Western Avenue Series

Mile 5: 90th-82nd 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 stretch of Western was perhaps the most surprising of the whole journey.  I had at least a vague concept of what to expect from the southern-half of Western, sensing that I would pass through Beverly to portions of the city which were almost entirely African American, followed by heavily Latino neighborhoods.  What I didn't anticipate was that there is a full mile of the Avenue, which is almost entirely wooded on both the west and east sides of the Avenue.

The eastern boundary of Western, for this mile, is occupied by the Dan Ryan Forest Preserve, which includes represents 60 acres of closed-canopy oak woodland.  The western boundary is more manicured, with the golf course of the Beverly Country Club taking up this piece of land.  The stretch feels remarkably undeveloped and thus rather surprising as I had made my way 5 miles into the city from its southern boundary.

Have you visited the Dan Ryan Forest Preserve? 

 

Other Projects

Baklava

I know a man whose Lebanese mother makes the the most amazing Baklava.  I only tasted it once, but the melt-in-your-mouth delicious sweetness has stuck with me for many years.  Recently, my I developed a strong craving for Baklava and tried this recipe from June 2004 issue of Gourmet.  It was successful attempt, though I find it so very sweet and buttery that one can only consume one small piece at a time. 

For syrup
2 cups sugar
2/3 cup water
1 lemon, halved
1 orange, halved
1 1/2 (3-inch) cinnamon sticks
2/3 cup honey

For baklava
3 1/4 cups whole almonds with skins (1 lb), finely chopped
2 1/3 cups walnuts (1/2 lb), finely chopped
1 1/4 cups sugar
1 tablespoon cinnamon
2 teaspoons freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 sticks (1 1/2 cups) unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
1 (1-lb) package phyllo dough (17 by 12 inches; about 28 sheets), thawed if frozen

Make syrup:
 Combine sugar and water in a 2 1/2- to 3-quart saucepan. Squeeze juice from lemon and orange into sugar mixture. Add fruit halves and cinnamon sticks. Bring mixture to a boil over moderate heat, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until sugar is dissolved, then simmer 10 minutes. Stir in honey and return to a boil. Remove from heat and cool to room temperature. Pour through a sieve into a large measuring cup or bowl, pressing hard on, then discarding, solids. Chill, uncovered, until cold, about 1 hour.

Assemble and bake baklava:  
Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 350°F.
Whisk together almonds, walnuts, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and salt until combined well.  Generously brush a 13- by 9- by 2-inch glass baking dish with melted butter. Halve phyllo sheets crosswise and stack sheets. Keep stack covered with 2 overlapping sheets of plastic wrap and then a dampened clean kitchen towel. Lay 2 sheets of phyllo in bottom of baking dish and brush top sheet generously with butter. Continue to layer 2 sheets at a time, staggering sheets in each double layer slightly to cover bottom of dish, then brushing every second sheet generously with butter, until you have used 10 sheets of phyllo total. After brushing top layer of phyllo with butter, spread a rounded 1 1/2 cups of nut mixture over it. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons butter.  Repeat layering 3 more times. Top with 10 more sheets of phyllo. (You will use 50 sheets of phyllo total.) Butter top and let baklava stand at room temperature to harden slightly (to facilitate cutting), 10 to 15 minutes.
Using a sharp knife, cut baklava into 16 equal rectangles, then cut each piece in half diagonally. (Be sure to cut all the way through.)
 

Bake baklava until golden, 50 minutes to 1 hour. Transfer dish to a rack to cool, then slowly pour cold syrup around edges of hot baklava, in between all cuts, and over top. Let stand at room temperature at least 8 hours. (Cover once baklava is at room temperature.) Do not chill.  

What are your favorite middle eastern sweets?

Featured Artist

Heather Snider

Heather Snider has a BFA from NSCAD (Nova Scotia College of Art and Design) and has worked as an artist, as well as, a scenic artist for the film industry for several years. Currently, she is working towards a degree in art education.

The work featured here are "Art Cards, Editions and Originals" ACEOs, which are an offshoot of Artist Trading Cards (or ATCs).  ATCs are miniature works of art about the same size as modern baseball cards (2 ½ X 3 ½ inches).  The ATC movement developed out of the mail art movement and has its origins in Switzerland.  The cards are usually traded or exchanged rather than sold.  ACEOs originated when some artists began to create cards to sell, in addition to trading among themselves.

"Birds of America No. 8", mini original art collage, Heather Snider

Is there something you’ve found particularly appealing or challenging about the small size of art cards (2.5”x3.5” format)?
    I have been making art cards since 2007; actually since I first joined Etsy.  At first, I found the size challenging, but now I am accustomed to the format.  I use the art card as my daily art making activity or my “sketchbook”.  I like that compared to an actual book, I can work on each card independently and not think about the page before or after, or have the pressure of completing a whole “sketchbook”. 
     Also, I like that every card has its own personality and that each one develops a relationship with my other cards. In the creative process, rather than dictating what the card is going to be, I allow each card to reveal its own personality as much as possible. 

"For Defense", mini original art collage, Heather Snider

Where have you found the best materials to use in your art collages?
    I have found materials in a whole range of places: the internet, my daily travels, etc. I am always on the look out.  Also, I have my closest friends on the look out for me, as well! 
     I am drawn to vintage paper materials.  I like the textures, surfaces, and patterns they create.  Additionally, I like that the vintage materials give the finished pieces a sense of nostalgia because I work associatively (meaning that I make random connections) and I often draw from my memory of events, places, times, people and things. 

"After the Fiesta", mini original art collage, Heather Snider

Are there particular mediums or themes that you hope to explore in your upcoming projects?
    I am always developing ideas for new works.  Unfortunately, there is only 24 hours in a day!  Right now, I have started oil painting again and I am working on developing a series of “mini portraits”.  I hope to create a new Etsy store for the series in the upcoming months.
     Also, I plan to continue my current art card practice.  I look forward to seeing where the art cards lead, and how the forms, shapes, and patterns I use change and develop overtime.

"Over Pass", mini original art collage, Heather Snider

Many thanks to Heather for sharing her work!  These fantastic art cards are only $12, check out her Etsy shop!

Were you familiar with ACEOs?  What do you think of Heather's "sketchbook" of art cards?

Wedding Invitation

Chicago Skyline
There is something so wonderful about the familiarity of the skyline in the city where you live.  When you drive into the Chicago from the south, you often find yourself winding through the industrial territory of Northwest Indiana.  There is a certain magic in that first glimpse of the Chicago skyline.  

Last fall, I rode my bike to Hyde Park (which is a neighborhood about 50 blocks south of downtown) for a meeting.  It's a nice ride because I can ride virtually all the way to Hyde Park on the lake path, which runs along Lake Michigan.  On my return trip, riding north, I was reminded of the beauty of the view of the skyline from the south side (the shoreline is on the whole a bit less developed than on the north side).  

On that day, I was particularly struck by the beauty of the Chicago skyline, which inspired me to design this invitation.  I thought this would be a lovely image for couple who plan to wed in Chicago, particularly those who will wed in the loop among the extraordinary buildings, which form our skyline.

What city do you think has the most beautiful skyline?

Western Avenue Series

Mile 4: 98th-90th 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 couldn't resist making a painting of Original Rainbow Cone to represent this stretch of Western--pink stucco building, giant ice cream cone on the roof, what more could I ask for?  A TimeOut Article described Original Rainbow Cone in this way:
"For 81 years, a giant neon cone light has beckoned multiple generations of kids, teens and other ice-cream fiends to Original Rainbow Cone, an old-fashioned, peach-stucco parlor in Beverly. It offers a few dozen flavors (from cookie dough to chocolate–peanut butter), but the real draw is the namesake Rainbow Cone, a monster five-layer treat piled high with scoops of chocolate, strawberry, Palmer House (that’s cherry), pistachio and orange sherbet."

The full history as described on the Original Rainbow Cone website is also pretty fantastic:
Growing up as a kid in Ohio, Joseph Sapp, founder of the Original Rainbow Cone, was an orphan on a work farm. One of his few luxuries was buying ice cream for the pennies he earned, but his only choices were vanilla or chocolate. Sapp actually wanted all those and more flavors on his ice cream cone. As an adult he worked as a Buick mechanic by day, but started Original Rainbow in 1926 with wife Katherine. The Rainbow Cone went through many variations, but trial and error revealed the winning combination of chocolate, strawberry, Palmer House, pistachio and orange sherbet.
     Sapp chose the location on 92nd and Western because he could see Western would soon become a major thoroughfare. At the time, Chicago really only extended as far south as the Bridgeport area. Beyond 95th street, however, were the centuries old cemeteries that Chicagoans visited every Sunday. On their way back home, patrons would stop in for a cone. It didn’t take long for Rainbow to become it’s own attraction. After about four years, the Sapps had saved up enough money to build the current Rainbow store, which was only one story at the time. Since the spread of information was limited during the war years, Sapp designed a short-wave radio that people in the neighborhood would listen to while munching on their cones. Rainbow become a place for gatherings, family outings and dates.
     Robert Sapp, Joseph’s son, slowly began taking over the business through the ‘60s and ‘70s, taking it through more innovations to meet customer demand, such as having take-home containers for customers to share with people who couldn’t travel to the Southside.
     Robert’s daughter Lynn Sapp bought the business in 1986. Her biggest challenge at the time was bringing Rainbow into the modern age, and spreading the word beyond the Southside of Chicago. One way she did this was by participating in the Taste of Chicago for more than 20 years, and placing in the top five vendors for several years in a row. She also developed Rainbow cakes, which dedicated Rainbow fans use to celebrate all occasions, even weddings. 

An orphan on a work farm who used his pennies to buy ice cream and eventually opened an ice cream shop of his own--pretty amazing, eh?


Click here to purchase this painting.

What is your favorite ice cream shop in Chicago? 

Other Projects

Strawberry Margaritas

My Dad makes the most wonderful strawberry margaritas.  I really can't take any credit for this "project"  because I recently enjoyed a round of margaritas prepared by my father.  They were delicious!  I thought I would share the recipe with you.

Combine all the ingredients in a blender:

6 oz. tequila

2 oz. triple sec

6 oz. frozen limeade

Fill balance of blender with one third fresh strawberries and two thirds small cube ice.

What's your favorite frozen beverage?

Featured Artist

Jaye Fox
Jennifer (Jaye) Fox received the preponderance of her training from several academic ateliers, including those of Andy Reiss in Brooklyn, and many others associated with the Art Students League in New York City, where she received Board of Control and Merit Scholarships. Her work is also informed by her studies in the Growth and Structure of Cities at Bryn Mawr College.  In 2004, she received the prestigious Phyllis Mason grant, she has been a finalist in the American Society of Portrait Artists (ASOPA) annual competition, and has exhibited at and received awards from the Salmagundi Club and the Pen and Brush Club in New York City.  Her work has recently been featured in publications including Failbetter.com and the Manhattan Users Guide.  To see more of Jaye Fox's work, you can visit her website and her Etsy Shop. She co-directs studio21south, an art gallery in North Adams, Mass. 

Are there particular artists who have influenced your depiction of light in your Nocturnes Series? 
Good question, but no.  This was entirely experiential, from growing up in New York City, where the night sky was always defined by streetlamps.  They turn the sky a particular color that is very hard to place, which has always fascinated me.  As an artist, I wanted to take on the challenge of figuring out how to represent this in paint.  It's difficult, because it's really more of a retinal effect than an actual local color, so the painted representation of that light is really an abstraction (in a way, all painting is an abstraction, but this, even more so).

I am rather taken with your series of paintings of the Kosciusko Bridge, in Brooklyn, which are painted entirely from the vantage point of one street corner. What initially drew you to that particular location? 
My significant other/fiance and I thought we'd like to take on an industrial theme, and paint on site, outdoors. At the time, I had access to an apartment in the residential area that was quite close by an industrial zone, which I'd always found generally interesting, but didn't know well.  Our idea was to drive around this area of North Brooklyn and pick a few sites that interested us, and paint in different places from time to time.  We found one street corner where we both found something that interested us.  That was April 2008.  We were there through the summer.  We returned in 2009, and again in 2010.  Sometimes, the more you get to know a subject, the more interesting it becomes.  We both kept finding new themes and vantage points we wanted to explore...all on that one street corner!
     We only finally got off the corner when we were both preparing for a show and realized that it was going to look seriously monomaniacal if we didn't hurry back and paint something else.  That was a busy week.

Has showing the work of other artists, as co-director of a gallery, influenced the choices you make in your painting work?
This is another wildly interesting question I'd never thought about.  I'm not consciously aware that it influences the choices I make, but selecting work and curating a show of other artists generates a constant internal dialogue with the artwork.  I'm always thinking about what other artworks are about, their strengths and weaknesses, how they relate to other works, how people respond to them, and how my response changes over time.  I'm sure that this ongoing chatter in my head must be solidifying my own ideas about picture-making, but I'm not, at present, conscious of how it's turning up in my work.

Many thanks to Jaye Fox for sharing her wonderful work.  


What do you think of Jaye's Kosciusko Bridge series?