Oatmeal Cake

Oatmeal Cake

1 cup rolled oats
1 1/4 cups boiling water
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup honey
2 tablespoon molasses
2 eggs
1 3/4 cups whole wheat flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/4 teaspoons cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoons nutmeg
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Place oatmeal in mixing bowl. Pour the boiling water over the oatmeal
and let it stand while preparing the rest of the batter.
In a large bowl, cream the butter until light and fluffy,
pour in the honey and molasses slowly. Beat well.
Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each egg.
Stir in the flour and remaining ingredients. Stir in the oatmeal.
Mix thoroughly. Pour into greased 9x5x3 loaf pan.
Bake at 350 degrees for about one hour or until toothpick inserted
into cake comes out clean.

Serves 8 to 10.

Aspromised. Enjoy! Just smelling it baking is wonderful!

Happy 22nd Birthday Randell!

I had such a nice dinner with Randell and RC and Megan to celebrate. I did have a glass of wine, but the kids all chose beer. Rachel was working which gave me the opportunity to use the frozen shrimp that she is allergic to. I put on a little Led Zeppelin in the background and you'd wonder the last time they ate! I am a very accomplished cook and so enjoy when others enjoy my creations. Yes, I'll brag... I was making homemade fruitcake for trips to the grandparents when I was eight. Then Randell and I went off to Grandma's for a visit with some of the cousins. They had eaten also, but the hummus and vegetable tray went over nicely. There was unanimous thumbs up for the oatmeal cake. Lovely. I'll jot down the recipe later. I wish him all the best on his day today!(Last year's photo... still need to repair the camera!)

Process, organize, flow

I pulled this chart from the boss's bulletin board. Although my personal de-cluttering projects have no person to delegate to, I can put on a different hat. Ha! I thought it to be good reference while the job gets overwhelming, and seem to know a lot of artist friends who might make good use of it too. On the current Artist Way journey where getting rid of things opens room to new and better. Which chapter was that?
Fighting the scanner again. Several days it took to copy the page. Projects, projects, no time for art. Cooked up some healthy food tonight to celebrate Randell turning 22 on Wednesday. Some beet/carrot salad, cornbread muffins, oatmeal cake, hummus and veggies, brown rice, and tomorrow I'll make him Shrimp Scampi. Should I serve wine or soymilk?

Yesterday wth Ashley

I think I promised to link Ashley's etsy site last time she posed. I'll try and look for it again. She does wonderful accessory pieces of varying materials. knitting, sewing, manufacturing. She was supposed to model New Year's Day for us, but New Year's Eve her new storefront location burned. Last time she modeled her car broke down, at least she made it to us, and had a ride take her home. My work showed little progress, but still moving forward with control of the oil pastels. If I had more time, I would finish these drawings or paintings depending on what you deem them. But I'm very backed up at the moment and there's so poor a response for showing the figure.

LaGrange Art League Presentation with Randy Halverson

Took time out to see this presentation. Really a talented young man from the DeKalb area. Would enjoy seeing the large murals that he shared in person. Not too far from me. Karen of the Lagrange Art League was interested in setting up a field trip to see the Oriental Theatre and the Sky Deck restaurant murals of his fame. If I had the time and money I would meet the group there and experience the day. It'd be silly for me to drive an hour east to travel an hour northewest, which is only a half hour north of me. Hmmm. I combined the outing with a purchase of computer desk the league was looking to sell. Many thanks to James and Karen for helping me disasemble and load the desk in my van. I need to put it together now. Shutting down my computer here to assemble it in location. Haven't drawn in a week. Having severe withdrawals, one more night until life drawing. So much on the agenda this week. Skipped Woman's Business Network meeting tonight. Won't be able to take a second trip into Naperville to see Laura's demo at Naperville Art League on Thursday. But I'll be there in spirit!

Tuesday Life with Fellisia

We had a new model Tuesday, Fellisia's gesture poses were so fresh and new. Really enjoyed. There was a large group, 16 people, I quickly cut the dozen cranberry muffins I brought in half. Faces from New Year's Day. Hope they continue to come back. 16 people should reduce the fees quite a bit. Sounds as if we'll still be paying for those other days that don't make the necessary quota. Sure could use a break. Money is tighter than ever, and bills are not following that pace. All I can say, it's my night out. So many good people to enjoy the company of. I need to be there. Fellisia is a little beauty, with yarn filled dreadlocks. What fun.

Dangerous Perspective

I lost control of perspective here with unforgiving color pencil. But the torment remains. Picasso's woman with dead child. Here is where I grew up, here is where my youngest resided. My sister passed on before I was born, a hole in her heart and pneumonia. I learned to grieve prior to being born. There were several occasions that I nearly lost my own son. At 2 1/2 weeks he had pneumonia, spent a week at Loyola after coughing up blood. When the doctor saw him,that afternoon she said speed, if you get pulled over use the escort. Time was essence and an ambulance would take too long. His oxygen was compromised and lips turning blue. Never did losing him cross my mind, but it crossed everyone else's. How can a mother get out of bed after a dead child? Then, on his second birthday, as guests were arriving he swallowed a nail. Hospital personal thought I was an overactive player till x-rays showed proof of my complaint. The nail had passed critical and diagnosis was to pass it. Three days of diapers and asparagus and celery, before it was safe to travel again. But then years pass, unwarranted fears of oxygen loss, his mind full of creativity and illusions, his intelligence way above normal, bored with age level of learning. Another near loss as he tunneled in our deep snow drifts, Ojo was there to dig him out when his tunnel collapsed. I've been often questioned why I have kept an unreliable dog as Ojo hated men. No human being is more deserving of my gratitude as our best friend Ojo Ajuda. He's losing time very quickly now, but he will never be forgotten. A rescued dog saved my child. Is there anything more beautiful to imagine?

Dangerous Thoughts

Between the Lines, painting by Antonia Eiriz, 1993. She was criticised as being critical of the Cuban government. So much for freedom of speech. As for government? lost my government position with a slaying of eight county employees for budgetary cuts. The board member who had been on the formed animal oversight committee I had requested, took all the credit for all I had done to achieve a department that created funding by using strong moral ethics to determine right from wrong. Then I was replaced by a relative. She's up for re-election again. The people knowing the truths don't reside in her district. The false smile, or does it cause a smile while she stabs people in the back? Broken promises. Intended lies. Hypocrites.

Another danger sketch

I was not pleased with this sketch, and avoided finishing it. I suppose because it is all to real to the starving artist with collectors without compassion. They have taken the position that people in arrears are deadbeats. They won't look past the ends of their noses, the recognition of their cold hearts might appear. If they could, they would be working in the alternate field of helping people get out of their debts. As the world turns, someday they'll have to face their lifetime of inflicting pain upon their fellow human beings, and choose heaven or hell. That spit out, all I have done for three days is work and shovel snow. Grateful for the good neighbor who cleared the two foot drifts that filled in the length of my drive yesterday. I'm avoiding going out and cleaning up now. Body is exhausted and the mind still working. Too much on the work list and no time for play.

Gerry and Chante

When I look here, I see such stretch of limbs that wasn't so apparent when models were shifting. The dual pose was sat in four 25 minute segments. The pose changed each time, but I was more concerned with compositions and dealing with color changes, defining some shadow, adding depth to the form than I was with the reality of the models structure. I think I'm really pushing the oil pastel and finding it so much like play. Following these,the pencil sketch of Gerry with Spock ears had been an attempt to move quickly through layers of color. Just more fun. Not many opportunities to exhibit life work anyway. Gotta learn and play rather than focus on finished drawing. These were drawn on New Year's Day with our 5 hour session. Finally was able to photo this evening. Days are much longer than the sun and finally setting down at 9:45PM. Maybe tomorrow I'll get in another hour drawing. Had teachers meeting last night instead of drawing, I was not pleased. Another week will fly by and weather permitting I'll get some life time in next Tuesday.

More Dangerfield

Sketch of Picasso's Weeping Woman. I missed the deadline on this project. Much more intended for someone without all my directions. I am uploading sketches at arthousecoop.com, but am not in the traveling exhibition. Seem to need to finish the project anyway. More to come.

Aquatic Luncheon

Another linocut embossing, a pair of puffins sharing fish. I matted this print for the bin work at La Grange Art League. Wintry set.

Melancholic Retrospection

I made myself a double cup of honeyed green tea and am still procrastinating a danger sketch I was unhappy with yesterday... but here is another linocut embossing I framed for the Titanium White show. Inked this time. Framed size 16" X 20" so I was able to refinish a recycled frame for it. I think I priced it at $100.00. Better bookkeeping is on that intention list I was supposed to create. Stop procrastinating was another. But this creation told my story, I think it reads quite clear.

Cosmos-La Grange Art League's Titanium White Exhibit

Splurged again on some sectional framing and glass for this piece. Framed size is
20" X 26", not a recycled frame size. Linocut embossing. $150.00 "Cosmos"
Will have to shave the grocery budget again.

Happy New Year!

I am so fortunate that Ronnie planned an extended life session for New Years Day!
Five hour session, may need to be an annual event. Two models, four lengthy poses. Several people said they didn't think they could work that long... but they did. Must have learned something new about themselves. It was really good to reminisce with many artists who I haven't crossed paths with for some time. And meeting some new artists, quite inspirational. Although with that many artists, the music was stretched some as differing tastes were opposing. I love most music. I can fall in deep with classical, meditate the zone with new age or native, get amped on rock, fall into a groove with popular, enchanted by piano, violin, or flute, but sometimes a CD is so repetitive, seems artist quite shallow... no wonder I hadn't heard of the artist before. As Ronnie panned through my selection, she thought to choose Andre Rieu. I said oh no, no. I can get trip on visions of candy canes on ice skates, or sugarplums or whatnot, but those who don't like classical are not going to get waltz.
Enough of the whatnot, a short pose of Chanti.

Such a lovely girl, her hair was such fun today. So hard not to get all tripped up on her ultra long and thin proportions. Hope my scanner does her justice.

I hadn't seen Gerry in a while, it was nice to visit a bit. I lost his proportion at first, but carried it out anyway. Most viewers don't know him anyway. Most viewers wouldn't notice the ear was too high either. So used to seeing imaginary aliens and avatars. I did a couple oil pastel pieces, but much bigger than the scanner plate. Now off to choosing, and matting a few pieces for the bin work at Naperville Art League and La Grange Art League. Volunteer tomorrow at La Grange 11 to 2pm. Scheduled well for changing day.