Southern Exposure: Wine and Canvas

Let the season begin! Southern Exposures spring workshops have begun and I was pleased to be at the first, "Wine and Canvas."

But first, a look at the gardens as they are waking up to a new year. Let's wander through the gate. Not many flowers are in bloom yet.

But the buildings are looking terrific.

And so, too, is the statuary.



I couldn't resist playing with some of the tricks on my new camera! With one, you shoot one frame and it alters it in any number of ways, adjusting color, zooming in and out! I never know till I download what I'll find!

                   

Maybe even a sketch!

I find a visit to Southern Exposure is the equivalent of a spiritual retreat. There you are with nature, beauty, loveliness all around

And should you think there were no flowers in bloom, think again! Daffodils were joined by potted pansies ...

 

... and primroses were everywhere!

 

There is good camaraderie among the participants, both at dinner and while working on the project. And of course the tables are beautifully set and the dinner divine. (This time it was a Monet-inspired dinner of chicken stuffed with brie, asparagus, new potatoes and a salad with a marvelous vinaigrette, all topped off with a marvelous apple pastry.)

 

Then it was on to the craft tent where the chickens joined us!

I have to say I didn't feel the project worked for me. We only have about an hour to do it, so our canvas was prepped with a neutral taupe/brown. We were given leaf stencils and white paint. I, of course, didn't always stencil well -- it's not my artistic strong suit! I ended up using some straw from the hay bales we were working on to "fix" my mistakes (and make some veins).

Final verdict? Very fun and OK -- but I wasn't satisfied.

         

So, home I go -- and, yes, you guessed it! I got out the acrylics, some French text, texturing mediums, and got to work.

 And the vertical... (there's some camera glare, but you get the idea).

I'm feeling better about it now. It's not my best but a good rescue for me! I can already see it at the lake!

I have three more trips to Southern Exposure planned for this spring, so stay tuned!

Painting Lizzie, Round One!

I know I mentioned my Lizzie-painting class in a couple of posts but I thought I'd take a closer look, especially to give a shout out to East Lansing's Grove Gallery and it's terrific classes and teachers. IF you are in the mid-Michigan area and looking for art classes, Grove's are reasonably priced, well taught (I've never been disappointed) and usually have no more than 6-8 people, which makes it very easy to get instructor feedback and get to know your fellow classmates! This was the "Paint Your Pet in Watercolor class."

Instructor Michelle Detering is a wonderful artist who brings color and personality to her animal portraits. She's also a good teacher, walking us through the various steps.

Michelle gave us each a sketch of our pet from photos we sent her and a watercolor pan, brush and plenty of water! Then we were on our own! Well, not entirely! Like any good teacher, she was available with answers to questions, ideas and encouragement.

Our group of six was very involved, focusing on our work. Now and then, Michelle would hold up someone's piece with a matte and from a distance, which provides a bit of a better look.

For our project, we used 300 pound cold press watercolor paper. She also demonstrated using alcohol and salt for effects.

 

All in all, it was a spectacular three hours with lots learned and more with which I'll experiment. I'm not sure anyone in our group really wanted to leave!

 

And how did Lizzie turn out?

Well, you tell me!

There's more than a little room for improvement -- it's definitely her, but I need to focus on technique and personality. I definitely won't rival my cousin Patty in the pet painting department -- but I intend to give her a run for her money!

Roadtrip East: Lambing Time

A short jaunt down the road from Randy and Elaine, you'll find a field bursting with a sure sign of spring -- baby lambs!

It's a peaceful co-existence, lambs, llamas, goats, a horse and a donkey, all sharing space.

It's a lovely spot -- plenty of water, some outbuildings if it's too hot or wet.



There were plenty of black and white baby lambs frolicking about -- and it was pretty clear a few of them were really into their mom.



Another borrowed a sleeping llama to use for a pillow! But all things pass and he moved on!

 

I couldn't resist their sweet faces.

This guy just wanted to play -- but he ended up curling up with one of his pals.

 

Nap time!



I leave you with a few more sweet faces, gangly legs and future sweaters of America.

 

It's time to dine!

 

But please -- don't mention the word mutton. Or lamb shanks. Just think lovely wool sweaters.

After all, that grows back!

Roadtrip East: Maple Syrup Time!

Chances are likely that if you've poured a bit of maple syrup onto your pancakes or French toast -- and we're not talking Log Cabin or Mrs. Butterworth here, but artisan maple syrup -- you don't have a clue of how it's made. At least I didn't!

 

Then I met Bill.

Bill runs the Mill Brook Sugar House in Pittsfield, MA -- but Rick's brother Randy calls it the Sugar Shack and that works for me! After we bought some fabulous syrup in the morning, we returned later in the day to watch Bill work his magic!



Rick and I decided Bill maybe one of the smartest guys we've ever met -- and one of the most ambitious and hard working. It would be enough that he makes absolutely delicious maple syrup, but he also -- more or less singlehandedly -- taps his own trees, harvests the sap, and does the packaging.



He also built the "Sugar Shack." Well, at least half of it! He expanded the old building by about a third or so, repairs his own equipment, built the doors, installed the windows... the guy is amazing!

He was also generous with his time as he let us watch the process and explained some of the mechanics of making the syrup and determining its grade and color.

Did you know there are several colors of syrup, ranging from golden to dark. And the dark (or Grade B, if you find a grade) is what you want for cooking -- and for the richest flavor!

Bill has trees all around Pittsfield but those closest to his property have "tubes" or hoses that run down the hill, delivering the sap in the easiest way possible. Otherwise, he takes a huge bin with him to the trees! Bill, I might add, is very strong!

            

I can't begin to tell you the whole process, but when we walked in this machine was filled with boiling sap -- think seriously hot sugar! -- and it smelled fabulous. When it reaches a certain temperature (219 degrees, which he can now monitor with a digital thermometer, and not have to check the way he used to when he was heating it up on a wood fire), it runs out into a bucket.



When the bucket is full, he puts a "shovel-like thing" under the streaming syrup, lifts the bucket away from the spigot, puts another in its place and dumps the "shovel" into the new bucket.

The full bucket is dumped into a big vat. I can't remember the next step but there are another one or two before it goes into the jugs you'll see at the market.

Of course, the care of maple syrup is important too. Once it is opened, don't keep it in the cupboard! Refrigerate, please!

We asked Bill about the unusually warm weather in the region. He said that usually the sap is still running now, but it has started to slow down with the weather warming up. I wish I'd asked him if that was going to cut production enough to change prices.

That won't matter much to us! We're loaded up for the year! And I'm just waiting for serious maple moments!

I'm imagining French toast made with Rick's challah bread on Easter with Bill's syrup. Yes, it was a terrific breakfast -- and a great memory!