While I'm At It...Here's a Goat Too!

Done at a workshop this past spring by Julia Veenstra in Hamilton Ontario.

Look her up and take the workshop...so much fun!!!

Long Time, No Post. Here's a Fish!

I wasn't able to get a helmet done for last year's True Patriot Love Foundation dinner, but I did manage to do it this year.  Here he is..."Maple, A Canadian Fish Tail"

From what I understand he got a lot of bids and sold for $750.

WOO HOO!

Trying to decide what to do for next year...

Making Vintage BBQ Ribs

My Mom's 'Misericordia Nurses' Alumnae" Cookbook from 1961

 

You can always tell how well loved a cookbook is by how well it's coated in the recipes' ingredients

Marg Patton's BBQ  Spareribs recipe has fed our family (and friends) many meals over the years!

 

In case you can't see it in the photo:

 

Barbecued Spareribs by Marg Patton

Spareribs (they don't bother to say how much - see below in photo instructions)

1/2 cup ketchup

1/4 cup chili sauce

1/2 cup white vinegar (my Mom always did 1/4 cup - half the amount - your call!)

1 tsp salt

2 Tbsp lemon juice

2 tsp Worcestershire sauce

1 tsp brown sugar

 

I say double up the sauce recipe no matter what.  You can never have too much sauce!

 

 

Start with short ribs - not always east to find! (these came from Metro)

 

This was a double batch - sorry I can't tell you how much other than to say it's the two packages in the previous photo,
which filled a 9x9 and 9x13 dish in a single layer

 

Brown uncovered in 350 degree oven for 20 minutes, then drain fat.
Combine into one dish and add the sauce. 

 

Sauce fixin's! 

 

Pour sauce over browned ribs...

 

...mix together...



...cover with foil and return to the oven (reduce temp to 325 degrees)  for 1 hour 



I neglected to take a photo afterwards...looks about the same as this but the sauce is thicker and bubbling when it comes out. 
It's even better on day two so consider making this the day before you want to serve it!!

 This post inspired by this awesome blog by Brian Francis: http://cakercooking.blogspot.ca/

Go Ahead...Make My Day

I just found this video today, and within the first minute of it there was a wonderful surprise...it made my day :)

http://truepatriotlove.com/toronto-tribute-dinner-2013/

I've signed up to do another helmet for this year's Tribute Dinner in November...now I'm even more excited about it!

Time To Go Home, Murphy!

Finally done and getting mailed to Renée tomorrow :)



"Murphy's Luck" - Acrylic on stretched canvas

Momma Poppy

Sue asked for a painting of a Poppy...this represents Sue with her two beautiful children.
(Didn't get the best shot of it before I sent it off...the background is actually a little more of a soft yellow than it appears here) 
I had fun painting this with a pallette knife.

Acrylic on stretched canvas - 12" x 24"

This One's a Bit of a Lemon

For Rose, who asked for a lemon (I took the liberty of having some fun with it)

 

Done mostly with a pallette knife - the colours show best in the first and last photos posted here.  The green just didn't want to cooperate when the camera came out!

Acrylic on stretched canvas - 20" x 20"

I Get By With a Little Help From My Glasses

I finally (FINALLY) got around to doing a painting of my parents' dog, Peppy.  Peppy passed away last year shortly before Christmas, and has been missed by everyone.  Everyone except Lucy :)

8 x 10 acrylic on canvas

I was a little late getting this done for Christmas...day one of the painting was on Dec. 23rd.  I didn't have my glasses with me and it was off to a horrible start.  So awful I wanted to cry and throw it out.  So awful that it was embarassing.  So awful that it was just too funny. 

I probably would have completed it in time for Christmas if not for feeling it was a lost cause but today I jumped back in and, for the most part, fixed it.  I'm still not thrilled with the muzzle area and want to tweak that, but it's tad better than it looked on Sunday:

Day One - UGH!

Day Two (detail)



Just Playin'

Having fun with colour and texture.  Drippy texture.

I've Been Avoiding Murphy

I forced myself to get back to him tonight.  He's coming along, although I'm worried that I'm overworking things.  Just trying to keep enjoying it all as a learning experience...


 

As of the end of today - hopefully not too much longer!

Murphy...Getting There

I've added some colour to make Murphy more fun.  At the last moment I added the golden yellow here and there and I'm wishing I hadn't.  Overall I'm happy with the way he's turning out, and hoping that he'll be done after my next visit to the studio.  Maybe the visit after the next visit...

Another Hour With Murphy

Not as productive as the first hour, in fact I had a really tough time just getting myself to put paint on the pallette...I didn't know how to get back into it even though I'd been looking forward to it all day!

 

I keep going back and forth on doing dark colours for the underneath, and then putting the lighter fur on top, and that's making it a bit fussy and muddy.  I think I need to hold back a bit and get all of the "under colours" done.  It's all a learning process, and I've got much to learn.

 

I've decided to get a bit more colourful with him.  His Mom has described him as quite the character, so I think he deserves to have a few fun splashes in there.  I just hope I can keep it loose and fun!

$2.3 Million Dollars Raised!

...and I'm proud to have been a part of it!

 

Last night was the 4th Annual True Patriot Love Foundation's Tribute Dinner.  I knew people who were at the event, and they sent me the photos below. 

 

His ears needed to be perked up a bit, but I like the way they tilted his head :)

 

My First Hour with Murphy

I started this one tonight...decided to take photos along the way:

 

 

 



Acrylic on canvas...20 x 20, I think





Then and Now

Here's something old: an unfinished piece from the late 80's.  I've got no desire to go back to it so I'm leaving it the way it is.  To me it's been finished for a long time now, and I'm actually very happy with it this way .

The Pony is my favourite part - still have him and the bear somewhere

Here's the promise I have for something new...the "Now".  I have big hopes for this.  It's a studio space that I'm renting for the winter to see if it will help me kick start myself to get painting in my spare time.  Much more than I have been.  I'm trying not to hope for miracles, but you never know...nothing wrong with having high hopes for yourself!

 

First things first though - I need to finish moving in...

I Can Hear Clearly Now, My Ears Are On

Done! 

Since starting this project I wondered how I could get 3D ears on this little guy, but nothing workable came to mind.  Papier mache, plastic, modelling clay...anything I thought of, I was better able to imagine how it wouldn't work: they would crack, be too heavy, tear easily, break/fall off.  Last night at the eleventh hour a friend suggested using fabric. 

Why hadnt I thought of that?!?!?  I'd been having such a difficult time painting them, and he looked so bald...it was the perfect solution!

I grabbed an old pair of jeans, and after figuring out the basic shape and size with paper, started cutting.  After that, I painted on a coat of white acrylic and shaped them as best as I could, then laid them out to dry overnight...hoping they would "set up" well enough to work.



Test run - tacked on before painting or gluing

Fortunately, they did, and so I carried on today adding coat after coat of paint, gluing them on with a glue gun and then a few coats of Mod Podge (love that stuff!)

Stuffed paper in ears to help them keep their form while drying



Now he's just hanging out to dry...upside down so help the ears keep from sagging down too much.  Fingers crossed he'll be okay to pack up and ship to True Patriot Love Foundation tomorrow for their 4th annual tribute dinner/fundraiser on November 1st!

Finished Face





The "collar" - at the back/base of the helmet



Now I just need to figure out the ears

Another Hour of Bullying

Here's my Bully with another hour of painting.
I'm about half done now...having some trouble figuring out how to do the ears/side and back of the head though...

 

 

 

 

 

Struggling with this side the most - need to figure out how to do a studded collar