Can't Beat Beets

sketch - bunch of beets

©2011 Stacy L. Rowan

Beets get a bad wrap as a vegetable. I think it is because most people have only tried the red canned version, which I will admit don't appeal to me at all.

Imagine my surprise when I learned that beets come in a variety of colors from deep purple to the traditional red to a cheery golden color.

I found this bunch at my local farmers' market (of course). Before cooking them I plopped them on my studio table and had some fun with my watercolor pencils. The above sketch is the result.

If you want to try some tasty beets, grab a fresh bunch and give the recipe below a try. You will end up with a side dish that is colorful and a little sweet.

Roasted Beets with Feta
beets, greens trimmed off with 1 inch of stems attached
olive oil
feta

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Rub each beet with a little olive oil and wrap individually in aluminum foil.
3. Bake beets in preheated oven until you can pierce them easily with a sharp knife. Approximately 45-60 minutes depending on size.
4. Remove beets from oven and allow them to cool enough to handle them. Unwrap beets and use a paper towel to rub off skin. The hotter they are, the easier this is. (Warning: This is the most difficult step in the recipe and you may end up with red stained fingers.)
5. Slice beets and place them on a plate.
6. Sprinkle with feta cheese and serve.

13 Things I Love Best About Summer

Quick ink sketches of day lilies

©2011 Stacy L. Rowan

Here are some of the things I love best about summer...
- the slower pace
- vacations at the beach
- riding in the convertible at night with the top down
- starting my morning on the screen porch with a bowl of cereal or a cup of coffee
- ice cream
- seeing my kids enjoy their free time
- locally grown, fresh and delicious produce (especially tomatoes, blueberries and peaches!)
- blue skies and bright sunshine
- hydrangeas, day lilies, marigolds and all the other flowers
- not having to do the dishes (because we passed that chore on to the above mentioned kids after noticing how much free time they had - insert evil laugh here)
- not having to wear shoes, socks or a coat
- small summer purses (how come I carry so much more in my purse the rest of the year?)
- frequent trips to the library

I am doing my best to savor every minute of summer. I'd love to hear what you love about it too. Let's turn the comments section into a big list of summer love!

Sketching the Blue Summer Sky

watercolor sketch

©2011 Stacy L. Rowan

This summer I have started many of my days sitting out on my screen porch. On this particular day in June I couldn't help but notice the beautiful bright blue sky framed by our trees and the roof of our neighbors house.

I decided to make use of the slower pace of summer and enjoy a quick watercolor sketch. I hope you enjoy it as well.

Art Feels Good

While I'm busy enjoying some summer fun, I thought you might like to watch this short video on James Gurney's awesome blog that talks about changes in brain chemistry when people view art.

I know that I feel good and am happy when I am creating art. It's great to know that viewing my art can also make other people feel good.

Feeling down, make time to view some art!

Winning Title From "Name That Painting" Contest

First a big thank you to all the peope who sent me their title suggestions for the contest! I loved reading them all and they have started a percolation of ideas through my mind that I will be able to play with and use as I create new paintings.

The title I chose as the winner is "Worth the Wait" sent in by Marie C. As Marie explained the title has a two fold meaning since "we wait patiently for the peonies to bloom and you finally finished the painting!" And I do hope those of you who enjoy my art feel like this painting was worth the wait while I finished it!

I will be sending Marie a pack of note cards created from this image. Thanks Marie!!

"Worth the Wait"

20" x 16" watercolor on Aquabord

©2011 Stacy L. Rowan

Available

I also have to give a shout out to my friend Jackie for coming up with the most humorous titles! Jackie and I paint together on Tuesdays with about half a dozen other women.

This group of women made sure I kept coming back to this painting by asking me every week if I had completed it yet or not. Their gentle nudging reminder made sure I didn't pack it in on the days that it felt like the number of petals still needing to be painted were multiplying before my eyes! I firmly believe that every artist should have a painting group that gives them both a social outlet and measure of accountability.

Thanks again to all who participated in the naming fun! I am sure I will be holding more naming contests in the future when I am stumped for a good title. You are a creative and generous bunch!

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An administratvie note: Over the next month or so I am planning on focusing on having some summer fun with the family. While I am busy enjoying activities like eating ice cream and swimming, lounging with a good book and hiking, I may neglect some (or all) of my regular Thursday posts. But rest assured I will return to my normal blogging schedule relaxed and re-charged the first week of August. If you miss me while I am gone, feel free to browse the archives (organized by post date) in the right hand column of this blog.

Thank you for your loyal readership! I'll catch up with you again soon!

Name This Painting Contest!

So I have the good news. My watercolor painting of the white peonies is complete! After starting it, stopping it, setting it aside, starting it, stopping it, setting it aside, etc. it finally made its way to the top of the list.

untitled

20" x 16" watercolor on Aquabord

©2011 Stacy L. Rowan

The even better news is that you have a chance to help me.

I've thought of this painting for so long as "Peonies" that I seem unable to come up with a title that does it justice. That's where I hope you will come in. I'm looking for your best title suggestions and I'm giving a prize in exchange for it! The prize for the best title is a pack of note cards featuring this painting.

So if you are good with titles, please email me your suggestions - my email is in the right hand side bar. If I pick your title as the name for the painting, I will mail you a pack of note cards. It's that simple!

I will be taking entries through midnight (EST) on Wednesday June 15th.

When Someone Else's Words Speak to Your Heart

"Sunny Susans"

© Stacy L. Rowan

When someone else's words speak to your heart it tends to make you sit up and notice. Or at least it did for me.

These words...

"where do they all go? all the seemingly forgettable everyday moments? the thought of losing them all terrified... me. ... I wanted them. I wanted them all. I still want them all."

...are an excerpt of a post written by Andrea over on her blog Hula Seventy.

To me her words speak to why I paint and draw and sketch. What compels me to capture subjects which you might see on any given day of your life.

When I see my subjects shining in a moment of beauty, I want to capture that moment so it's not forgotten. I want to remind people that beauty is found in the details of the "seemingly forgettable everyday moments" because when I am presented with that unexpected beauty it makes me catch my breath, it lets me know there is still so much good in the world and it makes me happy.

In the Studio - May 25, 2011

Since yesterday was National Tap Dance Day, I thought I would post another update of the tap drawing I am working on.

drawing #8 WIP2 - Tap Dance Series

approx 8.25" x 11.5" graphite on paper

©2011 Stacy L. Rowan

National Tap Dance Day is a celebration of  tap dancing as an American art form. May 25th was chosen for this day of celebration because it is the anniversary of tap dancer Bill "Bojangles" Robinson's birthday.

The image above shows approximately 4 to 4 1/2 hours of additional work since the image posted on May 19th. People often ask me how long a drawing takes, so I thought these two shots would give an indictation of my pace for graphite work.

I worked on this drawing some more today and spent about 3 hours darkening the pant leg on the right hand side of the drawing. (I'm not sure the values above are exactly right. I didn't adjust my scan until after I had already put in the additional work so I was relying on memory!) I'm hoping that the right hand pant leg is now finally dark enough.

In the Studio - May 18, 2011

This is what I worked on in the studio today.

drawing #8 WIP - Tap Dance Series

©2011 Stacy L. Rowan

Actually this was today's starting point. After taking this scan, I put in about 3 hours working mostly on darkening the pant leg on the left and toning down some of the highlights on the right pant leg.

It has been a while since I did a graphite drawing. Graphite work takes me to an interesting place. On one hand adding the layers of graphite to build up the values is an almost meditative practice. On the other hand I sometimes get frustrated because building the darker values is such a slow process. So I flip back and forth between feeling very peaceful and zen-like, and feeling impatient and anxious to make progress.

Knowing this I normally start with the darkest areas because once I have them in the rest of the drawing goes pretty quickly.

The Farmers' Market Opens!

Last Sunday was a day that I have been waiting for since November. I have been waiting for it with the eagerness of a child waiting for Christmas. On Sunday our local farmers' market opened for the 2011 season. Hallelujah!

I love the farmers' market. (I felt I had to say that in case it wasn't obvious.)

Not only does it supply me with super fresh, super delicious local produce, meats, cheeses and breads, but it also provides a wealth of painting ideas and models that are known to sit very still. Well..., unless someone comes along and decides to steal the model for a snack before I am done my painting.

Farmers' Market Spring Bounty

photo ©2011 Stacy L. Rowan

We've had a very wet and cool spring so I wasn't sure what would be available at this first market of the season. I was pleasantly surprised!

We came home with several different types of greens (arugula, pea shoots and leaf lettuce) as well as asparagus and mushrooms! We also picked up a scrumptious focaccia and some locally made salsa. We bought the mild salsa and were happy to find that it was very tasty and had a slight kick which built the more you ate.

Sunday Lunch!

photo ©2011 Stacy L. Rowan

We also stocked up on some locally raised chicken and bison since our freezer was empty!

I can't tell you how wonderful it is to be back to eating locally grown produce. The stuff shipped into the grocery stores over the winter just can't compare. This is our third or fourth year shopping at the market and I wonder now what took me so long to give it a try.

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In other news, for those of you who live close to Bethlehem, PA, this Saturday is the Tap Ties National Tap Dance Day Celebration.

I will be selling my tap dance series of note cards, prints and posters (new this year!) both at the Banana Factory during the daytime workshops and in the evening at Foy Concert Hall before the performance. If you are in the area, please stop by and say hello!

I will also be performing with other members of my advanced tap class. Tickets are available in the lobby prior to the show if anyone wants to see why I am a professional artist and not an professional dancer. Click the link above for more information and directions.

Studio Work

Stopping in for a quick post today since I am focusing on maximizing studio time this week. Thought I would share a work-in-progress of one of the paintings I am working on.

Peonies WIP

20" x 16" watercolor on Aquabord

©2011 Stacy L. Rowan

I have been working on this painting on and off for over a year! It keeps getting pushed aside for works that have a deadline. But I am always anxious to get back to it.

At first I was a little daunted by the complexity of it, but once I figured out how to handle all those petals I really began enjoying the process. It is nearing completion now and I am excited to see how it looks all put together. (Unfortunately the colors seem a bit off on my screen. I took the photo on a cloudy day and I think that proved too much for my meager Photoshop skills.)

I am also hoping that once it is finished a title for it will appear. I have been calling it "Peonies" but that doesn't quite have the ring I am looking for. Anyone have any ideas? Maybe I should try a naming contest of some sort. I'll keep you posted.

Jumping Off Point - Tap Dance Series Charcoal Drawing

"Jumping Off Point"

18" x 24" charcoal on paper

©2011 Stacy L. Rowan

Available

This is my newest charcoal drawing. I finished it earlier this month and then had to wait for a bright day to snap a photograph of it. (And I might try again since I'm not 100% happy with this shot.)

I had so much fun working on this drawing. As with the rest of the series, my "jumping off point" for this drawing was the motion. I love how everything is moving in the drawing except that front foot, and I love the contrast between the sharp detail of that foot and the softer lines and edges in the legs.

This drawing is bigger than my other charcoal pieces in the series. I wanted to create a sense of space for all of this motion to take place in without feeling cramped. I also worked to create a feeling of distance between the front foot and the back foot. It is a big movement and I wanted to convey that to the viewer.

My model for this drawing is my friend and tap teacher Rochelle Haynes. I met her when I began taking the Tap Ties advanced tap class and I was blown away by her talent. She has a style of dance that is very intricate and that squeezes so many sounds into a single eight count. But somehow her dancing never looks hurried and she manages such clarity in each of the sounds. She makes it look and sound easy, but I can tell you from experience that it is not!

In addition to choreographing some wonderfully complex and intricate pieces she occasionally also pulls out some mad tricks to challenge the class. The reference for this drawing is a shot of her landing after one of those special moves. It might have been some kind of wing, but I was watching through the camera lens so I'm not really sure.

Rochelle was an awesome muse and I have many references from our photo shoot. I am sure you will be seeing the product of some of those references again in this series.

Thank you Rochelle! When I grow up I would be thrilled to be half as good at tap as you.