A Painted Process, Courtesy of Micheline

There is a wonderful blog I look at from time to time full of art and paintings and beautiful stuff.  It's the kind of blog that makes me feel bad about myself for a minute or two, but then I quickly begin to feel inspired and want to make things.  Even with that, though, it is obvious this lady is hogging all the Awesome.

The other day I was nosing around on her site and she periodically posts photos of her paintings in process, start to finish, and talks about them and the process a bit.  It's really fun and I enjoy so much getting to see everything from the beginning.  

Though people always say they like my "style," I don't feel much like I have a style.  And while I don't know what my style is, I know that this lady's style is very, very different from mine.  But because I can look at each step of the painting all the way through and she talks about each phase, I got a real sense for some of the techniques she uses.  And her paintings are beautiful -- bright colors, lots of contrast, interesting and gorgeous and fun.

I got to thinking.  

Well, I don't paint landscapes, but I can use some of these techniques painting portraits.  Why can't I paint portraits using some of these techniques?  Will it work?  Can I make it work?

I decided to make it work.  I spend 7 hours painting yesterday and 3 today, and I still have a lot more to go.  Two paintings are finished, two are in process, and I still have one blank canvas waiting.

So, here we go.  The fruits of my labor, process included.

Jamie Redeaux
Acrylic on canvas
March 2012

I was so high while I painted this.  Okay, not literally high, but I felt high for hours and hours.  I found an entrance to the Zone and stayed there ALL DAY LONG.  For anyone who has trouble getting in the Zone or finding that sweet, buzzy head space required to make things, you probably know

a)  how hard it is to find, and

b)  how hard it is to freakin' STAY there

The fact that I was in the Zone for about seven straight hours is kind of unbelievable.  I am as mystified about it now as I was yesterday.  I won't ask questions.

Peej Redeaux
Acrylic on canvas
March 2012

These two days have been kind of a breakthrough for me.  Things I could never understand before suddenly make sense.  Things that freaked me out or I felt like I couldn't utilize in my paintings I suddenly felt totally capable of doing.  And this feeling, the one that has carried over into today and will last for days, is one of the best, most accomplished and most euphoric feelings I know.

A Week of NOMM

The Boyfriend's mom was in town last week visiting from the midwest-ish.  I like when she's in town because it's the perfect excuse to eat out a lot and delight in the company of others.  (Not that I need much of an excuse to do so normally, but the spending money part is the usual hurdle.  If it's in the name of visiting out-of-towners, then how can I NOT oblige?)

We went to Ringside Steakhouse in the middle of the week.  I'd never been there before, and neither had my accompaniment, so I was unexpectedly astonished by the prices on the menu.  Without getting too gritty, I ate the most expensive steak I've ever eaten in my life -- and you better believe it was the tastiest, too! -- that cost what I might consider spending on a one-way plane ticket.  A 6-ounce filet mignon with roasted brussell (how the eff do you spell brussel anyway?! Brussell brussel brussels brussells Brussell's Brussel's No matter how I spell it, the red squiggly line says "No, bitch."  YARRRGGGHHH THE MADNESS) sprouts and cauliflower, an enchanting glass of pinot gris, LOBSTER MASHED POTATOES -- yes, they were ri-freaking-diculous, a salad with the most amazing balsamic I've ever tasted (THIS is what balsamic tastes like?!?), and not one but TWO desserts to top off my feeling like a raging food-a-holic.  

(Which I most certainly did.)

It didn't take a genius, a mathematician, a priest, or a small psychic child to figure out that I have rather the penchant for high-quality -- dare I say, bourgy -- fine cuisine.  The feasting event made me feel high as a kite, happy for hours and hours and into the following day.  How is this possible?  It's just FOOD, right?!

No.

It's an experience.

And it was mine . . . 

What a snob I've turned into.

Anyway, the next night we got down and durrrty at an Ethiopian restaurant by my house.  If you've never eaten Ethiopian food, you MUST.  And if you've got children, this place is awesome because you eat with your hands and stuff your face and drink awesome tasty beverages and leave smelling like spices and jalapenos and it's just marvelous.  This was much less catastrophic to the budget, so don't worry.

On our final afternoon, we found ourselves at Prost! on North Mississippi.  A German pub, they have lots of yummy German beers on tap that I can't pronounce and a menu composed primarily of meats and sour things.  I can't wait until the warmer months arrive.  They've got a fatty garage door inside that opens out to a spectacular deck, nestled under bright sunshine and the hum of the street.  

Note to self . . . 

Cucumber salad.  

Ho-hum, you say?  NO. FREAKING DELICIOUS.

Apples and some sort of liver pate that I forgot the name of with some rye bread.

I didn't actually try it, because the Boy -- He With Stomach of Steel -- 

had a difficult time making his tummy agree.  Yeahnothanks.

A sausage thing with more rye and two mustards.

YUMMM.

Bavarian Pretzel hot from the oven with salt and more mustards.

Beware the sweet one -- it'll punch you in the throat riiiiight at the end.

We also had Bratwurst, another something-wurst, sauerkraut, and more rye.  I walked out of the beautiful building feeling (still) like an angry aholic wishing I'd paced myself better on the gigantic sausages and mountains of bread and kraut.

Ohhh, regret . . . 

No, I take that back.  No regret here.  Maybe for a minute, but HOT DAMN I've had some good food in the last week and it helped me remember how freakin' awesome this silly town is.  Funny how it takes visitors from other cities and states to help us remember why we live here in the first place.

Prost!

In an Extroverted World:

For anyone who has ever dreaded the “office chit chat” and just wanted to work quietly in peace to get stuff DONE,

for anyone who has ever wanted to lash out in rage at the suggestion of doing “group work” as a kid in school,

for anyone who has ever enjoyed social interaction so very much, but then suddenly the experience becomes inexplicably overwhelming,

for anyone who has had a hard time articulating how they feel to others,

for anyone who has ever needed “some time to process things” while others are left confused by what this even means,

for anyone who has ever been teased for being more “inward” than “outward,”

for anyone who has ever wanted to be completely ALONE for an entire day, because we know this is what it will take to recharge, feel level, and get grounded,

for anyone whose idea has been overlooked because the next person over is more charismatic, fast-talking, and loud,

for anyone who makes decisions slowly because they want all the pieces and parts to be correct and the exact right thing,

for anyone who makes decisions like this: “Ready . . . ready . . . reeeaaaady . . . . . . ready . . . READY . . . . . .  Aim . . . aaaaiiiim . . . aim . . . aim . . . aaaaiiiiim . . . . . . . . . aim . . . . . . . . .  Fire?”

for anyone whose chest has ever tightened at the thought of not having one moment of alone time in a string of several days,

for anyone who has ever had a partner who takes “I need some alone time” personally,

for anyone who doubts their quiet processes, careful ways, and creativity always “bubbling” just under the surface:

http://www.ted.com/talks/susan_cain_the_power_of_introverts.html

Salad as Meditation: A How-To

My Friday nights have turned into a special thing.  I usually have a chiropractic adjustment and massage right after work, so I come home feeling like I’m on a cloud and the house is usually empty.  Just me, alone with my kitchen and lots of random ingredients, pondering life and things and stuff and why things are the way they are.  I started making really delicious salads and I’ve gotten so good at them my boyfriend said, “You make salads that I just want to keep eating.  Like, I’m not just eating it quickly to get to the good stuff.”  The process is really the best part, and I always end up having a blast of a time, more than one would expect from dinking around in the refrigerator and eating something haphazard and accidental.  I feel refreshed and a little bit drunk so cleansed when I’m done and stuffed with ruffage.  Like that dazed feeling you get when you step out of a movie theater on a bright day.  So, this is my Introductory Guide to Salad Meditation.

Start with a clean kitchen

Take everything you might consider putting into a salad out of the fridge and put it on the counter, including some manner of greenery (butter lettuce is divine)

Survey inventory

Have a big cutting board and big knife ready; set aside

Open a bottle of wine, pour a glass, and commence sipping (tonight, we have a lovely 2007 White Merlot)

Ponder what you’d like to include in your salad adventure.  Things to consider or you might already have:

• carrot
• corn
• avocado
• pea
• cucumber
• cheese
• stinky cheese
• garbanzo bean
• black bean
• pinto bean
• chicken
• shrimp
• sausage
• bacon
• pepperoncini
• onion
• pear
• apple
• salami
• tomato
• walnut
• cranberry
• asparagus
• cooked egg
• magic
• orange
• pickle

The more things you put into a salad, the tastier it is.

Begin washing and peeling vegetables and chopping into desired shapes

Stop every so often to take a nibble and observe how it interacts with a sip of your preferred alcoholic beverage

Repeat as necessary

Begin adding vegetables and other items to a big bowl filled with lettuce until everything is in

Sit back for a minute, have another sip, and admire your handiwork

Now, make a dressing from scratch.  I discovered recently I much prefer an easy scratch dressing to anything bottled or jarred.  I like light dressings that do not interfere with the taste of the vegetables.  This one is my favorite:

• hefty splash olive oil
• small splash cider vinegar
• big dollop mayonnaise
• big dash garlic powder
• lots of dill weed
• small sprinkle salt
• small sprinkle rosemary
• lots of fresh-cracked pepper
• splash of pickle juice (if you’re feeling frisky)
• mix passionately
• pour over salad and toss

Improvise dressing as necessary.  Other ingredients to consider:

• sour cream
• lemon juice
• lime juice
• mustard
• barbecue sauce
• honey
• white vinegar
• tarragon
• soy sauce
• sesame oil

Eat the salad.

Drink the wine.

Think about why you like your house, spouse, dog, whatever.  Read something, write something, doodle or sing or talk to yourself.  Revel in this nice moment.

Continue eating and meditating as long as you like.

The end.