A New Direction...or should I say “Obsession”?

Next week I start a focus on a career combining my love of art and my passion for cooking by embarking on the Culinary Arts Program at The French Culinary Institute in New York City. The professional training and education that will build me up for a jump start to food styling couldn’t begin in a more inspirational and exciting school and city.

Along with this new direction comes a fresh blog featuring my fine art photography who’s models are of the delectable variety, so come follow me as I explore and absorb all that the new city and kitchen bring on at TooManyIngredients.com.

Cocktails at L'Ecole

Cheers!

Springtime in the City

I spent a fantastical week in New York City recently and one of most stunning of spots can be seen while strolling The High Line. Spring has just started to peek out from under the wintery foliage and the walk along the line is a welcome introduction to fresh new buds among the cityscapes.

...and what’s a trip to the city without some gourmet exploration? Just before my leisurely walk I made an event of lunching at Colicchio & Sons in the Tap Room.

With a menu to drool over my foodie friend and I sampled the crisp and tasty Frisée and Apple Salad, ventured forth with the Roasted Bone Marrow (a must try), couldn’t pass up on a truly wood fired pizza and indulged on the scrumptious Hanger Steak. All paired with what else? wonderfully flavorful flights from the tap.

On the Horizon…

Subterranean*-Original Acrylic and Collage Painting on canvas, 24 x 24 inches (60.96 x 60.96 cm)

---

Planning ahead with Jessica Torrant, my partner in Fine Art Friday, we hope to bring new artists and their work to the forefront of what can be seen and collected from independent artists.

Under the Silence by Jessica Torrant
Original Acrylic Painting on Gallery Wrap Canvas, 16 x 20 inches (40.64 x 50.8 cm)

We started off strong last month and have built a community of artists from around the web including gathering a new team on Etsy, Finding Fine Art. This group of artists creates work in a variety of media offering gallery quality original art.

You can meet the team artists on the Finding Fine Art team page or search Etsy for “findingfineart” to browse the gallery of work available.

*Subterranean is a glimpse of life beneath the surface.
It is an original acrylic collage painting on 3/4 inch deep stretched canvas. Many layers of paint have been included in this creation along with altered paper (recycled, marbleized magazine pages) and metallic silver ink details. It is 24 x 24 inches (60.96 x 60.96 cm) and has been finished with two coats of protective varnish. It is signed on the front; signed, dated and titled on the back.

As Far As the Eye Can See

Have you ever wanted one of my original paintings but it wasn't the right size for where you wanted to hang it? Perhaps the painting you had your eye on sold before you could snag it. Or maybe original art is something your budget just won't allow. I have found a solution for you with many flexible options...Imagekind.

 As Far As The Eye Can See-Acrylic on Paper, 10x11 inches (25.4x27.94 cm) Original Sold.

Imagekind is where you can find images of my original artwork available as prints. I have included a variety of my Abstracts, Figures, Wildlife, Landscapes and the ever popular Surfer Series many of which the originals have previously sold. At Imagekind you have a choice of sizes, paper or canvas as well as framing and matting options to suit your style.

I’m adding a few new images every week.
Still don't see the painting you really wanted? Let me know and I’ll add it to my gallery.

Imagekind is offering FREE SHIPPING this weekend~
Expires August 8th, 2010 Midnight PDT: Use Promo Code FreeShip0810

Come to the Fair

It's the peak of summer here in Paso Robles and the California Mid-State Fair, known as "the biggest little fair anywhere" kicked off this week. The community really rallies around all that the fair has to offer supporting all the exhibits in whatever way they can. It has all the classics...carnival, tasty treats, animals, big-name entertainment and the largest art show I have ever seen at a county fair.

mmmm….funnel cake…

A special preview party is held the night before the fair opens inviting the artist who entered a chance to get a sneak peek at the show and award winners. Included in the show are hundreds of photos that are entered in the various categories from children, amateurs and professionals within the county.

I am excited to announce I was among this year's award winners in the professional categories receiving a 2nd Place award in the "Fair Theme (Endless Summer Fun) division with On a Day Like Today and a 3rd Place award in the "landscape" division with The Promise.

On a Day Like Today-photograph

The Promise-photograph

More snapshot from the fair…

Can’t make it to California right now? Here are some fun finds inspired by all things carnival…

1.  Suzanne Aunan Gallery 2. Jennifer Dickerson Photography 3. BeckyM 
4. Sew Many Quilt Books 5. My Selvaged Life 6. Kc Soaps N More 
7. Mimi Kirchner 8. Wandering Whimsies 9. Bovine Bubbles 
10. The Fancy Lamb 11. Dawn Correspondence

A Summer Tradition

Camping in the Sierra's is a summer tradition for me and my Mr. We have a couple of secret* spots that allow us to get away from group campgrounds and really explore the serenity of escaping our busy schedules. Don't worry; I recognize the humor in running up to the mountains to get away from what are almost weekly surfing Sundays. But there truly is a calming quiet you find among the trees that can't be reached listening to the wind and waves of the West Coast beaches.

Being Human in Time-How This Generation Spends Their Time
iPhone Photographs from MailArt Series

One of our favorite areas is Chiquita Creek near Mammoth Pool Reservoir. There are many areas to explore without the crowds you may find in Yosemite National Park throughout the summer.

 Chiquita Creek-photograph

 Along the Path-panoramic photograph

 
The Water’s Edge I-Original Acrylic Painting on Paper, 7 x 15 inches (17.78 x 38.1 cm).

 
The Water’s Edge II-Original Acrylic Painting on Paper, 7 x 15 inches (17.78 x 38.1 cm).

ACEO

At the encouragement of a collector I began creating ACEO of some of my original artwork. If you are not familiar with ACEO or ATC (Artist Trading Cards), here is a quick FYI-

ACEO are Artist Created Editions and Originals: Miniature works of art about the size of a traditional baseball card,
2 1/2 x 3 1/2 inches (6.35 x 8.89 cm); to be collected and traded.

My ACEO are very limited edition prints featuring details from my original artwork. Each print is signed and numbered on the back in editions of only five. The print quality is stunning on a heavyweight (230gram) matte finish acid free photo paper.

These mini works make nice desktop artwork or perhaps a thoughtful gift for an art lover with eclectic tastes.
They can be displayed like any artwork or for a fun take-along check out the mini-journals with covers that allow you to display your favorite ACEO on the front from Piping Hot Papers.Last fall I started by offering 15 different images and am now adding 9 more to the collection.
If you are interested in a particular image of mine that is not yet available please contact me.

Get Crafty

My sister and graphic artist Justine Nielsen of Juicy Graphics has taken some of my original artwork and transformed them into new designs for all types of crafting. Along with vintage script and other layers she has created designs that are downloadable for crafters to print and use in all the ways they can think of from original jewelry to scrapbooking.

Artisan crafter Alice Johnson of Piping Hot Papers has recently used the designs to create unique cuff links for a memorable special occasion.

“Inchie” designs used to create pendants and earrings by Justine, I like to call them “Juicy Jewelry”.

Long Ago II-original acrylic on rag board, 6x8"

What the Rains Can Bring

If you follow me on Twitter you will recognize my “#surfinsunday” tags from my many surfing expeditions. While most of the time those tweets are accompanied by quick photos of the current beach we have invaded taken with my iPhone, I always have with me one or two other cameras for whatever my eye finds worthy of capturing. This time of year we are surrounded by the bright blooming wildflowers, and our 30 minute drive to the beach of choice is no exception. The rolling hills that separate us from the ocean are scattered with what the rains can bring. What the Rains Can Bring I, II, III-digital photos.

Inspired by Spring

Inspirations for my landscape art come from all around me and my corner of California. Every year at this time the surrounding rolling hills explode with cotton candy covered trees and the grasses that were so well watered by the winter rains become the epitome of “grass green”. Overnight, those fluffy trees that decorated my drive home along the lake road lose their blossoms to become fields covered in confetti. Making sure not to miss the limited engagement of showing this year I was able to capture the almond orchard that rows the lower flat at a moment just before a sturdy Spring rain melted the cotton candy from the trees.
Valley Orchards-original acrylic painting on paper, 10.5 x 13.75”.

Top The Promise; bottom Well Traveled Path-photographs.

#MailArt

This last fall I participated in an art project called "#mailart", developed through networking artists on Twitter. Organized by artist Mark Philip Venema (@Art_News on twitter) artists were to create postcard size art depicting the chosen theme "human in time" and send out the works to the other artist. As we received the small originals in the mail we were to post them to a Flickr group pool for viewing including any new textures created through the mailing process. The styles and mediums varied amongst the artists and so did their individual interpretation of the theme.
For my series I tweaked the theme to "being human in this time, how this generation spends time". I also decided to create all my work on my iPhone employing various photo and drawing Apps available. I see it as an extension of how this generation spends time. Throughout the series you can glimpse how I spend my days, while also seeing how I see the world around me spending time. All the pieces start with a photo I have snapped on my iPhone then I edit and add effects to enhance and emphasize the scene or message I am portraying.
Some of my days I am lucky enough to spend time at the beach. Whether surfing or sitting and photographing, there is something to the refreshing serenity of being by the ocean. While I snapped this photo in the middle of the day but edited it for sunset, it just doesn't matter what time it is-it's just always relaxing. The original print that I sent out was one that did not fare so well in its' travels. Prints available, please contact me for details.

 

A Peek Into My Studio

I am currently working on a commission for four landscape paintings, one 24 x 36" gallery-wrapped canvas and a group of three 12 x 12" gallery-wrapped canvases. The buyers were interested in some of my work but needed paintings in different sizes for their home-of course I am happy to oblige. Below is a look at the work in progress. I prefer to work on multiple projects at once, I find it keeps a series cohesive and allows more experimentation. This is just a glimpse at the trio still in progress while the larger canvas is pretty near complete.

A Day at The Beach

I have had the urge to continue on with my A Day at The Beach series. With the added push to create a commissioned new piece I began work on two new scenes. Both paintings below are watercolor paint on canvas that has been treated for wet media. The canvas surface has a unique absorption that can be a bit tricky. I have come to enjoy the challenge and love creating the leisurely days at the beach.
Top: Surf Buddies; Bottom: The Break at Pico-Sold, prints available.

A Peek Into My Studio

I spent my available hours this weekend painting.
I was able to start several landscapes, with a few almost finished. I just wanted to share them as a group in their varied states. There will be better photos and finished paintings listed this week on Etsy.

Ranch Road

I have been working on some new landscapes for the spring gallery display. This is a view of our local rolling hills. It is acrylic paint on watercolor paper, about 11x14". If you are in the area come by The Art Works to view some of my new work.

Almond Orchard-Sold

Almond Orchard is a painting with a soft palette that has a few drops of hot pink for the blossoms. The tree trucks are crooked and knarled but the foliage is airy and light, like the orchards in early spring.

It is an acrylic painting on stretched canvas, 24x24".