Farmer’s Market Watercolor Painting

Posted on February 1, 2011 by Jenny

I love the farmer’s market.  First of all, I love fruits and vegetables and do not have to be asked or shamed into eating a majority of my foods as or with fruits or vegetables.  They have so much flavor!  Secondly, I love the colors of the Farmer’s Market.  Brilliant colors right next to each other — strawberries next to eggplant or oranges or lettuce or what-have-you.  The farmer’s market is so visually appealing to me.  I’ve been thinking I want to paint some sort of farmer’s market image…maybe even go to my local farmer’s market (maybe) and set up and draw there for a bit and experiment with the color.

I had no action on my part toward this until I saw an advertisement for the Call for Submissions for the Multifaith Calendar.  I first came into contact with the Multifaith Calendar in my work as a chaplain.  The calendar displays original artwork having to do with faith and displays also the major holidays from 14 major faith traditions throughout the world.  It is very interesting and usually very beautiful.

The submissions theme for the 2012 calendar was Heart and Soul, “As technology speeds up and the world becomes more and more interconnected, are we feeling more at peace or more disconnected?  In the 2012 edition of the MFC, we want to explore what touches your heart and soul.  We are looking for works of art that clearly express what it is that you deeply care about in your life and your faith.”

Themes are really hard for me and always have been.  Even more-so if I am on a deadline (which I was…I started thinking about this on…let’s say December 15th and had to send in my entry by December 31st).  Throw in a bunch of work and social engagements in that time and it’s enough to make me thankful that I was able to paint anything at all!

So, I thought and I thought.  The Multifaith Calendar, in my experience, shies away from blatantly religious paintings (that hit at only one of the faiths).  Understandably so, since they are trying to have different religious traditions connect with each other.  Many of my religious-themed artworks would not fit with their style.  I have some loosely religious works in my arsenal, but I’d need to submit a high-quality scan if chosen, and the one I thought might work is in the possession of a friend in New Jersey, who fell in love with and purchased the painting.  So that was out.

I started thinking about their prompt about ways we feel at peace and feel connected.  And I have to say that, although going to the farmer’s market is not really a religious experience for me, per se, it is one that makes me feel connected.  Connected to the community, connected to the people who grow the food I eat.  So, I started thinking that I should take the idea of painting a scene from the Farmer’s Market for this project.  I also thought of my love for stained glass, but not only for the glass itself, but for the reflection it leaves on the walls and floor when the light shines through.  But, I didn’t have enough time to work out that vision.

I also didn’t have enough time to go to my own farmer’s market.  And, it being the dead of winter, there’s not that many exciting things there (although, certainly, more exciting things than I imagine is available in the rest of the country at the moment).  So, I looked online and found a picture of a farmer’s market scene and decided to paint that.

And, here’s the finished, submitted piece.  I think you can probably click to make it larger, or you can click through to where it’s listed on my website.  I am happy with how it came out, but I also think it could use some more work.  So, maybe farmer’s market scenes are in my future — I feel like I still have a lot to learn from them.  For instance, how do you paint a swath of color and, on the one hand, indicate that there are a bunch of fruits or vegetables in that color plane, but on the other hand, not draw out every vegetable?  That is a challenge that I haven’t solved just yet.  And people — people need to be in the composition.  But I am just so bad at drawing and painting people.  So–lots to learn and experiment with.

Posted in art, contest, farmers market, multifaith calendar, painting, watercolor | 2 Comments

Second Submerged Succulent Floral Arrangement: Succulents & Twig

Posted on January 29, 2011 by Jenny

Remember when I went to that floral design class in Venice last summer?  Where I made the submerged floral arrangement? Well, as part of the class, they gave us the vase and a sheet of paper that told us of other flowers we could submerge in water.

Ever since, I have been trying to figure out other things I could submerge into an arrangement.  The problem was that a.) I don’t have a yard to do clippings from, and b.) I feel weird about clipping from other people’s yards, and c.) they don’t really sell the types of things you can submerge at florists and supermarkets, etc.  So, I’ve been stalled.  But then I found a twig the other day and I thought, “Hey, I can stick this in there (without water) and it looks pretty nice (at least, nicer than an empty vase).”

Then I went to the second class I signed up for in November (at FloralArt LA), where we made a wreath, and I recognized the woman across the table from me…she was in the submerged vases class.  I asked her if she had figured out how to use the vase again, and she mentioned a bunch of different ideas, including using succulents.  Funny enough, I decided to put succulents in my wreath that I created and, once the wreath had seen better days, I decided to submerge the succulents with the twig, to repurpose both floral arrangements.

Just like the first arrangement is way harder than it looks, this arrangement also was quite hard to do.  For one: twigs float.  So I had to arrange the succulents in such a way so as to block the twig from floating out of the arrangement.  Secondly, the arrangement is a little messy, because you have to start with some water in the vase before you start plunging the items in, and so there was water everywhere when I was trying to do this.  Third, the succulents were a tad too thick for the vase (which is only about 1.5 or 2 inches deep–see cool side picture that Gavin took, below), so I had to cut them down a bit, but then encountered the problem that when you cut them down, some of the outer leaves fall off.

All in all, though, I am glad that I figured out a way to use the vase again.  I will have to get thinking about other things I can submerge.  Right now, the water is out (again) and the twig is back in, bone dry.  I have been thinking I could maybe spray paint it a color (since it’s sort of faded by now) and create an interesting composition that way…we’ll see.

For those who are interested in taking the class, I have noticed on their newest classes schedule that there is a “submerged blossoms” class.  Their classes are a tad expensive, but they do serve you some light appetizers and usually some sort of alcoholic beverage and it’s an evening out and you get to take home a really nice arrangement that actually lasts for most of the month.  I am on the fence about taking a class in the future…I learned in November that it’s rough for me to go to this class alone.  So, if you’re interested in signing up for one and want a buddy to go along, let me know!

Posted in arrangement, art, class, design, floral, submerged, succulent, twig, vase | 2 Comments

Pepper and Onion Roast with Soft Indian Spices

Posted on January 26, 2011 by Jenny

I made this recipe a couple of times a few days ago and I just can’t stop thinking about it.  It’s light, it’s healthy (as far as I can tell) and SUPER tasty and flavorful.  The recipe comes from my most favorite cookbook (that I whole-heartedly recommend) called, The Splendid Table’s How To Eat Supper.  I have not made something from this cookbook that is so-so.  Everything is very tasty and on the different-side.  If you don’t have it and try (and like) and like this recipe, I recommend you add it to your cookbook collection…you won’t regret it.

Prep Time: 10-15 minutes
Oven Time: 40 minutes
Serves: 3 to 4 as a main dish (it is a light main dish — I would recommend a nice fruit salad to accompany).  Serve hot, at room temperature, or reheated.  The roast keeps for 2 days in the refrigerator.

Ingredients
3 large garlic cloves (I used minced garlic)
2 tight-packed tablespoons fresh coriander leaves (cilantro)
One 1-inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and sliced thin
1 large red bell pepper, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
2 large yellow bell peppers, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 large or 2 medium red onions, cut into 1/4-inch-wide wedges (I used a regular brown onion both times when making this dish)
1 tight-packed cup arugula, curly endive, or spring mix, torn into bite-sized pieces (the first time I used arugula, the second time I used romaine — both were good)
One 15-ounce can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1 teaspoon Crossover Spice Blend, or a blend of ground coriander, ground cumin and fresh-ground black pepper (I used about 3/4 tsp coriander, 1/2 tsp cumin, and 1/4 tsp pepper)
1 tablespoon tamarind concentrate; or 2 teaspoons lime juice with a little grated zest and a generous pinch of sugar (I used the lime juice, zest & sugar mixture)
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon kosher or sea salt
3 tablespoons cold-pressed vegetable oil or good-tasting extra-virgin olive oil

Finishing Seasonings
1 to 2 tablespoons tamarind concentrate (optional — I used a splash of lime juice)
1/4 cup fresh coriander leaves (optional — I used it one time and then omitted the second time)
1 cup plain whole-milk yogurt (optional, but I recommend…one time I used yogurt, one time I used sour cream — both work quite well and add a nice flavor at the end)

Preparation

1. Heat the oven to 450F, and put a large shallow pan on the middle rack (a half-sheet pain is ideal because you don’t want to crowd the vegetables).  (I used a rimmed cookie sheet both times AND used a silpat, which I highly recommend.)

2. In a food processor, combine the garlic, fresh coriander leaves and ginger.  Process until chopped fine–don’t puree them.

3. Turn the mix into a large bowl.  Add all the other ingredients except the finishing seasonings.  Toss to blend.  carefully turn the mixture out onto the hot pan, spreading the pieces to cover the entire pan.  Roast for 40 minutes, turning often and scraping up the brown glaze from the pan’s bottom.  Once the peppers are tender, the greens browned, and the chickpeas crisp, the roast is done.

4. Taste the roast for seasoning, and turn into a serving bowl.  If using the tamarind, blend it in.  Drop the coriander leaves over the vegetables, and pass the yogurt separately.

Enjoy!

Posted in arugula, chickpeas, cilantro, coriander, cumin, dinner, garbanzo beans, garlic, ginger, lime, onion, recipe, red bell pepper, splendid table, vegetarian, yellow bell pepper, yogurt | Leave a comment

Descanso Gardens Wreath-making Class

Posted on January 24, 2011 by Jenny

Last year (in 2009) I signed up to do a wreath-making class at Descanso Gardens and loved it.  They trim the trees in their gardens and then have a class to instruct people on how to create a wreath.  Very fun!

Last year’s class was a big class and I was at the back of the class (because I got there slightly late) and I ended up making my wreath out of eucalyptus.  At the time, I was really bummed out because I envisioned a more traditional wreath.  But, in reality, I really liked my eucalyptus wreath and was quite happy with how it turned out.  Plus, it had a very nice scent for quite awhile.

I signed up for the class again this year (December 2010).  This time, I knew to show up early so that I could be at the front of the class and be first to the materials I wanted to use.  It ended up showing up was not so necessary–the class was much smaller (like half the size!) and there was plenty of materials to use.

For this year’s wreath, I chose to make it out of juniper (I think).  I am quite pleased with how it came out and it, too, smelled good for quite awhile.  I especially liked that it was festive, but didn’t necessarily scream Christmas because I used more of a gold/purple color scheme.

Posted in class, descanso gardens, eucalyptus, floral, juniper, tree, wreath | 1 Comment

Glass Class Update: Pictures!!

Posted on January 22, 2011 by Jenny

I picked up my glass pieces on Wednesday, after a half-day at work.  I was so excited to see them, and I was not disappointed.  Some of them are sort of different from what I expected they would look like, but I really am enamored with how they came out.  Here we go, piece by piece (pictures taken by Gavin — they look good, but I am hoping to capture more pictures this weekend with sunlight streaming through):

First Piece: For the first piece, we were told to take a small rectangle of glass and just build things on top of it, however we wanted, and then we would full-fuse them.  I wasn’t quite sure what I wanted to do, but I liked that clear, speckled glass and thought maybe I’d try to find glass that fit with that orange/yellow/blue color scheme.  It’s hard to tell from the picture, but the middle strip is actually a gold strip (looks a little limey on the picture) and I think that makes it look sorta out of place.  I wasn’t quite sure about that metallic glass and now I think I’ve decided that I’m not a huge fan of it.  All in all, though, I like my little piece, even though I have no idea what to do with it.

Second Piece: The second piece is a partial-fuse, which means that they don’t fuse it all the way so that the glass stays a little more chunky.  For this one, I hemmed and hawed, not knowing exactly what to do.  When I can do anything, especially at the beginning of learning how to do something, I get so overwhelmed that I don’t want to do anything.  So then I eventually thought that I might try to make something recognizable, so I sought out to make some flowers.  I decided to try it on a white background, and then I thought I should make the stems.  There are these really super thin tubes of glass that you can hold over a candle and bend.  So what you see is me trying to do that.  It was super hard — the glass kept on breaking because I gave it too much pressure.  Eventually I got it…or at least, got better at it.  Then I thought it would be fun to put down little orange squares as if they were orange flowers.  “Orange flowers,” you say, “They look more like red and gold to me!”  To which I respond, I had no idea they would turn those colors.  I swear they were orange when I started.  Then, there’s this stuff that’s basically tiny flecks of glass, which is that orange stuff in the background, which I sprinkled around, wanting to get the effect of flowers in the distance.  I also wanted to try out the flecks.  On a side note, the man who runs the shop says that the flecks come in fine, medium and coarse, but he doesn’t stock fine because they’re too dangerous — you can inhale them and cause serious damage.  Fun fact!  Anyway, I then put some clear on top of the whole thing, to try to keep everything in place.  I kind of regret doing that because otherwise the lines and the little flecks would have remained clumpier.  Any which way, I still like how it came out, although this one I’m really not sure what to do with.

So then I got thinking, “What am I going to do with all of these rectangles of glass?”  So then I thought and I thought and I remembered this one craft vendor I saw at a fair in Ventura, that made little window vases out of glass that very much looked like this kind of fused glass.  So, I tried explaining it to the teacher and he told me how to do it.

Third Piece: My third piece is (the beginning of) one of those vases that I did fully-fused.  There is a kind of glass with lines and different flecks in it, and I really liked it, so I thought I might make some sort of diagonal pattern with some of that glass that was mostly see-through, but had interest.  I also lay down some of those thin glass line thingies and I especially like how they turned out.  The bubbles were created because I think I did something wrong, but I kinda like the bubbles — they add an extra texture.  For these, you have to lay some sort of foam board stuff (that can survive the kiln) so that the glass doesn’t fuse together (and leaves enough room to insert things like flowers & twigs).  From here, now I have to apply little hoop-like things on the back with some special glue, then I have to use some sort of string through the hoop things to be able to make it hang.  I bought the hoop things and the glue…just have to get the thread stuff and make it happen.  Maybe next week!

Fourth Piece: (aka the piece de resistance) (aka my favorite thing that I made that day) I had a few more moments before the class ended and I thought that as long as I had a few more minutes, that I’d try another vase.  For this one, I thought it would be interesting to get a bunch of smaller pieces (in a similar color scheme) and piece them together.  This is also where I got very, very lazy about cleaning each piece of glass (you must clean each piece of glass before placing it, first with rubbing alcohol, then with glass cleaner) and decided to only half-heartedly clean (if at all) and instead decided to piece together.  Once I finished, I realized there was no more room on the fully-fused kiln plate, which was what I intended to do.  So, I thought that I’d put it on the partial-fuse kiln plate and am just so enamored with how this piece came out.  I love its chunkiness that would have been lost if it was fully-fused, I think.  I also like how the glass looks different when looking at it plain and then looking at it through the light.  You can kinda see in this picture, but when looking just plain, those metallic pieces are a yellowy-gold.  But when you look at it through the light, those pieces turn blueish-purple.  Like the one before it, my plan is to make this into a vase, so I still have to finish it by putting on the hooks and string and stuff.

All in all, I really like how my stuff turned out.  It turns out that the place where I took my class has a weekly workshop on Thursday, where you purchase glass and pay a small-ish fee to fire a whole kiln plate, and they will let you use all of their tools and stuff to create whatever it is you want to fire.  I think that sounds like fun, so I might end up going when I have time…maybe even next week!

Posted in art, class, glass, iridescent glass, vase, window vase | 6 Comments

Craft Night with Morgan Moore

Posted on January 21, 2011 by Jenny

Wanting to get into the holiday spirit by crafting up something nice to display, my friend Amy invited me to join her at a craft night held in West LA by Morgan Moore.  Amy had been following this woman’s blog for awhile and signed up to join in the craft party, and asked me if I wanted to come along, since she knows that I am inclined to arts & crafts type stuff.  So, I signed up and eagerly awaited spending a fun night with Amy.

Neither of us knew what to expect, but were pleasantly surprised that it was a nice night.  Due to absolutely no traffic on the 405 (what planet were we on?!), we were two of the first to arrive.  In total, there were about 10 or 12 women.  Most of the women who were there knew Morgan through her church and seemed to be grateful for a time of fellowship with women (away from their husbands and kids).  Morgan made us a nice dinner of some meatballs, a sort of bacon-y, cheese-y green salad, a very nice relish tray (ooooh, how I love black olives…I may have eaten half!), and some other things that I can’t remember…other than the most delicious fudge ever.  Yum!

After dinner, we got to work on the first of three crafts (Amy and I only ended up creating two of the three because the night was getting long).  The first craft were three glitter Christmas trees (you can see a glimpse of Morgan’s on this post).  The trees were inbetween 6-12″ or so, and involved tracing shingle-like patterns on scrapbook paper, then cutting them all out, then glittering the edges of the shingles, then hot-gluing all of the shingles on the tree, and finishing it all up with a cone shape to top off the tree.  This was a LOT of work.  I think I was the last one to finish (I thought I would never be finished!), and boy was I glad to move on.  The trees are very pretty (although I ended up throwing out my tall one because it looked kinda funny…I think I rushed it at the end), and I am currently displaying them behind this “Harmony” wooden statue Gavin and I  got for our wedding, of a man and a woman embracing.  So, now it looks like they are embracing in a mini Winter Wonderland.

The second craft was putting together a fabric wreath.  Earlier in the day I made a real wreath (made out of juniper, I believe — a separate post in the future!) and in November I put together a “modern” wreath made out of some sort of moss, a class I took at Floral Art LA (unfortunately, I don’t think I got a picture of it, so probably no post).  I love to make wreaths, and have contemplated making a wreath per season…maybe in the future, as time allows.

To make the wreath, we had a wire wreath base, and then there were TONS of fabric scraps (about 2×6 in. in size) that we tied in knots around the wire base until it finally filled out.  We both started the wreath at Morgan’s, but it was getting late, so we grabbed a bunch of fabric scraps and decided to finish at home.  The next day, Gavin and I sat down to an episode of Grey’s Anatomy, and I had that wreath finished in no time (and used almost all of the fabric scraps I took — good estimate on my part!).

All in all, a nice night.  Both Amy and I thought it’d be a fun idea to do something like this in the future, but with a group of people we know.  Yes — an idea to come.  I’ve thought about doing this and have a card-making night…we’ll see.  Stay tuned and, if you’re in the area and would be interested in a craft night, let me know!

Posted in christmas, craft, night, tree, wreath | 2 Comments

Tasty Treat: Triple-decker Citrus Popsicles

Posted on January 18, 2011 by Jenny

I saw this recipe a couple of years ago and I bookmarked it because I thought it looked so tasty.  The major reason why I didn’t make them when I first saw them is because I didn’t own popsicle molds.  But now that I got married and received a registry gift of popsicle molds, I am not held back anymore!

Triple-decker Citrus Popsicles

Prep time: 15-20 minutes
Actual time: 2.5 hours (includes freezing time)

Ingredients
1 cup freshly squeezed blood orange juice
1 cup freshly squeezed tangerine juice
1 cup freshly squeezed white grapefruit juice (I used pomelo juice)
About 1/4 to 1/2 cup superfine sugar (I used regular sugar, worked just fine)
1 to 2 tbsp. fresh lemon juice (I think I used 1 tbsp. for each kind of juice)
(I found that my popsicle molds required less juice overall–I used only about 1/2 cup of each juice)

Preparation

1. Squeeze the blood orange juice.  Taste the juice and add, if desired, 1 tbsp of lemon juice and 2 tbsp. sugar and stir until completely dissolved.  (The recipe says that when frozen, the juice will taste more subdued, so I just added the 1 + 2 combo for all of the juices.) Pour about a third’s amount into each popsicle mold.  Put in the freezer (without the stick inserted) and freeze for about 45 minutes.

2. While the first layer is freezing, juice your tangerines, and follow the same instructions as the blood orange juice.  Add lemon juice and sugar, if needed/desired.  After the blood orange juice has set enough (at least a half hour is needed, the recipe recommends 45 minutes), then pour the tangerine juice as the second layer, leaving room for the grapefruit juice.  Place in the freezer for 45 minutes (without the stick) to set.

3. While the two layers are freezing, juice your white grapefruit.  Add the lemon juice and sugar as needed.  Once the first two layers have set, pour the grapefruit as the finishing layer.  Place the sticks into the popsicles and freeze until solid (the recipe recommends 2 hours to overnight).

Posted in blood orange, dessert, grapefruit, juice, lemon, pomelo, popsicles, recipe, sugar, tangerine | 3 Comments

Glass Class

Posted on January 15, 2011 by Jenny

Yesterday I went to a glass class at the Stained Glass Supply in Eagle Rock.  My sister-in-law Gretchen was going for a Christmas (or maybe birthday?) present from her parents and it was given as an option for me for a Christmas present as well, so I took them up on it.  I’ve always loved glass.  Stained glass, glass bowls, etc.  Pretty much, I like any sort of glass that is at least somewhat transparent so that you can see colors interacting both with each other and with the light that shines through it.

I had given up the idea of working with glass, mostly because working with glass means excessively hot temperatures.  (Have you ever been around a glass blowing demonstration? – that is so not me.)  Today’s class, however, was very manageable.  It was working with fused glass.  Basically, it’s laying pieces of glass on top of each other and putting that in a kiln, and then it gets all melty together once you turn the temperature on.

The class was sort of overwhelming at first because there were a bunch of different finished pieces with the instructor basically saying how you could do these various techniques.  Which would be great…if I knew anything about glass.  So, basically, it was far too confusing at the beginning.  But then we were set to the task of putting together a small pile of glass.  That piece was supposed to be fired (in a small kiln) during class, so I think we should have technically been able to see it (and take it home) before we left.  I guess we got started too late, because they were still cooling in the kiln by the time we left (by the time we left, our pieces were still at 600 F!

So, anyway, I felt quite blind when trying to do things.  I think I would have preferred to have had a more structured class so that the first lesson we learn how to do something specific, then the second lesson we learn something different, and then as we would go along, then I would have a better sense of what could and couldn’t be done.  But I suppose that’s a hard tactic to do for a one-shot, three-hour class.

Anyway, I ended up making one small rectangle (my guess is 2×1.5”), one small square (3×3”) and then I attempted to make two small flower vases that I had seen at a craft fair once.  I’d show you pictures, but I have none because I went home empty-handed.  I think I have to go back mid-week to pick them up, so expect to see a Glass Class Update!

Posted in art, class, glass | 4 Comments

>Latest Nativity Painting

Posted on December 1, 2010 by Jenny

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For the past few years, a Catholic missionary organization has commissioned me to paint a version of the Nativity for their annual Christmas appeal.  Due to the length of time it takes to paint, design, print and put together the materials in order to send the stuff out in time to get a good response, the painting actually has to take place in the middle of the summer.  Which, if you live in southern California like I do, is the least inspirational time to think about Christmas.
However, this organization gives me some guidance and I do some research (both re-reading the scripture and looking at various depictions of the nativity) and I am generally pleased with the result that happens.

For this year’s appeal, the organization wanted a colorful, close-up depiction of the nativity with animals.  I looked around at various depictions and saw that it’s very common to have baby Jesus facing the viewer.  I was thinking about it, and I thought a much more intimate depiction would be if Jesus was facing his parents.  I also hoped that the different perspective would help the viewer to remember the amazing point: God chose to be incarnate in this world not in a grown, powerful man, but in a helpless baby.

Thinking year after year about the Nativity and finding new and interesting ways to depict it is definitely challenging.  How on earth can you do this year after year and still keep people on their toes, inspirationally-speaking?  I try my best and am honored that this organization thinks that I do a good job, year after year!

Posted in christian, nativity, painting, religious, watercolor | Leave a comment

>New Website: Design Section Complete!

Posted on October 7, 2010 by Jenny

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Great news!  I have been working very hard and, with Gavin’s help in scanning some items that I didn’t have an electronic file of, I am now finished with the graphic design section of my new website.

Please check it out here: http://www.jsgreene.com/new/design and let me know what you think.  Try out the links — let me know if the grey menu bar is missing.  If anything goes wrong, please let me know!  It needs to be fixed!

Now…onto the watercolors portion of the website!

Posted in design, website | 2 Comments