"Final painting of "Morning Has Broken" and fave recipe

This is why I wait a week or more before I feel something is finished. I just stare at the painting to keep checking what is it that bothers me. I found the "Morning Has Broken" was too light in value. In other words, there needed to be a lot more contrast with the dark of the water and sky and the light peeking through the clouds. Now I feel,for sure, I am finished.

The next painting will be one of the Heavenly Light series I will be doing. I am very into collage with the water media on hand-made paper.

In thinking about writing a blog, I think I should share a part of my life. I spend time trying out new recipes. I love to try two or three new ones a week...not always an entree, but a salad or cookie or something. This one has been requested. No I didn't create the recipe, I am just passing it along. It was a hit with some friends recently and it is good to have because it can be made ahead and reheated with the cheese at the last minute. Hope you like it...Lasagna Soup

Cheesy Spinach Lasagna Soup

Serves 4 generously

1 pound Italian sausage, squeezed from casings

1 large onion, chopped

6 cloves garlic, minced

2 teaspoons dried basil or 2 Tablespoons fresh basil

2 teaspoons oregano

`1 teaspoon anise seed

4 cups of chicken broth

1 141/2 ounce can petite diced tomatoes

1 8-Ounce can of tomato sauce

1 cup mini farfalle pasta

2 cups fresh spinach, chopped

8 ounces fresh mozzarella, diced ( I used smoked mozzarella)

1/2 cup fresh Parmesan, cheese shredded

Brown sausage in a large saucepan over medium heat until crumbly. Remove the sausage from the pan and drain all but 1 Tablespoon of fat. Add the onion to the pan and saute over medium heat until tender, about 5 minutes

Return the sausage to the pan, stir in the garlic, basil, oregano, and anise seed, and cook for 2 minutes. Add the chicken broth, diced tomatoes and tomato sauce, and bring to a boil. Stir in the pasta and cook according to the package directions, until the pasta is al dente.

Remove the saucepan from the heat and stir in the spinach and mozzarella. Serve the soup immediately, topped with Parmesan cheese.

Per serving: 303 calories.

When is a Painting Finished?

Okay, so it's hard for me to know when to leave "well enough alone." I have done some touches to the painting, "Morning Has Broken" and I think I like it now. Please see when I darkened the clouds first and then see when I lightened the sun's rays.

You can also see that I gold leafed the ball or sun as it needed a little more definition. This painting is called,"Morning Has Broken" after the song.

This is now ready to be in the "Then Sings my Soul" which will begin October 1, 2010, Sunnyvale Art Gallery, 251 West El Camino Real, Sunnyvale and will go to West Valley Presbyterian on October 29, 2010. "Then Sings My Soul" will be at WVPC, Cupertino, Until November 28, 2010.

"Morning Has Broken"

I have worked with another piece of Styrofoam. This time I decided to use reflective material, but no embedded lights in the work. I don't know if this comes across, but the "sun" is a ball similar to a snow-globe with glitter inside. I hope it is effective for a feeling of a sunrise.

I chose to use a view from the Marin Headlands with the background of San Francisco and the Golden Gate bridge. I am hoping you get the awesome feeling when the sun just peeks through the clouds (or fog) as may be the case. I'm showing you tow images. One is where I made a few adjustments to tighten up the painting. I think it looks better. What do you think?

This painting will be going into a show at the Sunnyvale Art Gallery in October about favorite hymns. One of my favorite is "Morning Has Broken." what is your favorite inspirational song?

Eclipse begins a new Heavenly Series

I have just started with a new "sculptural painting" I call Eclipse. Only a few people have seen it, but I have received really a wonderful response. There are LED lights embedded into the piece giving a glow of an eclipse as real as it could be.

In August, 2008, Andre and I witnessed a solar eclipse in the high desert country of China. It lasted only a couple of minutes. However, the light in the sky became very eerie, and it was so amazing. One could see how ancient people were often terrified of eclipses and saw them as bad omens.

Please see this one as a heavenly creation of God in the sky. I hope to follow up with more heavenly pieces showing sunrises and lightning and galaxies and so much more.

The Eclipse will be shown at Sequoia Hospital in Redwood City for the month of August and September through the Arts of the Covenant exhibition called, "The Light of the World."

This is the hummingbird canvas and I can't tell why I'm having so much trouble loading the pictures of my small canvases. I have some of these offered on Ebay as well. Hope you can find a place for these.

Small with large impact

Here is another small painting of a hummingbird with a flower and you can see the faux-jewels. These are lots of fun mixing into a wall of photographs to lighten up the heaviness of all pictures.

Something happened and there were no pictures that were downloaded. Let me try again. I want to show my small paintings that are no larger than 4 X 5 inches and are canvases painted on the edges and decorated with faux-jewels and tiny flowers.