Wednesday, December 31, 2014

Tuesday, December 30, 2014

Innocence - From Start to Finish & A Quote

My latest art, from start to finish.


Titled "Innocence"

36 x 48 inches
Very loosely based on Klimt's famous painting
Mother & Child 

background on and
sketch drawn in.


mum and bub have some 
skin colour added


background added too and 
hair colour added





and here we are
finished product.

as always
thank you
for popping by
xx




couldn't resist adding this quote over the top xx

Friday, December 26, 2014

Apple Cinnamon Dog Biscuits

I have been experimenting with making my own dog food for a little while now and recently a friend introduced me to a recipe for homemade dog biscuits. 

With that very first batch, I knew I was on to a winner. Our dog's coat has never been shinier, her tail hasn't stopped wagging, she has never once turned her nose up at anything I've made and just listening to her crunching away, assures me they are delicious.

So all of this positive feedback has inspired me to find more recipe's and adapt them to my lifestyle. I also wanted to experiment with different flavours/textures and flours all while knowing that what I was putting into the bickies, was not only safe for my dog, but I had control of it. Ie no preservatives etc.

So want to make your own batch of bickies for that special furry friend in your life? 

Well you can.... here is my latest recipe - Apple Cinnamon Dog Biscuits



Apple Cinnamon Biscuits

1 cup of natural applesauce (**see note below**)
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 tablespoon parsley
1 cup cold water
1/2 cup coconut oil (or olive oil)
5 cups brown rice flour (**see note below**)
1/2 cup powdered milk
2 large organic eggs


** I made my own applesauce in the Thermomix using the recipe from the Everyday Cookbook - page 42
** I made my own rice flour using brown rice and using the Thermomix recipe from the Everyday Cookbook - page 21

Instructions:
  • Preheat oven to 150 degrees.
  • In a large bowl, whisk together all the dry ingredients.
  • In a smaller bowl, beat the eggs lightly. Add the rest of the wet ingredients.
  • Gently combine the dry ingredients with the wet ingredients.
  • Knead with your hands until you have a smooth ball of dough. I used my Thermomix to do this process which was quicker. ***note*** this recipe is very sticky!
  • Take a rolling pin and flatten out the dough to about 1/2 inch thickness. Use a biscuit/cookie cutter to cut out fun shapes. If you're feeling lazy, you can just leave the dough as is and bake it like one whole biscuit. You can always break it up after it's cooked. At this point I also sprinkled on a little extra cinnamon on the top of the biscuits, but that is just an option. If you want a shinier looking biscuit, you can also brush on a thin coat of egg whites before baking. 
  • Place your dough onto a tray with a non-stick baking sheet on top because as mentioned above this recipe is very very sticky!
  • Bake for 15-20 minutes (depending on your oven) or until golden. 
Let your biscuits cool completely. Store in an air tight container for up to a week (if your furry friend let's them last that long!). Remember these are fresh ingredients with no preservatives, so they will not store as long in a container as a commercially bought brand of biscuits would. 

Wednesday, December 24, 2014

From Start To Finish - Solveig's Song


From the nervous stages
of the blank canvas



to the next layer of adding
papers



close up of some of the texture


on to adding the tree


Then the finished product

"Solveig's Song"
24 x 36 inches


and I couldn't resist adding
part of the actual song

As always
thank you for popping by

Tuesday, December 23, 2014

2014 - what a fabulous year!


Since 2013, I wanted to start a yearly tradition for myself. 

One where I collate all of my paintings 
together into a single photo.

The reasons for this are not only to
share them with my friends/family/supporters of my
art (who I would also put into the category of friend)
but also for me personally to see:- 

1)  how I've been travelling 
throughout the year artistically

2) make sure my work isn't all
looking the same

3)  which colours/paintings are working for me and
that I did like and those that I wasn't so keen on.

All of these steps help me to move forward into the
new year having a clearer picture in my head.



here's last years review pic (2013)



As always thanks
for taking the time to 
pop by xx


Saturday, December 20, 2014

Four Seasons - From Start to Finish

 time for a little bit of honesty.

Here's the deal. I'm not an over-sharer on
social media, my blog or anywhere else
on the internet.
The main reason is, that I personally get
bored when I have to read
something that has too many words.

UNLESS, I'm really uber duber interested
in the topic/blog/news item etc etc

OR I'm trying to learn something.

So in my blog posts, I like to keep them
simple and just share a few photos of
my work/motivational posters, etc.

So moving on with that theme, here 
are photo's of my latest painting
"Four Seasons" from start to finish.



First layer


background colours added


Trees added
(excuse the weeds in the photo
*BLUSH*)


And the finished product.

Each canvas measures
16 x 20 inches.

Once again thank you 
for popping by.

xx