Cedar Lee June 12th, 2009

There’s nothing like the impending birth of a child to bring sharp and instant clarity to which tasks need to be prioritized.  Obviously, the things directly related to the coming baby and its needs are moved to the top of the list.  But even after that stuff is taken care of, there are all kinds of other plans to be made.

Being self-employed means I’ve got to give myself maternity leave if I want any.  So, I’ve talked to the owners of the 3 galleries that sell my paintings, and I’ve made a list of all the new art I need to make for them between now and October so they’ll all be well-stocked for several months after the birth of my baby.

I’m so glad to be able to make this flexible arrangement.  But I need to make a lot of paintings, and I need to get cracking now.  I’m afraid I’ll fall short, but I’m determined to keep my cool.  A motivating quote I came across today: “Feel the fear, and do it anyway.”

So next up on my list of art projects is to make a small Looking Up painting to replace one that just sold, followed by a large number of beautiful Lotus paintings, which everyone wants because they always sell out.  Stay tuned!

In other news, I have a couple of deliciously ripe mangoes calling from my kitchen, and today I’m going to make a mango lassi, a sweet and refreshing Indian treat made by blending the following in a blender:

• 1 cup yogurt
• 1 cup mango, cubed
• 1/4 cup water
• 2 tsp. sugar

Mmmm!

• Art Career Happenings , Delicious Food & Drink
• Comments(6)

Cedar Lee September 17th, 2007

Here is a new painting, a commission. This is Buddy, a sweet canine soul who passed away several months ago and is dearly missed by his family. I could tell by looking at his photo that he was indeed a great “buddy.”

Buddy 16″ x 12″ Acrylic on Canvas

It’s a sad fact of life that dogs don’t live as long as people…they are such good friends to us and it is so hard to lose them when they die. But for the time that we have them with us, they make things better in so many ways.

On a recent trip to WNC (Western North Carolina) to drop off new artwork at my gallery in Waynesville, my husband and I took my little brother and sister and some of their friends camping for a night. My husband took this photo of my youngest brother (16 years my junior) with our dog, Clara.

How could I not be a dog person?

I want to share one more picture with you. I worked for a jewelry company for many years before I went full-time with my painting, and I still design a lot of my own jewelry. Here is a necklace I designed for my friend Leann, to wear on her wedding day. It’s made of freshwater pearls, garnet, black onyx, swarovski crystal, and sterling silver. (Her dress is going to be white with black and red accents.)

September 20th will be the 10-year anniversary of the day I met my husband, Kevan!
And the 23rd is the autumnal equinox!

It is really starting to feel like autumn now, where I live. The air has been cool and clear, the sun and the blue sky have taken on that crisp, intensely bright quality, and more and more trees are starting to change color. There’s been a cool breeze, and I’ve been listening to my wind chimes. Change is literally in the air.

In anticipation of colder weather, I did a little research and discovered a new & superior way of making hot chocolate. You won’t see me using any of those silly cocoa mixes this winter. I’ll be getting bricks of high-quality dark chocolate, grating them, and melting them in a pot of milk (or soymilk) with cinnamon and a dash of cayenne for that Aztec punch.

Sorry for the lack of updates lately…I’ve been seriously neglecting my blog. The combination of a business trip, automotive woes, home improvement projects, re-evaluation of finances, and hosting of a party on top of all my usual work & home responsibilites has put “updating my website” on the back-burner these past weeks. But it’s temporary. (I think.)

• Delicious Food & Drink , Jewelry , New Works: Portraiture , Pets
• Comments(2)

Cedar Lee August 28th, 2007

I’ve got deadlines for getting new work to the galleries, so I’ve been painting like a madwoman.

My new creations:

Swirling Leaves
12″ x 16″ Acrylic on Canvas

Drifting Leaves
12″ x 16″ Acrylic on Canvas

Autumnal Giants
24″ x 18″ Oil on Canvas

Flower Power I
10″ x 8″ Oil on Canvas

Flower Power II
10″ x 8″ Oil on Canvas

Flower Power III
10″ x 8″ Oil on Canvas

In other news, I’m learning how to bake bread. It’s pretty work-intensive and time-consuming, but it’s thrilling when I get it right. The most exciting part is when the yeast does its thing and the ball of dough doubles in size.

I’ve got a meeting today about a big commission. More on that later…

• Delicious Food & Drink , New Works: Flowers , New Works: Nature & Misc. , New Works: Trees
• Comments(2)

Cedar Lee July 7th, 2007

This is what I harvested from my garden today:

I think it’s time for some cheddar zucchini casserole and some homemade jalapeño hot sauce. And some garlicky pesto made from basil from my garden….maybe spread on French bread and served with mozzarella and slices of vine-ripened tomato…mmmm….

I made 2 new paintings this week, but I’m not sure they’re quite done. I’ll show them to you next week once they’re signed and everything.

• Delicious Food & Drink , Garden
• Comments(2)

Cedar Lee February 13th, 2007

I’ve finally finished the project I’ve been working on since my last post: The Gillo Girls! This is a set of portrait paintings of 3 sisters, all exuberant little girls with hair of gold.

Here are the reference photos I was given:

And here are all 3 paintings together:

And so you can see the details, here they are individually:

If you or anyone you know would like a coupon for 25% off the normal price for one of my portraits, I have a limited number of such coupons and will send you one at your request–just email your mailing address to Cedar at ArtByCedar dot com.

———————————————————————————–
It’s cold and snowing here–for the past week or so I’ve rarely been without a cup of herbal tea, hot cocoa, or other steaming beverage. This is the time of year for hearty, comforting, delicious, creamy, starchy foods. Like mashed potatoes! I made a batch the other day that turned out really good, so I thought I’d share my recipe, for any of my friends out there who might be inspired to try it:

———————————————————————————–
Cedar’s Spicy Mashed Potatoes

*about 10 medium-large red potatoes, (or enough to mostly fill a 4-quart pot), unpeeled, cut roughly into 1.5-inch cubes

*about 6 large green onions, with tops, diced finely

*8 large cloves of fresh garlic, crushed

*about 1/2 cup milk or milk substitute of your choice (I use Silk unsweetened soymilk)

*about half a stick of butter or butter substitute of your choice (I use Earth Balance)

*tamari (or other high-grade soy sauce) to taste (you can also just use salt if you have no tamari)

*ground black pepper & red chili flakes to taste

Add the potatoes to your pot as you chop them. The size of the pieces doesn’t really matter, but the smaller your pieces, the quicker they will cook. (Leaving the peels on the potatoes adds a nice texture, and the peels are also very nutritious!) Once all your potatoes are in the pot, add just enough water to the pot to cover the potatoes completely.

Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium. Boil for about 15 minutes, or until one of the potato pieces easily breaks apart when stabbed with a fork. Drain and transfer the potatoes to a large mixing bowl or back into the pot if you prefer.

Mash with a potato masher, adding the butter into the potatoes while they are still hot (to melt the butter) and stirring constantly. Stir in the milk a bit at a time, until you get the consistency you prefer.

Add the tamari and spices, taste-testing as you go. I like to put a lot of chili flakes to make it extra spicy. When it tastes good to you, fold in the diced green onions and crushed garlic, being careful to distribute the garlic evenly throughout the mix.

Serves 8.

———————————————————————————–

Have a warm and happy Valentines Day!

• Delicious Food & Drink , New Works: Portraiture
• Comments(1)