Hello! I’m here to share a quick set of photos from my recent studio renovation. I work in an upstairs bedroom in our house, which up to this point was sort of a grayish-purplish-color and carpeted. Neither of these things are great for painting, so when Brad said he had time to tear out the floor last month I emptied my space as quickly as an artist-hoarder can. We had leftover maple flooring from our bedroom renovation, which is perfect for a light and airy studio, as well as quick cleanup for accidental spills. I painted the walls bright white, which instantly made the space feel brighter and lets me see colors much more accurately when I’m painting. Finally, Brad took the doors off of the sliding closet and added new shelving. With some re-purposed curtains from our old dining room, the closet is now a mini work station to hold my paper supplies, printer, and scanner. I still have things to hang on the walls and window treatments to find, but let’s just say I’m about a zillion percent happier with this room and LOVING the effect it has on my time in here. Enjoy!
Thanks for visiting! I shared on social media, but in case you’ve come straight here, I’m back to working on my poetry-inspired painting projects, which I had to break from for this renovation. Stay tuned on Instagram and Facebook for more previews as I work.
In the spirit of writing and blogging more regularly, I’m going to return to sharing some things beyond artwork. I’ve recently fallen back in love with Pinterest after a little break and have been trying all sorts of different recipes and ideas, so I’ll be sure to share the best ones. I’ve also been freshening up my boards, so feel free to follow and have a look!
Today I’m going to share a recipe for homemade fruit compote. I’ve wanted to make a sweet fruit side to put on Greek yogurt so I could buy the larger plain container instead of individual cups. Several of the berry compotes I browsed called for lemon, but I didn’t have one, so I used a blood orange instead. It was super easy and delicious, so I know I’ll be making other variations. It will be really good on ice cream or waffles, too.
Blackberry Blood Orange Compote
1 carton blackberries
juice from one small blood orange
2 Tbsp. sugar
1 large spoonful honey
- Cook blackberries and sugar on the stovetop at medium high
heat until the blackberries soften and it starts to bubble a bit. - Add the juice (I squeezed it right in) and honey.
- Turn down to medium-low heat and stir until it forms a
thicker syrup, but still has fruit pieces. I like mine a bit chunky, but you
can keep cooking it down and mashing with a spoon if you like a thinner syrup. - Once it reaches desired thickness, cool and pour into a jar
to store in the fridge for up to a week.
Because I made it to use in very small amounts on Greek yogurt, I didn’t shy away from sweetness. You can lighten it by using less sugar or just honey. Enjoy!
Today’s a scanning day for me in the studio, so I can’t resist a little break to check in here. Scanning is one of those lessons in patience for me, and I’ve learned that part of keeping my patience is taking breaks. And eating m&ms. Having high quality prints is well worth the frustration in the end.
Lately I feel like I’ve been in a really wonderful rhythm with painting, spending enough time each day to feel fulfilled, but knowing when to turn out the light and let things rest a bit. I have been flitting from project to project, which is how I’m happiest, and despite the wild looking state of disarray in my studio, I feel really content . I know that won’t stay forever and that at some point I’ll be in a scramble to complete finishing touches, but right now everything feels just right. Here are a few pics from the last week - watercolors for Spring, hand-painted bangles in process, and one of the new pendants waiting for varnish. Oh yes - and one of the world’s cutest studio mate.
