Western Avenue Series

Mile 8: 66th-58th Street
This painting is a part of my Western Avenue Series, through which I'll be making 24 watercolor paintings, one to document each mile of Western Avenue, in Chicago.  I started this project because while it is not considered to be among the most “beautiful” of Chicago’s streets, Western Avenue is a perfect place to document the humanness of Chicago, the positive and the negative. In the words of Stuart Dybek, "Western, with apologies to State Street, is a great street,  Unlike State, it is a street that goes to the interior, the heart of the city, as it glides and glows through a United Nations of neighborhoods."  Check back next Monday to see a post about the next mile of Western.

I was drawn to paint Wing Hung Restaurant to represent this mile of Western because with its large colorful sign, it seems begging to be seen.  That sentiment feels typical of this stretch of Western, which is densely populated by commercial establishments: the large Marquette Bank building, clothing stores, restaurants, insurance brokers and other businesses abound.  This feels like a commercial strip at the heart of this portion of the Chicago Lawn neighborhood.  


Click here to purchase this painting.


Where are the commercial centers where you live?

Other Projects

Teaching Watercolor

Starting this Wednesday, June 1st, I'm going to be teaching a watercolor class at Rumble Arts, in Chicago's Humboldt Park neighborhood.  Rumble Arts is an all ages, multicultural, community arts organization serving Chicago’s Humboldt Park neighborhood.  

From the Rumble Arts website, "We offer donation based classes in art, music, dance, yoga, martial arts, writing, and performance in addition to special workshops and cultural events. By providing educational opportunities for all ages, we actively cultivate an environment where entire families can come together to learn, teach, and play under the same roof.

Our open door policy and sliding scale fees are designed to make it as easy as possible to walk right off the street into a rewarding educational experience, regardless of financial means."

I'm really excited to be teaching a class at Rumble Arts, which will provide foundational techniques for beginning watercolor painters, as well as develop the confidence and abilities of participants experienced in the medium.  Students will explore methods of mixing colors, applying washes, and using tones and values in composition.  Activities will encourage students to explore varied techniques from representational work to loose, fluid abstracts.  Projects might include still lifes, landscapes, portraiture and figure painting.

Come by this Wednesday or any Wednesday, 6-8pm, for fun with watercolor painting!

Featured Artist

Devika Keskar

Devika Keskar has always created opportunities in her life to keep the artistic and creative flame in her burning.  She was born and raised in India, and had an early and enduring interest in art.  After getting a degree in Architecture, she moved to the United States where she earned a degree in Urban Design.  While working as an architect Devika continued to develop her artistic skills and vision.  Her artistic endeavors have been numerous, experimenting with pottery and ceramics, oil painting as well as painting and stenciling children's furniture.  Recently, a long stay in India provided Devika the opportunity to reconnect with her desire to create art.

What techniques do you typically use when you are painting?
I use a lot of layering in my paintings.  Sometimes I use different materials like butter paper and/or newspaper to create the layers, while at other times its many many washes of color one on top of the other, which give my work depth and a multi-layered look.  Stippling, scratching, dripping are all very much part of my work too!

Are there particular artists who inspire your work?  
There are so many great artists whose work I admire very much.  One who comes to mind right away is contemporary Indian artist Anki Khurana.  The organic nature of her work and the fluidity in it is awesome.

Are there new themes or mediums you anticipate exploring in your upcoming work?
At some point in time I want to experiment with encaustic (hot wax) painting.  Also, I'd like to work on a series of modern abstract paintings loosely based on traditional Indian sari designs.

Many thanks for Devika for sharing her work.

What do you think of Devika's paintings?

Wedding Invitation

Wildflowers & Wheat in a Mason Jar

I have recently completed another variation of the flowers in a mason jar invitation for a couple who will wed in Kansas City.  Through the completion of a number of iterations of flower in a mason jar, I have researching a bit and discovered that there is a John Denver song called Flowers in a Mason Jar.  Here are the lyrics:

January back in '55 we rode a Greyhound bus through the Georgia midnight
Grandpa was sleeping and the winter sky was clear
We hit a bump and his head jerked back a little and he mumbled something
He woke up smiling but his eyes were bright with tears he said...

I dreamed I was back on the farm
Twenty years have passed boy
But the memory still warms me
Wild flowers in a mason jar

He told me those old stories 'bout that one room cabin in Kentucky
The smell of rain and the feel of the warm earth in his hands
He slowly turned and stared outside
His face was mirrored in the window
And his reflection flew across the moonlit land
And he dreamed he was back on the farm
He tilts his head and listens to the early sounds of morning
Wild flowers in a mason jar

An old man and an eight year old boy
Rolling down that midnight highway
Warm Kentucky memories from a winter Georgia night
I started drifting off and Grandpa tucked his coat around me
I think I tried to smile as I slowly closed my eyes
And I dreamed I was with him on the farm
Grandpa, I can hear the evening wind out in the corn
Wild flowers in a mason jar and the bus rolling through the night

Western Avenue Series

Mile 8: 66th-58th Street
This sketch is a part of my Western Avenue Series, through which I'll be making 24 watercolor paintings, one to document each mile of Western Avenue, in Chicago.  I started this project because while it is not considered to be among the most “beautiful” of Chicago’s streets, Western Avenue is a perfect place to document the humanness of Chicago, the positive and the negative. In the words of Stuart Dybek, "Western, with apologies to State Street, is a great street,  Unlike State, it is a street that goes to the interior, the heart of the city, as it glides and glows through a United Nations of neighborhoods."  Check back next Monday to see the painting completed based on this sketch.

This mile has a vitality which is similar to the portion of Western located just south.  There is a good deal more pedestrian traffic than I found in other portion of the avenue, as well as a large number of commercial businesses.  The neighborhood of Chicago Lawn is a descendent of the city of Chicago Lawn, which was in 1871 and annexed in 1889.  It was mostly farmland until the 1920s when the neighborhood saw a large population increase. In 1941, the National Biscuit Company (Nabisco) announced plans to build a huge bakery in Chicago Lawn. When completed, this was the largest bakery in one location in the world. 

The Lithuanian community has maintained a notable presence in the area by establishing a network of institutions that earned their community the label as the Lithuanian Gold Coast. Chicago's changing racial demographics had a profound impact on Chicago Lawn. In the 1960s most white residents had fled Englewood and West Englewood and Chicago Lawn became a target for civil rights groups' open housing marches. In 1966 a march led by Martin Luther King, Jr., into Marquette Park.  Violence also erupted in the neighborhood when Gage Park High School attempted to integrate after Brown v. Board of Education. The primary resistance to integration came from fear of declining property values by people who put their life savings into their homes and disruption of ethnic bonds, especially for the Lithuanians. Some Irish, Poles, and Lithuanians still remain, though most have moved further south and west.  By 1990, Blacks comprised 52.9% of the population, while Hispanic groups accounted for 35.1%.

How has the neighborhood where you live changed over time?

Other Projects

Grilled Eggplant and Roasted Red Pepper Panini

Summer is coming to Chicago...slowly.  As seems typical, we haven't had a tremendously warm spring, but we remain hopeful that warm summer days are right around the corner.  With that hopefulness, I find myself daydreaming of picnics at Millenium Park concerts, promentary point, Chicago Botanic Garden, or Ravinia.  And, these sandwiches, from Joy of Cooking All About Vegetarian, are among the best picnic meals around because all the ingredients can be prepared in advance and the resulting combination is extraordinary.  So, with anticipation of warm summer nights, I am sharing the recipe for a delectable picnic.

Preheat Broiler.

Combine:

6 fresh basil leaves, chopped

2 tbsps balsamic vinegar

1-3 cloves garlic, minced

2 red bell peppers, roasted, peeled, seeded, and cut into strips about 1/4" thick

Cut crosswise into 1/2"-thick slices:

1 medium eggplant 

Brush the eggplant slices on both sides with:

2 tbsps olive oil

Broil the eggplant 4" from the heat just until tender, about 4 minutes each side.  Remove from the heat.  Split in half horizontally:

Four 4-inch squares focaccia (recipe below)

Spread the bottom halves generously with:

Tapenade (recipe below)

Arrange on top:

4 ounces slices fresh mozzarella or crumble feta or goat cheese

1 large ripe tomato, sliced

Divide the eggplant and the pepper mixture on top and cover with the top halves of the focaccia.  Press together gently and serve.

Focaccia

Divide in half and roll each piece out to a 1/2"-thick round:

Basic pizza dough

Transfer these to well-oiled 10-inch cake pans.  Let rise covered with plastic wrap for 1 1/2 hours.  Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  Ten minutes before baking, dimple the dough with your fingertips and drizzle evenly with:

Olive oil (as much as 1/2 cup)

Top with:

Dried herbs or course sea salt

Bake the focaccia until golden, about 25 minutes.  Remove from the pans to cool on the rack and serve warm or at room temperature.

Tapenade (Caper Olive Paste)

Combine in a food processor:

2 cups black olives, preferably oil cured, pitted

3 tbsps drained capers

3 tbsps olive oil

2 tbsps brandy or lemon juice

2 cloves garlic, coursly chopped

2 tsps fresh thyme or 1 tsp dried

salt and ground pepper to tast

Pulse until the mixture is till course but of a uniform consistency.

Enjoy!

What is your favorite picnic fare?

Featured Artist

Barbara Rosenzweig

Barbara Rosenzweig studied at Philadelphia's School Art League, Philadelphia Museum of Art, and Tyler School of Fine Arts. During her 36 years as a science teacher at the Upper Moreland Middle School in Hatboro, PA, her philosophy was to instill a deep joy for learning, along with an appreciation of the natural world. As an artist, she creates vividly colored watercolors inspired by the flowers in her gardens. Her extensive travels also afford her endless subjects to paint.

Strawberries, Jelly Jar, & Shakers, watercolor, 8"x10," Barbara Rosenzweig

More about Barbara in her own words, "I love gardening outside of Philly, PA, have been doing it for over 40 years, and love each flower's intense colors and textures! I have absolutely no choice but to try to capture their beauty in my watercolors. Travel, too, gives me inspiring landscapes to paint. I'm a mom to two grown daughters and a wife to a man who puts up with all of the time I devote to painting. 

Eggs & Bowls, watercolor, 11"x14," Barbara Rosenzweig

Throughout my adult life, whether dishes were piled high in the sink or papers needed to be graded , I took time out to indulge my creativity. In winter, I have perpetual sunshine in my studio. The reason? The rest of the year, I take photos of my flowers and travels to paint all winter long. The rest of the year, continue to paint. What a wonderful way to spend a lifetime! 

Anjou Pears, watercolor, 11"x14," Barbara Rosenzweig

Watercolors express my joy and love of nature's vitality! Bright, vivid colors are what excite me most when I paint! At times, I like to express the peace that comes when I'm immersed in a magnificent landscape.

Strawberries & Silver Salt Shakers, watercolor, 8"x10" Barbara Rosenzweig

Many thanks to Barbara for sharing her fantastic paintings.

What do you think of these still lifes?

Baby Shower Invitation

Rubber Ducky

The invitation featured this week is a bit of a departure for me, in a few ways.  First, it's a baby shower invitation and also, it's a digital design.  

I completed this design for a friend who is hosting a baby shower.  She wanted the invitation to feature a rubber ducky and also camouflage.  So, I created a custom camoflauge border in subtle shades of yellow and green, for a playful twist a common "rubber duck" themed invite.

What are your favorite baby shower themes?

Western Avenue Series

Mile 7: 74th-66th Street
This painting is a part of my Western Avenue Series, through which I'll be making 24 watercolor paintings, one to document each mile of Western Avenue, in Chicago.  I started this project because while it is not considered to be among the most “beautiful” of Chicago’s streets, Western Avenue is a perfect place to document the humanness of Chicago, the positive and the negative. In the words of Stuart Dybek, "Western, with apologies to State Street, is a great street,  Unlike State, it is a street that goes to the interior, the heart of the city, as it glides and glows through a United Nations of neighborhoods."  Check back next Monday to see a post about the next mile of Western.

Fat Johnnies, a rather modest white window-service hot dog stand has been open since 1972.  It is open all year, so you'll find customers waiting outside in line despite bone-chilling snow or blazing heat. The available seating is at picnic tables (set up during warmer months), and they serve hot dogs Chicago-style: steamed and topped with mustard, neon-green relish, chopped onions, cucumber, and tomato. For the more adventurous, they offer the double dog (two franks, one bun) or a “fat one.” They also serve up Mighty Dogs (hot-dog-and-tamale combo) and Mother-In-Laws (tamale topped with chili and served in a bun).

Fat Johnnie's seemed an appropriate representation of this mile because it is an icon of the neighborhood, in fact it has even attracted the attention of Anthony Bourdain.  In this stretch heavily traffic commercial  stretch fast food restaurants are prevalent and Fat Johnnie's seems right at home.   


Click here to purchase this painting.

Who do you think has the best Chicago-style hot dogs?

Other Projects

Penpaling 

Since the start of the year I've been pen paling with my real life pal Sabina of How to Dig a Hole and mauve? gallery.  It is quite a delight given my great love for sending and receiving mail.  I thought I would share some of the fantastic things I've received so far.

Have you ever had a pen pal?

Featured Artist

Michelle Prahler

Michelle Prahler was born in the Detroit area.  Her artistic talent was encouraged by many members of her family who included a muralist, botanical painter and clothes designer.  After graduating with a BFA from Michigan State University she became a Graphic Designer for ten  years. 

In 2002 Michelle transferred her skills from designing such things as book covers and toy packaging to creating works of art.  She now creates oil paintings on wood with collage elements.   You can see her work at Naked Art Gallery in Birmingham, Alabama or Young Blood in Atlanta, Georgia.  She lives and works in Decatur, Georgia.

More about Michelle's work, in her own words, "The paintings start with a drawing that has continuous line work, it is transferred to wood.  Then there is a watercolor wash applied over some areas to let the wood grain show through."

"The next step incorporates a variety of different papers applied to the surface such as maps, origami papers and magazines.  After that, the drawing is outlined in liquid acrylics, then the rest of the color work is finished with oils.  The whole work is completed with a coating of high gloss polymer varnish."

Many thanks to Michelle for sharing her oil paintings.

What do you think of these mixed medium creations?

Wedding Invitation

Flowers & Wheat in a Mason Jar

As I painted this most recent flowers in a mason jar invitation, I was thinking about the beauty that wheat brings to the Midwest.  The image of gently rolling golden fields is fantastically familiar.  It also called to mind the first line of Carl Sandburg's Chicago poem, " HOG Butcher for the World,
 Tool Maker, Stacker of Wheat,
 Player with Railroads and the Nation's Freight Handler;
 Stormy, husky, brawling,
 City of the Big Shoulders..."  That poem so delights me, I thought I would share it here. 

CHICAGO

Carl Sandburg
     HOG Butcher for the World,
     

Tool Maker, Stacker of Wheat,
     

Player with Railroads and the Nation's Freight Handler;
     

Stormy, husky, brawling,
     

City of the Big Shoulders:

They tell me you are wicked and I believe them, for I
     

have seen your painted women under the gas lamps
     

luring the farm boys.
And they tell me you are crooked and I answer: Yes, it
     

is true I have seen the gunman kill and go free to
     

kill again.
And they tell me you are brutal and my reply is: On the
     

faces of women and children I have seen the marks
     

of wanton hunger.
And having answered so I turn once more to those who
     

sneer at this my city, and I give them back the sneer
     

and say to them:
Come and show me another city with lifted head singing
     

so proud to be alive and coarse and strong and cunning.
Flinging magnetic curses amid the toil of piling job on
 job, here is a tall bold slugger set vivid against the
     

little soft cities;

Fierce as a dog with tongue lapping for action, cunning
     

as a savage pitted against the wilderness,
          

Bareheaded,
          

Shoveling,
          

Wrecking,
          

Planning,
          

Building, breaking, rebuilding,
Under the smoke, dust all over his mouth, laughing with
     

white teeth,
Under the terrible burden of destiny laughing as a young
     

man laughs,
 Laughing even as an ignorant fighter laughs who has
     

never lost a battle,
 Bragging and laughing that under his wrist is the pulse.
     

and under his ribs the heart of the people,
               

Laughing! 
Laughing the stormy, husky, brawling laughter of
     

Youth, half-naked, sweating, proud to be Hog
     

Butcher, Tool Maker, Stacker of Wheat, Player with
     

Railroads and Freight Handler to the Nation.

What does the image of wheat call to mind for you?

Western Avenue Series

Mile 7:74th-66th Street

This sketch is a part of my Western Avenue Series, through which I'll be making 24 watercolor paintings, one to document each mile of Western Avenue, in Chicago.  I started this project because while it is not considered to be among the most “beautiful” of Chicago’s streets, Western Avenue is a perfect place to document the humanness of Chicago, the positive and the negative. In the words of Stuart Dybek, "Western, with apologies to State Street, is a great street,  Unlike State, it is a street that goes to the interior, the heart of the city, as it glides and glows through a United Nations of neighborhoods."  Check back next Monday to see the painting completed based on this sketch.

This mile is a vibrant portion of Western.  The street is narrower here than in portions of the Avenue which lie further north.  There are a lot of businesses along this stretch--restaurants, including Fat Johnnie's Red Hots Famous Red Hots featured in the painting for this mile, hardware stores, and convenience stores are abundant.  This is the Chicago Lawn neighborhood, sometimes called Marquette Park because of the 600 acre park located in the neighborhood.

While Western Avenue doesn't traverse Marquette Park, I was delighted to learn more about the park, which is located near to this stretch.  The park is part of the plans for an entire system of 14 new parks developed in 1903 by the Olmsted Brothers (landscape architects).  As a Chicagoan, I am in constant awe of the ambition of this plans--it's extraordinary to explore the parks and marvel at the beauty and sheer size of the places designed by the Olmsted Brothers.  

Marquette Park is the largest of the southwest side parks.  It is bounded by 67th and 71st Streets to the north and south, and California and Central Park to the east and west.  It's a 600-acre sprawl of green real estate, beautifully maintained, that includes soccer and baseball fields, a 9-hole golf course and a bridge and lagoon.  In fact, the lagoon is featured in "The Blues Brothers" movie.  Jake and Elwood forced Nazi demonstrators off a bridge into the Marquette Park lagoon.


Have you visited Marquette Park?

Other Projects

Postcards to Politicians
A few weeks ago, while having dinner with a friend, she was lamenting our sluggishness in the area of political activism.  I could not disagree. 

As a college student, I began thinking critically about our world and was moved to become an active participant in the political process--protesting, being a vocal advocate for issues of importance to me, and writing to politicians.  As I enter my 30s, I find that my enthusiasm for such political action is diminished.  The busyness of daily life and the regularity the workplace has lulled me into inaction.  As someone who sincerely cares about living a life of intention, with attention to social justice, I think it is important to be an active participant in our political process.

When I asked my friend what she thought we should do to combat our lack of political involvement, she said, "I don't know, maybe write more letters to politicians."  And so, I will.  My goal is to write a postcard to a politician each week on a topic of importance to me.  Frankly, it feels a bit meaningless, but it also feels valuable and an act of intention.  Gandhi said it well, "You may think your actions are meaningless and that they won't help, but that is no excuse, you must still act."

Since I'm a watercolor painter each of these postcards will feature a quick painting.  Perhaps receiving a piece of original art in the mail will catch the eye of the staffer who sorts mail from constituents.  My solitary letters will be mailed away to my U.S. and state representatives, my senators, my alderman, my governor, my president.  Won't you join me, I know it seems pointless, but you must still act.

Any types for effective communication with our elected officials?

Featured Artist

Harry Stooshinoff

Harry Stooshinoff has been painting, showing, and selling for over 30 years and he divides his time between painting and teaching.  He holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts, a Master of Fine Arts, and a Bachelor of Education.     

Mr. Stooshinoff describes his work in this way, "When I was a boy growing up in Saskatchewan, I used to look far into the distance and wish I had more trees around me....to protect me and make the place feel less empty.     

     Now I have lots of trees around me, but I still like to look very far into the distance. 

It's a big, NOISY world...
So I make small, quiet paintings...

It makes a certain kind of sense."

Landscape Painting, March 30, 2010, 7.25"x6.5," Harry Stooshinoff 

"I wander the hills just north of Lake Ontario.

.....the end of March....went out like a lamb.....dry and warm."

Landscape Painting, Back Acres, 7.25"x6.5," 2010, Harry Stooshinoff 

".....the tree line forms the back property line....a very dry early spring day...the brilliant light of afternoon."

Landscape Painting, Forest Exit, 7.25"x6.5," 2010, Harry Stooshinoff

"....mid afternoon...exiting a large forest reserve....deserted country roads on a perfect summer day."

Summer, Field, 7.25"x6.5," 2010, Harry Stooshinoff

"......walking down a road I don't usually take....late afternoon with the blue hills in the distance."

Many thanks to Harry Stooshinoff for sharing his beautiful paintings.

What do you think of this series of intimate small landscapes?

Wedding Invitation

Wild Flowers in a Mason Jar
This new invitation design features another variation on the flowers and mason jar theme I have explored in recent invitations.  This design was created for a couple who will marry in a Sadorus, a village in rural Illinois, with a population of 416 people. 

Wild flowers in a mason jar seem the ideal decor for an elegant wedding in a small town, on a summer evening.  

Christina of Intimate Weddings.com describes mason jars as "the unsung heroes of weddingland."  On that website there is an article describing how to make DIY flower bouquets in hanging mason jars.  So, many fantastic combination of flowers and perhaps many more possibilities for invitation designs. 

What do you use mason jars for?

Western Avenue Series

Mile 6: 82nd-74th Street

This painting is a part of my Western Avenue Series, through which I'll be making 24 watercolor paintings, one to document each mile of Western Avenue, in Chicago.  I started this project because while it is not considered to be among the most “beautiful” of Chicago’s streets, Western Avenue is a perfect place to document the humanness of Chicago, the positive and the negative. In the words of Stuart Dybek, "Western, with apologies to State Street, is a great street,  Unlike State, it is a street that goes to the interior, the heart of the city, as it glides and glows through a United Nations of neighborhoods."  Check back next Monday to see a post about the next mile of Western.

 

The painting representing this mile is of the abandoned Woodman Lanes Bowling alley.  While many portions of Western are not conventionally beautiful, lined with industrial buildings, fast food restaurants, and car dealerships, the Avenue still feels economically viable and well trafficked.  This mile, while still showing some signs of vitality, it feels more uninhabited than the regions which lay south in Beverly and the miles, which are further north.  There is a charm that remains even as this bowling alley crumbles, the giant bowling ball and pin that adorn the sign leaving us to wonder about the hay day of Woodman Lanes.


Click here to purchase this painting.

What is your favorite bowling alley? 

Other Projects

Custom Design Map

I recently completed a commissioned project.  It was a delightful undertaking.  I designed a custom map for a couple who was married in and is living in Baltimore.  As frequent readers of this blog know, I'm an enthusiastic supporter of Baltimore.  Having lived in the city, for a couple of years, I fell in love.  So it was a delighted to recall familiar neighborhoods and favorite spots as I executed the map.

The map is a digital design, which will be printed as a 24"x30" poster at a local art store using their high quality printing process.  The map depicts Baltimore's 225+ neighborhoods.  It also features digital sketches of the couple's favorite Baltimore spots--restaurants, bars, the place they were married.  

I was rather captivated by this idea, an extension of some of the wedding maps I have designed.  I hope I will have the opportunity to complete more of these custom maps.  It also got me thinking about future projects I would like to complete--perhaps, a series of maps documenting the places that tell the story of a person's life in a place--the places where a person lives and works, their favorite hidden places to visit, the place they fall in love or have their hearts broken.  

What would be on your custom designed map?