Female Form -- A Study

     So, I have decided to do a study in female form.  I have always been drawn to art that uses female form in some way.  Whether it is photography, realistic art, modern art, abstract art, it doesn't seem to matter if the female form is included at least in part.  Well, I decided I wanted to create art with female form.
    A couple winters ago I took a basic drawing class from adult education.  Having never had any art classes in school, I wasn't sure what to expect but I thought it could be useful with my watercolor paintings.  Well, I did discover one thing in that class, that I was miserably horrible at drawing people and faces.  So, I thought, I will just stick to landscapes and never draw human form again.  Now, we both know, that did not work out well for me.  I just kept being drawn to female art, and the more I saw the more I wanted to create it.
   

 But .... there was one HUGE problem with creating female art -- I couldn't draw human form!!  So a spent a couple years afraid of it, afraid of the thing I so loved.  Admiring the one thing I couldn't create myself.  UNTIL... I finally just said Fuck It!! I'm doing a study in Female Form!!
     A few weeks ago I took down one of my pieces of art that I love and decided to try to draw the woman in it.  It came out kinda like a ... well, very alien-esk.  But, I made it all the way through it, you can tell its a female ... mostly.  On to my next one.  That one came out much better, but I still cant do hands, had to hide the hands.  The next one, couldn't get the nose right for the life of me and had to cover it with her hair.
     So, I am still at the very beginning at my female form study, but already I have improved on the basic body.  The face, hands, and feet are proving to be more difficult than the rest of the body.  So far I have been able to be creative with hand and foot placement so that I don't have to draw them as much, but soon I will have to make point to just tackle them too.  You can find my art on Etsy or on my website.  Follow me on facebook to be the first to see my newest creations.

Tomato Kale Soup

     Living in Maine, the winter's can sometimes get to you, but when you walk in that door, to a delicious smell coming from the kitchen, all that cold just melts from your body.  Well, if you are like me, you are always on the search for yummy, easy recipes that give off that warm cozy fragrance through out the entire house.  About a month ago, I created this one out of pure accidents, having a big bunch of kale that needed to be used.  So I just dug through my cupboards to see what I could do with it, and Tomato Kale soup was born.  Well, stupidly, I didn't take any pictures of it, so I couldn't blog about it, but last night I made another batch and remembered the pictures this time =)

Tomato Kale Soup
 Prep Time: 30min  
Cook Time: 1hour

Ingredients:
4cups Tomato Soup I used Pacific tomato soup 32oz box
2cups Chicken Stock
1 big bunch Kale
1 med. onion
1 Lg Carrot
2 lg Tomatoes (or a can of tomatoes)
1can Chickpeas (Garbanzo beans)
1 heaping TBS diced garlic (4-6 cloves)
1/2 Green Pepper
1/4cup Olive Oil
2TBS dried Basil
1TBS dried cilantro
a Pinch of Ground Red Pepper (if you like it spicy use 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes)
salt and pepper to taste
Parmesan Cheese (to top when served)

Directions:
In a med to large stock pot, put in olive oil and set on med high heat, add the diced onion and pepper.  Once soft, add the garlic, cook until the onions are translucent.  Turn heat down to med., add tomato soup, chicken stock, basil, cilantro, ground red pepper, salt and pepper.  Stir.  Add the carrot, it can be diced, I sliced it thin with a slicer.  Tear the Kale into bit size pieces and add.  If using canned tomatoes add now, if using fresh tomatoes, wait.  Put the cover on the pot, and turn down so that it is just simmering.  Let cook for about 40min, until kale is nice and tender.  Add diced tomatoes and chickpeas, let simmer another 10min.

Serving:
I usually cook it early so that it can just sit on the stove with the cover on for 30-45min before serving.  Serve with some grated Parmesan cheese sprinkled on the top.

As you can see from my picture, my honey, really likes it, the pot is almost empty this morning.  You can also make this gluten free if you use Pacific brand soups and stocks.
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I hope you enjoy this delicious soup as much as we did!!

Concerts and Recitals -- A Love Hate Relationship

 

   As a pianist, I have been in my fair share of recitals and concerts.  While some people love being in the spotlight it is not my favorite thing. Now, I watch my students, preparing for a recital and it brings me back to when I was a student.  I absolutely hated playing in front of people back then, I'm not even sure how my parents and my teachers got me to actually do it.  I would have to say that not a lot has changed since back then accept that I have many, many more performances under my belt.  But it gives me insight into my students that struggle with the same thing.
       Well, Christmas as you can imagine, is a busy time of year for me.  Now, after last Christmas, I said, no more Christmas concerts!!!  It is just too much work, too exhausting, too stressful.  Well, of course, by midyear, I have forgotten all about the work, exhaustion, and stress and want to start planning a Christmas concert.  It's like breaking up with someone and a few months later, getting back together with them.  How can we only remember the good parts and somehow forget all the bad parts??  How do our brains completely misplace all the unpleasant memories??  Well, somehow it does, and onto the planning stages of the concert I go.
     This year I have decided to play the accompaniment for ALL the music for the concert.  In previous years we have used some background music for parts of the concert, but after viewing the videos, I am not happy with the result.  This may seem a bit self destructive considering I am also producing, singing and dancing in this concert, but with no turning back, I plunge head first into it.  September turns to December and I THEN remember how busy I get during the holidays, but I can't turn back now, Christmas is just a few short weeks away.
     The day is finally here, and of course I barely slept last night with all the things I have to try to remember.  Dress rehearsal goes smoothly, and I am excited to see my vision come to fruition. view dance video  Despite all my worries and fears and sleepless nights the concert goes beautifully.  Everyone does a superb job and it is well attended.  I couldn't have asked for anything better.  And now that the holidays are over I can relax and breath and plan my next recital.  LOL
www.pianobycheri.com picture below is a still life I did "Concert Prep" Music is Love in Search of a Word

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