Party Time

No not a painting today, a recipe. My cousin (she is my first and third cousin in that southern not incest kind of way) and my aunt both share a December birthday. Due to my great love of cooking and entertaining, and the fact that it is for me a release from the study of philosophy, I planned a lunch party to mark the occasion. I have recently realized that what I do these days when I am not teaching, studying, or painting, is read cookbooks and plan meals. Now this is the strange part...I think philosophy has affected my cooking. I now see my meals as a study in sensation, and plan accordingly. What will certain tastes and smells and images evoke in the guests? How will it be processed, both physically and intellectually? I am so interested in engaging my guests in a positive sort of discourse about food and wine, about nature and culture, and I see all of this happening at my table. One needs a certain amount of experience as both a cook and an eater to understand this, but it is a beautiful fusion. In fact I have recently learned that two of the cooks I most admire studied not culinary arts, but philosophy. Eating is something that is essential to our existence. It is all about the place you live in, too. And it is such a wonderful way to express yourself to others. I think that eating with people you love is a sacred sort of activity, and should be treated as such.

We started our meal with this appetizer, which I first had at Spannocchia, in Tuscany, when I took a cooking class with Loredana and Daniela. It is so simple and so good. Give it a try with some Proseco.

Bruschetta With Pears and Gorgonzola
Ingredients
High quality Gorgonzola
Pears (kind of ripe but any variety will do)
Crusty Italian Bread ( I used ciabatta)
Heat the oven to 425
Slice bread and put Gorgonzola on top, top with pears.
When cheese is melted remove from oven and enjoy with Proseco and loved ones.

Happy Day from MEK

December Artwalk

The cold and rain did not keep Mobilians away from this month's artwalk. I met my pal downtown and off we went. First The Paper Wasp for the Art of Function. So many fun items that are not just art for art's sake (altho there is nothing wrong with that at all). Beautiful hand made books, napkins, pottery (green vase by Susie Bowman may have to be a Christmas gift to myself)..........lovely stuff made by lovely people. It was great to see Wayne and Dee, too.

Across the street to Space 301 for a Folk art show with work by Bernice Sims of Brewton, Alabama, and Preston Geter from Georgia. This was an interesting exhibit because the work was visually appealing, colorful, fun to look at, but it also had a narrative aspect, especially strong in the case of Sims' work, that drove this viewer to look harder at the work. Scenes of rural life, such as a hog killing, or my favorite title "Chased by the Klan," described for me Sims' life. Geter is a sculptor who makes meticulous wooden totems featuring Jesus, Elvis, Presidents, heaven and hell, and even Dolly Parton. They are spare and beautifully crafted. I sometimes think that Folk art is tired and trite and even patronizing. However I enjoyed this show and urge you to see it.

Finally we headed back to the other side of Dauphin to see the shows at the Arts Council's Skinny Gallery. Sculptural books were in the middle room and they are interesting. They all push out into the space like sculpture, but are contained in the book structure.

I am going to write more about what I saw at Robertson Gallery tomorrow. So more later. Here are some shots from this lovely evening of art. XOXO mek.

forgot the link

to bid on Holy Family use this link.

One More....

Up late tonight waiting on students to turn in online work. I am feeling fairly energetic due to a great dinner with an old friend at Fuego, the new restaurant in my neighborhood. I had a tamale which was delicious, spicy but not too spicy. One day I am going to make a big batch of tamales for a party. So while waiting I made another Holy Family. I love painting these little images. This one is 8x10, on masonite, and in oil. It has fewer characters, and the baby J really glows here. One thing I always did when making my nativities was make baby J's little arms stick out. Old Italian images of Jesus always do this and it was to remind the viewer of baby J's coming crucifixion on the cross. Wow that really changes the joyful image of Jesus, but does remind us of death, the passage of time, and the necessity of living in the moment. To bid on Holy Family, use this link. Nighty night from mek.

SALE

Hi all, this has been another busy, teacherized day. I have graded all sorts of projects and exams, plus given an exam. Yes I went to Wal Mart today, and grabbed a bite with a friend who was having a somewhat sad day. Nevertheless we have sunshine on the Gulf Coast and I am starting to feel like it is Christmas time. I have a few pictures that never made it on EBAY so today and tomorrow you will see them posted at very nice and easy prices. I will also be posting a new painting but this is simply the sale notification. Three lovely pictures are here, all recently painted, all oil. I might get some decorations up this evening! That would be amazing. XOXO, mek

The paintings are pictured here with links to ebay. Be happy. For the Cupcakes use this link. For the Zinnias use this link. For the Mums use this link. For the Sunnies use this link.

Circles

Use this link to read an interesting article about Kandinsky, who made the painting of the day! It is way too dreary and gray here to even think about painting. I am covered up in teacher work as well, but am blogging while my students finish their exam. Reading Merleau-Ponty today I came across this quote: " In the work of his earlier years, Cezanne tried to paint the expression first and foremost, and that is why he never caught it. He gradually learned that expression is the language of the thing itself and springs from its configuration. His painting is an attempt to recapture the physiognomy of things and faces by the integral reproduction of their sensible configuration. This is what nature constantly and effortlessly achieves, and it is why the paintings of Cezanne are 'those of a pre-world in which as yet no men existed." Well the circles made me think of the quote that I had just read. This is a remarkable statement about art and aesthetics because it explains so much. Why some art succeeds and some does not, why Cezanne is a master and others do not quite make it. I often feel like I am painting something I have never seen before when I try to reproduce an object. I suppose that when that happens I am really doing the work of the artist. Knowing something keeps us from really observing it and absorbing it. Therefore it is much harder to reproduce. Kandinsky is working nonobjectively so knowledge of the object is his alone. Nevertheless I think the painting above illustrates Merleau-Ponty's words beautifully. Yours in art and design, xoxo mek.

Satsumas in December

Satsumas, lemons, oranges, kumquats all grow here on the Gulf Coast, and are harvested around this time of year. The satsumas I have had recently have been decadently magnificent. They are softish, but not yielding, sweet, but not cloying, and when you peel them they squirt out delicious juice. I admit that almost every night I eat two. Did I mention the smell? It is fantastic. My friend Lucia made a comment about them yesterday so I determined to paint them today, in all their glorious sweetness, with a side of pansies, my favorite winter flowers. This is 12x12,oil on canvas, bright colors. I wanted you to feel excited about these fruits. They are seasonal so that makes them rare and precious. To bid on Satsumas in December use this link.