OLD-FASHIONED PEAR, 8X8, ORIGINAL COLLAGE

O white pear, 
your flower-tufts, 
thick on the branch, 
bring summer and ripe fruits
in their purple hearts.

Hilda Doolittle


I had to do another collage, too much fun!!


Purchase here
$80


I have just taken price reductions on many of the paintings on my Etsy sites, CarolSchiffStudio and CarolOnEdge .  If there is a painting you have been wanting to purchase, it may well be one of the ones that I have reduced.  

SISTERS, 8X10, OIL, SOLD

It may not be summer in your neck of the woods, but we have had temps in the high 80's to mid 90's for the past few weeks.  A trip to the beach seems like a fine idea.  I found this trio of sisters enjoying themselves last summer and it seemed like the perfect scene when a family member asked for a special painting for her sister's birthday.  Happy birthday, Susan!

Everyone seems to like nuts, especially cashews, so I wanted to share this recipe with you.  I guarantee it will become one of your favorite go-to recipes for entertaining.

ROSEMARY ROASTED CASHEWS

1 1/4 lbs cashews
2T coarsely chopped fresh rosemary leaves
1/2 tsp cayenne
2 tsp dark brown sugar
2 tsp kosher salt*
1T melted butter

Preheat over to 375 degrees.  Bake nuts for 10 minutes on ungreased baking sheet.  Combine remaining ingredients in large bowl.  Toss nuts until evenly coated.  ENJOY!
*if you are using salted cashews, adjust or omit additional salt to taste.

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!