EGYPTIAN BURNING BOWL-KARTEK

EGYPTIAN BURNING BOWL

GODDESS KARTEK

Full View

While checking on Egyptian Goddess names onine, I found that Kartek means “Spark Holder.” I couldn’t think of any name more appropriate for one of my Burning Bowls. As many of my regular readers know, I create Burning bowls fashioned after the large burning bowl that Unity Church uses every New Year’s Eve for their Burning Bowl Ceremony. The idea is that if you write your troubles, bad habits, worries etc. down on a piece of paper and burn them, they will leave your mind and therefore disappear.

Close-Up

In designing my own burning bowls, I knew I wanted to personalize them and make small enough to burn incense, sage leaves or a small votive candle when not in use for an actual burning ceremony. I decided that a female Goddess was in order. Kartek is approx 10” high x 5” wide x 6” deep and I have priced her at $68.00 I used stained glass, which I fired in my kiln, for her base. I’m sure anyone receiving her as a gift will be delighted, if you can bear to part with her.

Back View

You can see more views of Kartek on Etsy and purchase from there or e-mail me for more questions and to purchase. Thanks so much for viewing.

Side View

Gentle Spirit Mixed Media Wall Painting

GENTLE SPIRIT

MIXED MEDIA WALL HANGING

Gentle Spirit

When I finished the first in a new series of moss type women painted with the Renaissance Oil method and embellished with moss and ferns, I knew I was on to something. My good customer and friend, Mystic Crone, purchased her right off the bat.

I decided to create smaller ones that would fit into a niche or altar and I am pleased with the results. Here I present Gentle Spirit. Notice that her ears are pointed. Could she be a fairy or possibly a garden nymph? It is for you to decide.

Close-up

GENTLE SPIRIT

The seed pod opened-a woman child emerged. She was not yet complete…still in the process of becoming finished. She was innocent, having the quality of one who has not yet been injured by life. No soul searching, no vision quest, she was just content to be here and to be a living part of the great mother earth.

~Cheryl Dolby~

View of Frame

Gentle Spirit is 6” wide x 13” high and I have priced her at $68.00. You can contact me by e-mail or shop at Etsy. Thanks so much.

Pasta Banjo

Pasta Banjo

Pasta Chitarra

Pasta Chitarra

I was doing a simple research for a restaurant rip off recipe. I wanted to try to recreate one of my favorite recipes from Olive Garden called Ravioli Di Portebello. I got sidetracked, as you can sometimes do when you google search, and came across a chef using an instrument that looked like a guitar or banjo! I had to know more. Exploration time began.

Pasta Dough Placed On Pasta Chitarra

The “banjo” is an instrument called a Chitarra. Pronounced “Key tar-a,” which means guitar in Italian. I found out that most of the Chitarra’s are made in Abruzzo, Italy and that it has been a tradition of the region for centuries. Wonder where I was that I had never heard of them? A rectangular frame is fitted with musical wire which is placed at intervals and stretched across the frame. Freshly made pasta is placed on top and then a rolling pin is rolled over the pasta. It falls to bottom of the box in a perfect fettuccine or angel hair shape.

Notice How the "Strings" of Pasta Separate

I just had to have one! Of course, I wanted an authentic one so that I could savor the character of the chitarra that may have been used by ancient chefs of Italy. I was on a mission to find one, so I googled it, of course. Alas. I still could not find an old one. There were many new ones available that are hand crafted from Abruzzo so I opted for one of those.

Ingredients for Pasta

I waited anxiously by the mailbox. Have you ever noticed that sometimes the anticipation is so much more exciting than actually having an item of your dreams? In this case, it was not. I was, and am, just as excited as when I dreamed about it. When the Chittara arrived, I started making all sorts of pasta in different shapes. I could have just used the chittara pasta with the sauce I was conjuring up for my ravioli di Pomodoro but decided to create the recipe as exact to the Olive Garden’s standards as possible so I opted for using ravioli. After much experimentation, this is the recipe I came up with and I think it’s pretty good.

In Bowl

Knead for 15 Minutes

Double Batch of Kneaded Dough

Mushrooms and Onions Being Sauteed

Filling the Ravioli

Smoked Gouda and Sundried Tomatoes

My friends probably aren’t going to appreciate the shots I took of them eating the pasta but it sure proves the point that it definitely did turn out!

Ravioli Di Portabello a la Nina

For pasta:

4 large eggs (set on counter for 20 minutes before using) 2 ¼-2 ½ cups flour

Method:

Take a large bowl. Put flour into it and place cracked eggs in the middle. Knead for 15 minutes in bowl and on counter. Sprinkle with a little bit of flour and cover with cellophane for another 20 minutes.

Now make the filling:

16 oz portabella mushrooms 1 medium onion About 1/4th c. either mascarpone or ricotta-preferably homemade

Method:

Place mushrooms into food processor along with onions and grind til it almost reaches a puree but not quite.

Pour a small amount of butter in a pan and sauté the onion and mushrooms till all the liquid evaporates and mushrooms are cooked. Set aside.

Sauce:

8 oz smoked gouda cheese ½ jar sun dried tomatoes. Recipe for White Sauce-add 2 cups

White or Bechemel Sauce

5T butter 2T grated onion 1 c. chicken broth 1 c half and half ½ t. salt ¼ t. pepper 1 pinch thyme 1 pinch cayenne pepper

Method:

In a small saucepan, melt butter and stir in the flour, salt and pepper. Add cold half and half and cold chicken broth all at once. Stir well. Cook, stirring frequently at medium heat. Remove and stir in seasoning. Now add the smoked gouda and sundried tomatoes which have been chopped in a food processor. Cook until cheese melts.

Now assemble.

Lay out ravioli. Place filling in center of each. Cover with top. If you are not going to use immediately, freeze quickly on a baking pan and then place in freezer zip lock bags to freeze.

When ready to cook, boil water and add about ½ C salt to the boiling water.

Now add ravioli from freezer bag or fresh pasta. Boil for approx 2 minutes or til they float to the top. When they float to top, cook about 1 more minute. Drain. Place into another pan of melted butter and cook very slightly. Drain again and place on a plate and spoon on the sauce. You might add chopped chives or green onions at this point.

ZESTY CARROTS

ZESTY CARROTS

(THE CARROTS THAT CARROT HATERS LOVE)

Zesty Carrots

I’ve mentioned in other posts that my mother-in-law was a gourmet cook. “Bana,” as we called her, belonged to 30 clubs! She was a real honest to goodness club woman. Attending thirty club meetings a year must have kept her in meetings and in the kitchen quite a bit, since everyone brought “pot luck” dishes to these meetings. “Pot luck” does not describe accurately the type of food they all enjoyed. Each woman brought recipes they experimented with and seemed to be in competition with one another as to who could make the best. I was the lucky recipient of this treasure trove of recipes.

Carrots Arranged in Casserole

When she made “The Carrots That Carrot Haters Love” for the first time, Bana said. “I want everyone to try these carrots because people love them, even if they don’t like carrots, especially children.” The kids loved to repeat that statement to their friends whenever I would serve them through the years. It definitely was one of our favorite vegetable casseroles.

After Baking

I attended a Summer Solstice party last weekend.. Summer Solstice is the longest day of the year. It is a time to use fresh vegetables from our early gardens. My Zesty Carrots was the perfect potluck to bring along. Carrots are soooo good for you. One cup of carrots are equal to only 52 calories. They are low in saturated fat, have no cholesterol, high in dietary fiber, manganese, niacin, potassium, thiamin, Vit. B6 and Vitamin C. It has all the functions of vitamin A for vision. It’s anti-oxidant properties help prevent cancer.

Yum!

The extra “kick”added to the recipe is horseradish. That's the zesty part. The horseradish gives it just the right amount of tartness and works well to balance the natural sugar in the carrots. I always serve them warm but find they are also very good cold as a late night snack.

ZESTY CARROTS

Serves 6 8 large carrots ¼ cup water (from carrot pan) 2 t. grated onion 2 T. horseradish ½ t. salt ½ cup mayonnaise ½ t. pepper ¼ cup fine bread crumbs or cracker crumbs 1 T. butter

l. Cook and spread 8 carrots that have been cut into lengthwide strips in a baking dish. 2. Mix and pour over carrots: 2 T. horshradish, ½ t. salt, 2 T. grated onion, ¼ cup water from carrots, ½ cup mayonnaise, ½ t. pepper. 3. Top with a mixture of : ½ cup breadcrumbs, 1 T. softened butter 4. Bake at 375 degrees for about 20 minutes. Garnish with parsley. I almost always double this recipe.

TIMEKEEPER WALL SCULPTURE

Close-up of Timekeeper

Sold.

Thank you Deb!

I named her Timekeeper because the story that I had previously written seemed perfect for her. It’s the soulful look on her face that made me think she was contemplating change. I used one of my original stoneware clay faces, horsehair, which was taken from the tail, an old purse from Africa (I think) , which I repurposed into a backing, two ancient looking cloths for her garment and a pin and necklace for embellishments. She is 8” wide by 5” deep by 36 “ long including garment.

Another View

Here is her story. I hope you agree that it suits her perfectly.

“TIMEKEEPER”

There were three doors opening in her life, the doors of yesterday, today and tomorrow. Yesterday appeared to be only an illusion, tomorrow a vision. both were vague and nebulas. Today was a place she could not bear to be. The choice was at hand. The voice of intuition began to speak to her and somehow, she knew in her heart that all time Is simultaneous…the first cry also being the last..for there Is only now. By dealing with life in the present, she could begin to remove some of the scars of the past and thus change her future. With a renewed sense of the importance of now.. and a recharged inner essence..she entered the door of today, where a new world awaited her.

~Cheryl Dolby~

Close-up of Antique Canvas

I think Timekeeper would add an air of mystery to any environment. I have priced her at $115. You can view on Etsy
or contact me directly by e-mail. Thanks so much for viewing.

GRANDMOTHER TREES

Large Grandmother Tree number 1

Sold.

Thank you Barbara!

Some of you may have seen earlier posts of my Grandmother Tree wall sculptures. The idea came to me when I saw a beautiful piece of driftwood and just knew I could convert it into a tree sculpture. A new series was created. Through the years, the trees have taken the form of tall standing sculptures, large Malaleuca Tree bark wall sculptures and various sized driftwood wall sculptures.

Close-up of Number 1 Grandmother Tree

I just finished two Grandmother Trees. Grandmother Tree number 1 is 5” wide by 25” high and 4” deep. I’ve added a lotus pod, reindeer and other moss and a beautiful peacock feather along with the original stoneware clay face and driftwood.

Grandmother Tree Number 2

Grandmother Tree number 2 is 5”w x 12” high by 4”deep. an and also has a lotus pod, peacock feather, tree bark, driftwood and one of my original faces.

Below is the story I have given to my Grandmother Tree series:

Grandmother Tree”

The trees are alive! She wandered into the garden early one morning and she heard them speak to one another.. It was a language spoken on another frequency..in another vibrational time frame. They spoke of healing with power and energy and of the relationship between energy and matter. She was drawn to an ancient Chinese Elm and as she leaned her body next to the base, somehow she felt immersed in the tree and felt herself slip into the tree..was one with the tree and knew that she was the tree.....

~Cheryl Dolby~

I’ve just placed both trees for sale on Etsy (tree number 1) Etsy (tree numbr 2) where you can view more pictures and purchase or you can also purchase directly from me by contacting me through my e-mail

Thanks so much for viewing.

OCEAN BURNING BOWL

Front View

Sold. Thank you Angela!

Whenever I finish a piece that has an ocean theme, I name her Oceana. The reason is because the words in the poem I have written titled “Oceana” states exactly how I feel about the ocean. It surprises me that I live on a hilltop deep in the heavily forested Blue Ridge Parkway, and not by the sea. None the less, once a year I must go there to get my ‘fix.’ Incidentally, right now I have never seen the Roanoke Valley look any greener. It has rained daily and the leaves on the trees are full and dense looking and absolutely beautiful.

Close-up of Face

When I finished sculpting the face on this burning bowl, I knew she must be one of my Oceanas. She has a longing, a homesick kind of expression..sort of like she is yearning to be sitting on the shore and hearing the waves crashing in, talking to her, and making her whole again.

My Oceana features stoneware clay and various ocean pieces I have collected on my journeys to the sea. I always invite my customers to add items to my pieces of art from their own trips to the sea, or to add items meaningful to them in some way.

Close-up of Shells

Oceana is priced at $68 and is 11” h x by 5” w x 5” deep. You can view more images of her on Etsy where I have just placed her for sale or to contact me directly by e-mail and we will go from there.

View of Back

“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….

FAIRY AND FRENCH CLOAK HANGER

FRENCH AND FAIRY CLOAK HANGERS

Blooming Spirit Fairy Cloak Hanger

The idea for my cloak hangers came from an article in one of the craft books I purchased years ago. I would give credit to the artist and magazine but I can’t remember which one it was. I changed the hangers drastically by adding my own faces-ones that I painted in oils or acrylic-and added my legends that go with each piece of my artwork, as well as lots of embellishments.

Full Picture of Fairy Hanger

I used a heavy wooden hanger to begin with and then covered it with canvas. I then modge-podged my paintings onto it and covered again with a modge podge finish. “Cloak” hangers seemed like an appropriate name for them since they act as a piece of art while unadorned or become functional when lingerie, scarves, cafetans or even jewelry are draped from them.

Close-Up of Fairy Hanger

My friend, Dian, is always so generous. She gives me beautiful gifts. I love the fact that they are all of a French nature, which I guess is because she knows I love France almost as much as she does. I was invited to a dinner party she and her husband, Tom, had this evening. I decided to gift Dian with a very feminine French lingerie hanger I made. She seemed to like it and it definitely goes with her unique French cottage.

Close-Up of French Cloak Hanger

Full Picture of French Cloak Hanger

My Fairy hanger is for sale. She boasts a leather rose flower and one of my fairy paintings. She is a fairy-just look at the pointy ear. Her saying reads:

GENTLE SPIRIT

The seed pod opened-a woman child emerged. She was not yet complete…still in the process of becoming finished. She was innocent, having the quality of one who has not yet been injured by life. No soul searching, no vision quest, she was just content to be here and to be a living part of the great mother earth.

~Cheryl Dolby~

Dian with French lingerie Cloak Hanger

Tom and Dian in Their Charming French Cottage

Perfect Table Setting for a Lovely Dinner

I have priced Blooming Spirit at $38. If you ever decide to create one of your own, you will realize what a great bargain this is! If you’d like to purchase, please e-mail me and we can go from there.

GYPSY WOMAN NAPKIN RINGS

GYPSY WOMAN NAPKIN RINGS

Imagine having a luncheon with a few of your Goddess friends. Imagine the look on their faces when they take their seats at the table and see my new fanciful series-“Gypsy Woman Napkin Rings” I’ve adorned each one with all sorts of bangles and artsy embellishments. Of course, each one also features one of my original hand sculpted faces. No two are ever alike. They are chunky (about 3” wide x 2” high. I didn’t give them names this time-thought whoever receives them might have fun naming each one.

Number 1

My friend, Dian, posted this quote of an unknown source on Facebook. It seems to fit the way I look at things through my gypsy eyes and fits right in with my new series.

" She crossed borders recklessly, refusing to recognize limits, saying bonjour and buon giorno...as though she owned both Italy and France...and the day itself. ♥"

Number 2

I’ve decided not to list on etsy just yet so if you are interested, you can e-mail me and we can go from there on shipping. I’ve priced them at $25. each. I have just 6 available for now. These are the first in the series and I am not sure how pricing will go in the future if they take off, which I am pretty sure they will. What do you think?

Thanks so much for looking!

Number 3

Sold. Thank you Dee!

Number 4

Number 5

Number 6

Double Click to See Each Goddess Napkin Ring a Little Clearer