CREEK AT SEVEN DEVILS, 6X8, OIL

I don't paint plein air very often but every fall my paint group Pieces of Eight takes a week to do just that.  We usually travel to North Carolina.  This year we were in the Boone, NC area where we painted this creek .  I really enjoyed being next to the creek for a few hours.  The weather was perfect and the trees were making their way to "peak".  All in all, it was a great experience.  I did have to do some touch ups  when I got back to my studio.

7 DEVILS AND GOOD CARMEN

Our painting group, Pieces of Eight, just returned from a fantastic week-long retreat in the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains.  We had a great time staying at Cindy Michaud's condo (thank you Cindy) and traveled out daily to photograph and paint.  Lucky for us, it was peak leaf season and every morning we ohhhhed and ahhhhed over the increasingly colorful landscape.

The night before we arrived, Cindy had a dream in which problems abounded.  Her mother, trying to comfort her, told her not to worry as she had "good Carmen".  Hence the photo above, featuring 7 devils and our own good Carmen.  In case you are wondering, starting at the left is Cindy, me, good Carmen Beecher, Donna Vines, Phillis Holland, Kathy Garvey (our photo shop expert), Denette Schweikert and Mary Warnick.

We had the most wonderful time, painting, cooking (we will soon have a little cookbook for sale), drinking lots of wine and enjoying each other. My next post will include some of the fruits of my labor.  In the mean time, here is a recipe that I featured on our trip and is also included in our cookbook.  Contact me if you our interested in purchasing the book which features our artwork and kitchen skills.

Roasted Cashews and Rosemary

1 1/4 pounds cashew nuts
2 TBSP chopped fresh rosemary
1/2 tsp cayenne
2 tsp kosher salt
1 TBSP melted butter

Roast nuts in ungreased pan at 375 for about 10 minutes.  Combine all other ingred. in bowl, add nuts and toss until nuts are coated.  Enjoy!