I have always been a picky eater and certainly struggle with in the cooking department so it was shocking to both Michelle and I that I would fall in love with her tuna salad. I ate it every day for lunch while she was here working on our collaborative painting along with some fresh summer fruit & vegetables drizzled in sweet balsamic vinegar from the Mystic Market. (You can refill your bottles there which is great and even save a dollar in the process) I love this recipe so much and wanted to share it with you as I rarely have anything to contribute in the food department and I think you will like it!
Jazzy Tuna for one
one can of tuna I prefer Bumblebee solid white in water (drain the water)
2 celery sticks chopped
some zucchini
some dill
some pickled ginger ( gari)
1-2 tablespoons mayo or Vegenaise
mustard of the spicy variety
chopped spinach or lettuces you like
pinch cayenne pepper
splash of lemon
salt and pepper to taste
mix this all together and have with crackers
I enjoy some farm fresh tomato slices, avocado and perhaps some sliced peaches with a drizzle of balsamic vinegar~all so good for you and fresh!
This lunch will leave you feeling clean and healthy!
Collaborative painting with Michelle. Haley the wonder dog is looking all photogenic in the background. Can you stand how cute she is? I just love this dog! (Haley is Michelle's sweet dog).
Hello!
I just returned from an inspirational weekend in NH visiting my friend Michelle. We were delighted to have her as our guest blogger last week where she talked about her experience with this collaborative painting we worked on together. As you know we started it the last time she visited me and had agreed to look at it with fresh eyes when I visited her at her studio in NH. We made a few adjustments to tie the painting together and titled it, “Symphonies of our Souls” based on the found poem we created and incorporated into the piece. I am including the poem below (I had trouble getting a picture that wasn’t blurry for some reason! so sorry!)
The poem is about friendship and I just LOVE it….
Symphonies of our Souls
I recall and evening when the talk turned authentic
I laughed with delight life long friend
the thoughts we thought
affirmations of good
depth of feeling
most joyous
simple pleasures and small indulgences
essential for our happiness
symphonies of our souls
On another note, I promised you an “after” photo of this stool. Isn’t it cute all sassy in red? I spray painted it a bright orange first then layered on the red making it a fun tomato color.
I sanded it down to distress it and like how the orange shows through and that the steps look worn and vintage.
I thought it would look good with this rug that I fell in love with.
I can’t wait to do some more decorating! And to think this little stool inspired me to try spray paint on this painting. I am realizing more and more how my love for decorating feeds into my art practice.
I want to thank those of you who took the time for commenting on my Facebook page and my last blog post to help me come up with a title for this piece. When I got still and had time to reflect I found the title that resonated with me the most was “evolution of joy”. While painting it I thought about joy bubbling up from within each of us. It made me think about spring hidden below the earth’s surface waiting to burst with color, hope, renewal and joy. I think we all carry this joy within us and wish to share mine with you.
This painting was one of those paintings that didn’t come as easy as others. Looking back I realize it was an evolution of where I was in my life at the time and all started with this stool that I picked up at Brimfield some time ago.
It was happily sitting in my living room displaying plants by the window until I watched a Nate Berkus episode (I just love that man by the way) where he was talking with a guest about “good patina” vs. “bad patina” on old furniture. As I looked around my house I realized there were many things I would like to paint and this was definitely one thing that had BAD patina. Funny, but I had never thought to paint it. For some reason I thought I would loose the red, chippy paint popping through the old wood which initially drew me to it. In truth, I had never really liked the dingy, aged water marks on the wood.
I decided to paint the whole thing red and distress it. It would give me the perfect pop of color in my newly moved guest room/home office that I was looking for. The room had been given a fresh coat of warm white at the end of the summer and I had painted the ceiling a pretty sky blue reminiscent of a summer day. My goal was to keep the tiny room (and I do mean tiny) feeling spacious but not be just a big white box. I really like how it came out (thank you Brigitte for your help~can I get an AMEN for margaritas, patience and friendship!). I still have some work to do in the decorating department but it is all coming together and feeds into my grand plan of living an organized life. I am slowly taking a critical look around my home and changing or getting rid of anything I don’t love, choosing to live more simply and surrounded by things that inspire me.
You might be wondering how this relates to this painting, right? Well, while working with the spray paint on my stool I wondered how it would translate into my own work. I had always loved how my friends Marlene and Michelle used spray paint in their work and decided to give it a whirl. I layered flowers and patterns and loved the effect but still wasn’t feeling like it was coming together. It could have been that my limited palette of spray paint colors was forcing me to stretch a bit.
laura's working table: experiments with spray paint
I cannot tell you how long it took me to arrive here.
layering on the color
“Untitled” acrylic, 12″ x 12″
It wasn’t until I let go of some of the texture and color that it finally came together. That is all except for the title which I have been struggling with as well. I asked for suggestions on my Facebook page and was delighted with the feedback and creativity people offered. Here are some of the suggestions:
Boundaries
Floral Flow
Bridge over Untroubled Flowers
Listening
Below Earths Awning
Bridge over Bubbling Brook of Joy
Little Loved Ones
Spring
Spring Breaking Through
Third Eye
Simmering Sunrise
A garden By the Ocean
Bird Bath Floral Float
The Positive, Flowing Energy of Spring
Evolution
Guiding Eye
I am so grateful for all of these wonderful ideas! It was really fun getting feedback on my work as painting is often such a solitary practice. You never really know how your work will be received and I can feel tender and vulnerable when I do put it out there. Before I “officially” name this painting I wondered if you would had a moment to help me narrow them down? I would love to know which title resonates with you the most. You can leave me your thoughts in the comments below. I will share the “official” title along with pictures of how cute my newly painted stool looks in it’s new home over the weekend! Many thanks and a cheery day to you!
