refrigerator is just the kind of exercise that will both help your cause AND give your heart rate a little boost. Don’t forget to rehydrate before and after these walks with a refreshing beverage such as a 32 oz. Crush.

Step 3: Get lots of Z’s. Do not overlook the power of sleep! BoBo BaBushka recommends 10-14 hours of sleep daily, supplemented by frequent naps.

By applying these 3 easy steps to your daily routine, you, too, can have a nesting doll body in no time!