GODDESS OF COSMIC LIGHT

GODDESS OF COSMIC LIGHT

Goddess of Cosmic Light Planter

Spring will be here before we know it and I am still working frantically on getting my Goddess planters ready for their grand showing in April.

This year, I’ve decided to add several mosaic planters as well as some inlaid mosaic creations. Shown here is my Goddess of Cosmic Light. She is quite large-about 6” deep x 16” high and 7” wide.

Close-Up of Mosaics

This is the story I have written for her:

Cosmic Light

Ribbons of light were drifting on the wings of the wind.
Cosmic rhythms beating unmercifully began to reveal to her the secrets of her heart.

She began to feel infinite love, wisdom and energy in the universe; she had finally connected with her higher self and she knew she was a radiant being, filled with light and love.

~Cheryl Dolby~

Another View

We will be creating planters smaller but similar to this in my Faces Sculpture Class to be given this summer. There are still a few places left. Please check it out and e-mail me if you are interested. We had a great time last summer!

OLIVETO

OLIVETO!

A TRIP TO ITALY IN A BOTTLE

Specialty Oils From All Over The World

As you step into Oliveto, the exciting new shop at West Village, you are in Italy once again or maybe even there for the first time. Your eyes are immediately drawn to the rows of shining silver, Italian designed, olive oil and balsamic vinegar vessels.

Owner, Elizabeth Merian

When I inquired as to whether the shop was a franchise, owner Elizabeth Merian, told me the story of Oliveto. Elizabeth was vacationing in new England and walked into an olive oil shop in Maine. She was instantly in love with the old world charm and wanted to fashion her own style of magic here in Roanoke. She succeeded in her creation of Oliveto because magical it is.

Oils for Tasting

I can’t think of anywhere else that you can have a choice of dozens of specialty olive oils and balsamic vinegars from around the world, none the less, having them freshly bottled especially for you the moment you purchase them.

Jars, lined up and waiting to be filled with award winning olive oils

Elizabeth provides small containers for you to taste the pungent oils. Let your imagination soar as you read the names of these oils. White Truffle Oil, Porcini Mushroom, Japanese Toasted Sesame, Organic Persian Lime. For the vinegars: Coconut, Honey- Ginger, Alfoos Mango, Blenheim Apricot. Just to name a few.

Close-up of Specialty Vinegar

The Shop Also Has a Large Assortment of Spices and Rubs

I could not stop thinking of all the ways in which the large array of Italian staples could be used. With oils in hand, I rushed from Oliveto and came home to create a salad that was greatly enhanced with the oils I purchased.

Here is the recipe for my Bean and Roasted Garlic Salad.

Bean and Roasted Garlic Salad

BEAN AND ROASTED GARLIC SALAD

Several slices of smoked bell peppers
1 lb green beans
6 cups salad greens
2 T. pine nuts-lightly toasted
6 whole garlic bulbs-roasted

Dressing:

16 T. Oliveto garlic oil
5T. Oliveto aged balsamic vinegar (aged in oak barrel for 18 years!)
4T. lime juice
4T. basil, chopped

You can shake this dressing up by trying any of Oliveto’s unusual oils. What about a Wild Mushroom and Sage oil or Tangerine vinegar?

Cook green beans until tender. Refresh under cold water and drain. Preheat oven to 350. Heat about a tablespoon of the garlic olive oil in heavy skillet. Add garlic cloves and sauté for 8 minutes. Cover skillet with lid and transfer to oven and bake till cloves are tender, about 10 minutes. Alternately, if you own a garlic roaster, just pop them into it and roast. Garlic and dressing can be prepared one day ahead and refrigerated. Whisk together olive oil, vinegar and lime. Pour over salad with other ingredients. This salad not only looks delicious but the taste is divine. I plan to experiment with other oils and vinegars from Oliveto.

Serves 4-6

If you live near Roanoke, Virginia or are in the area, I hope you will stop by to visit Oliveto. Located at The Shoppes at West Village, 3565 Electric Road, 24018. You can also visit the website here

CELTIC WATER GODDESS

CELTIC WATER GODDESS

COVENTINA, SHE OF THE COVENS

"Coventina-She of the Covens, Celtic Water Goddess"

If you have never experimented with encaustic or cold wax, you are missing out on a very sensual experience. Once you start working with it, you’ll want to try it on many of your art projects. I have used the wax on angel wings to instill age, on journal covers and boxes as well. Sometimes, I add the wax with oil to the faces of my paintings.

Closer view

Lately, I have preferred a smooth, life-like finish as seen on my “Coventina,-She of the Covens, Celtic Water Goddess." I ran a digital image of an original painting of her and then added wax and oil paints, fishnet and some small shells.

Close-up

I’ve given her the name of Coventina-She of the Covens-Celtic Water Goddess, but the story is the same one I use with all my ocean pieces. I wrote it years ago but it still applies to my feelings of the sea. You can e-mail me if you are interested in her. She has a ghost-like appearance, as though she just emerged from the sea. Perhaps she is a mermaid but for sure she is a water Goddess. She is for sale at $150.00 and is approx 10”x 14” I painted her on cradled birch board. Thanks so much.

Oceana

As she was standing at the edge of the ocean she
could hear the waves chanting
their familiar song.

“Come to me, I am greater than you, I am wiser than
you..I am the one.”

She resisted once again. How long could she
continue to resist…How much longer before she
embraced her larger self,
her destiny,
her soul…
..the sea….

~ Cheryl Dolby~

INSPIRED BY MEXICO

INSPIRED BY MEXICO

Mayan Journal Page

My Mexican trip this year was uneventful except for the fact that it is the third year in a row that I was unable to get out of the Roanoke airport. First year it was the snow, second the wind and this year it was the fog that forced me to drive to an International Airport two hours away. It's a lot of work these days to have fun, especially with airline travel being what it is. I might add, it's worth it in the end.

I stayed at a hotel in the Maya Riviera area. This year, the year 2012 end of days year, according to the Mayan calendar, found Mexican vendors selling all sorts of end times souvenirs including 2012 chocolate candy and calendars galore. I personally don’t believe our world will end on December 21, 2012, even though I agree that things are quite a mess right now on our planet. I am hoping that mankind wakes up and sees what a glorious place in which we live. At this time we have plenty of water, clear skies, golden soil and bounteous countryside. It may not always be this way. Overpopulation, over warming and over indulgence threatens us all.

Frida Journal Page

It seemed appropriate that since I’ve started journaling this year, I should present my Mayan journal page and another one of Frida. For the first one, I printed one of my original faces on organza cloth, which can be purchased as 8x11" printing sheets, and placed it over the top of a Mayan picture I had taken years ago.

On the Frida journal page, I used a close-up copy of my original painting of Frida,which can be seen here. I did nothing else to it except destroy it with my atrocious handwriting..LOL…Anyway, I’m off to a good start with journaling this year and find it to be very addictive.

EMPRESS CASSANDRA PLANTER

EMPRESS CASSANDRA

GODDESS PLANTER

Empress Cassandra Goddess Planter

It’s springtime at my studio at Woodloft. (my home) I have to think one season ahead since it takes so long for my Goddess Planters to dry and then be fired in my kiln. I’m well on my way with many for my customers to choose from when they have their first showing in April.

Close-up

As I sculpted each of Empress Cassandra’s features, she became more and more alive. I felt like she was watching my every move after her eyes were finished. She followed me around the studio, nodding yes or no as I chose the embellishments I would add. The name, Cassandra means “queen of the Olypian gods.” We will be making planters in my upcoming Faces class. Students will work at achieving this kind of realism in their planters, although we will be creating them on a much smaller scale.

Side View

Notice the gorgeous greenery that Cassandra displays? It’s plastic! Anyone who knows me, knows I don’t use plastic anything. Not cups, dishes, silverware and especially not plastic plants. One of my customer’s told me that she puts the expensive silk plants in the planters she has bought from me and she says they are stunning in her home. I thought I’d give it a go since the herbs that I normally place in the pots are hard for me to haul back and forth to the market, where I show. I’m now sold on this idea. Of course, I do intermingle the real ones among my planters in my home.

View From Front

Let me know if you are interested in one of my classes. The second class, Sculpting the Figure in Clay has only 1 space left but the Faces class has 3 openings. It will be a wonderful way to spend an all inclusive vacation with nothing to worry about but sculpting, swimming and dining since absolutely everything is included.

Can You Tell Which Planters Hold Real Greenery?

View From Back

CAGED SANTOS DOLL -NADYA

CAGED SANTOS DOLL

NADYA

Full Version of Nadya Santos Doll in Windowsill

I’ve been experimenting with caged dolls again. Click here to see the first one I created. Even though a style seems to be emerging, I’m still not satisfied. I do love the aged look but I’m thinking of creating a more modern version while keeping with the history behind the dolls.

Close-up. Notice the sparkly beads at the hinges

I named my doll, Nadya, which means "hope" in Ukrainian. It's a name I just love. We will be sculpting a Santos doll in my upcoming class this summer titled, “Sculpting the Figure in Clay.” It will be interesting to see the various styles that the students will create. There is only one space left in that class. If you’d like to find out more, please click here to visit my webpage.

What I found out when I looked up the history of the Santos doll is that Santos, in Spanish, means saint. They represent a Spanish Colonial and European style and originated as copies of 17th century carvings created by priests. They were created as altars for villagers who were not able to travel a long distance to attend a church. They are a bit like Creche figures, which were created by the Italians.

The dolls were brought to Latin America and America during the Colonial age and used to help convert the Native Americans to Catholicism. The people who create the Santos dolls are called Santeros or Saint Maker. Not a bad occupation I’d say. Who wouldn’t want to be a maker of saints?

BUTTERFLY JOURNAL PAGE

BUTTERFLY JOURNAL PAGE

Actual Wings of a Butterfly

If you look very closely, you’ll see that the two ladies in this journal page are actually created with butterfly wings! I found them glued to a sheet of paper at the flea market about ten years ago and kept them in my stash for a future use.

Close-up Detail

Since I started my art journal this year, I knew that now was the time and place for them to take a stand in my artwork. I had to pull them off of the worn out paper they were glued to and reglue them to my journal page. It wasn’t easy since they are so delicate. The time and patience someone took in creating these two figures is amazing.

I used a marker to outline the figures and added a bit of a background with a stencil and markers. I wanted to keep the rest as simple as possible since there is so much detail in those tiny wings.

Another Close-up of Wings on Body

I wonder about the butterflies. Were they found in someone’s garden, extinguished of life and waiting to go through a metamorphous once again? I will never know but I do enjoy the beauties they have become.

CARAMELIZED, ROASTED VEGETABLES

CARAMELIZED, ROASTED VEGETABLES

Caramelized, Roasted Eggplant, Zucchini and Tomatoes with Garlic and Olive Oil

From time to time, I search food blogs to find enticing, unusual recipes. I hit the jackpot when I found this one. It comes from Gourmand in the Kitchen blog, which you can get to by clicking here I decided to make the recipe exactly according to the one on the blog and had wonderful results. Of course, I had to add my own touch to the finished canning jars by using one of my faces for the label. Too bad my penmanship is so bad but at least it looks hand made. Another good thing about this recipe is that it is perfect for a winter diet, which a lot of us are on in January and February at least. Some may want to spoon it over a baked potato or pasta, but I found it to be delicious over lettuce in a salad, or just out of the jar.

I want to make it clear that even though I sterilized the jars in boiling water, I did not officially can the vegetables. If you decide to use canning jars, be sure to tell the recipients that they should be kept refrigerated and eaten within a week.

I Love the Way the Jars Look All Lined Up

The Flavor Improves After 48 Hours but I Didn't Wait That Long to Try!

I Found An Old Picnic Basket at the Flea Market and Painted Girl and Saying with Acrylic Paint

All Ready to go to The Le Petit Supper Club

If you are wondering where these jars are going, well, to my special friends at the Le Petit Supper Club as a New Year's gift. We consider our Supper Club to be one of the best kept secrets in Roanoke. Our theme for January was soups and sandwiches. I was worried about staying on my diet but was thrilled to find one of the best sandwiches I’ve ever eaten and it is actually good for you! It was created by James Priestley, who has recently moved to Roanoke from Portland, Maine. The sandwich includes a strange combination of ingredients that I did not think would work but I was wrong.

James' Healthy Tempeh Stackups

Close-up of Interior of Sandwich

So here is the recipe (James says it is not a recipe but a concoction) for the marinated vegetables and the ingredients for the sandwich. He also didn’t give them a name but I did..”Healthy Tempeh Stackups”

Healthy Tempeh Stackups

Toasted sprouted grain bread, swiss cheese, grainy hot mustard, prepared horseradish, 3 grain tempeh sauteed in sesame oil with coarse red pepper and a sprinkle of soy sauce, sauerkraut, sweet red pepper, sliced red onion,baby bella mushrooms sauteed in olive oil, butter, and paprika, spinach just lightly collapsed in hot olive oil (sauteed) and sprinkled with balsamic vinegar, the top slice of toasted bread brushed with extra virgin olive oil, 3 sprout mix or alfalfa sprouts and love!

One more minor but important note regarding the tempeh: place it upon a cutting board and slice it laterally before sauteeing it in the skillet. The freshly cut surface will absorb whatever flavors you care to add much more readily than the outside surface, and it cooks in half the time.

Roasted Vegetables All Ready for the Oven

RECIPE: Marinated Roasted Eggplant, Zucchini and Tomatoes with Garlic and Thyme

INGREDIENTS
• 4 medium zucchini, thinly sliced into rounds
• 3 small eggplants, thinly sliced into rounds
• 6 or 7 medium sized tomatoes, quartered or sliced into rounds depending on size (or alternatively 1 basket cherry or grape-sized tomatoes, halved)
• 4 large fresh thyme sprigs
• 6 garlic cloves, unpeeled
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1 cup / 240ml (or more) extra virgin olive oil
INSTRUCTIONS
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees (180 C).
2. Arrange the zucchini, eggplant and tomatoes on a large rimmed baking sheet. Scatter the leaves from 2 thyme sprigs and garlic cloves over. Drizzle with some of the olive oil, then sprinkle with coarse sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.
3. Roast for about 45 minutes or until tender, turning the vegetables over occasionally; until they shrink slightly but are still plump and moist.
4. Layer the hot vegetables, peeled roasted garlic cloves and remaining fresh sprigs of thyme, into into sterilized jars, filling them to the very top. (You can use one large jar or a few smaller ones.)
5. Cover the vegetables completely with the rest of the extra virgin olive oil and put the lids on tightly.
6. Put the jars aside until they’re cool.
7. Refrigerate at least 48 hours to allow the flavors to develop. Bring to room temperature before using.
Preparation time: 30 minute(s)
Cooking time: 45 minute(s

WHEN THE CREATIVE SPIRIT HITS

WHEN THE CREATIVE SPIRIT HITS

Journal Page Number 1

Remember the old journals that they used to sell years ago-long before memory making journals were even thought of? Well, I made a new years resolution that after seeing so many creative journals in blogland, that I wanted to finally start my own.

Journal Page Number 2

Unfortunately, it was the New Year’s holiday and no stores were open for me to go out and purchase a spiffy journal album. Actually, I really didn’t want to buy one anyway in case I messed up. Since the creative spirit or muse hit, I knew I had to improvise. I dug through my old pictures that I keep meaning to get sorted and found several ugly old journals that must be 40 years old! They are one of a kind now since I don’t think anyone is making these outdated beauties anymore.

Old Album I found In My Studio

Here are 2 that I have finished. Oh how I wish I had good penmanship! I’ve tried writing and printing on some of my artwork before and it is unreadable! I have even taken courses in calligraphy to no avail. I was thinking of trying to write in Italian or French which would be fun but I can’t do that either. I’m taking an Italian course right now so maybe next year but for now, my scribbles will have to do.

Close-up

My method for these two pages was this. On page number 1, I used a digital print of one of my original paintings and painted the background with acrylic so that it can be written on. Then, I cut out pictures from magazines and attached along with a very ancient looking key I had in studio. I painted over her hair with purple acrylic and then added a coat of sparkle translucent paint over the background making sure I didn't completely hide the musical notes and finally added Dorland's wax medium for a refined look and for protection. I love this wax.

For page number 2, I used magazine images and rubbed Never-Dull Wadding Polish to meld the images to my liking. Then I applied crackle glaze to the face and finished it off with more of the Dorland's wax.

Another Close-Up of Crackle Technique

I haven’t written on either of the pages yet (still procrastinating) so if anyone would like to make a copy of them to use in your own journaling, please feel free.

TAKING FLIGHT TO THE WORLD OF ART

TAKING FLIGHT TO THE WORLD OF ART

Bruce's Paintings of Old Auto's Lost To The World Of Rust

What is retirement? To some, it is time for relaxation and travel. For others, and I’m speaking about my friend Bruce Hauser, it is time for exploring the world of art. Of course travel will be a part of that journey. After all, what better place is there to gain inspiration than old worlds such as Italy and France?

Dr. Bruce Hauser and Sister (on the right)

Last night at Bruce’s retirement party, I gained a new respect for this doctor who spent decades giving his time and experience to our community. I realized after talking to his family and friends and seeing the art that generously covered the walls of he and his wife, Gwen’s, home, that this certainly will not be a boring retirement. I really should not have been surprised since Bruce had taken a stained glass class from me many years ago, before I started sculpting, and I did see an artistic side of him at that time.

Much to my surprise, I also found out that Gwen is quite an artist as well. Bruce enjoys painting decrepit autos that have been abandoned from days of yore while Gwen prefers painting, in direct contrast to Bruce, spirited women who appear to be in motion and having a good time right on the canvas in front of you.

Chanticleer Catering

One of the many highlights of the evening was the food. Of course the food would impress me since I love to cook. I don’t think I could have produced the tasty morsels that the Chanticleer Catering service provided. The word Chanticleer translates to le coq or rooster. I’m not sure why they named their establishment that but it certainly is a name I will remember for my next large gathering.

I think it is important for those who are about to embark on the journey to retirement, that there are many avenues to explore and a new world certainly awaits you. As for me, well, I don’t think an artist ever really retires. Our lives are dedicated to the world of art and we have no choice but to produce.

Daughter, Juliana and Husband

Daughter, Gail

Juliana's Renewed Burning Bowl That I Created For Her Many Years Ago

Granddaughters

Gwen On The Left

Joan Petrus on the Right

More Partygoers

Happy New Year to everyone and may your journey in 2012 be an artful one!