Remix at Dry Fly Distilling, November 5th 2021

Absinthe Blanqui, oil on panel, 8" x 8". ©2021

At long last - a new work alert! 

Hard to believe it's been five years since I posted here. A lot has happened, much of it not good. In 2017 my charmed life came crashing to an end, with several terrible losses taking a toll. It was strange to see my last post date from Before. But life goes on for those of us left behind, so, onward...

Meanwhile, art has taken me in different directions. I've decided to end the Mixology series, as I have too many bodies of work to keep up. But rather than quietly move on, I went the other way and painted eighteen new pieces for one last show. 

Mixology: Remix opens at Dry Fly Distilling in downtown Spokane, Washington, this Friday at 5p.m. Pacific time. When the show opens, the Remix online web shop goes live at sheilaevans.net/mixology-remix. (Preview now at the same link.) The show includes five absinthe-themed paintings inspired by vintage French posters, and thirteen new 6" x 6" pieces featuring popular cocktails. A few older pieces may make an appearance as well.

I hope to see you there, or if not, I hope you take a minute to have a look at the show online. A few notes:

• I'm planning a special Mixology offer for email subscribers only in the next month. Get on the list here.
• There will be five sets of two cocktail books and a deck of cocktail recipe cards for $48 in the shop
• I'll be leaving the blog up so you can access recipes and find links.
• The address for the Remix show is 1021 W. Riverside, Spokane, WA 
• Please visit my website to see what else I've been up to
• Scroll down for a few more images from the show

Cheers! 🍸🍸

Artfest 2016 Starts Friday!

Shake it Up. Oil on panel, 15" x 30".

Artfest is coming! Spokane's own Northwest Museum of Art and Culture hosts its annual juried art festival June 3rd through 5th this year. The festival takes place at Coeur d'Alene Park in Browne's Addition, just west of dowtown Spokane and a few blocks from the museum.

I'll be back at Artfest with Mixology paintings, reproductions and books this year. I'm so excited! Many of the original paintings from both Mixology: The Art of Classic Cocktails and Mixology With a Twist: The Art of Modern Cocktails will be available for purchase, along with dozens of smaller pieces and some larger works created just for the show. And of course I'll bring along lots of the popular Cocktail Cards!

Here are the details:

When: June 3–5, 2016
Where: Coeur d"Alene Park, Spokane, Washington
Hours: Friday, Noon–8, Saturday, 10–8, Sunday, 10–5.
Booth # B-23.

Hope to see you there!

Here's an Artfest map, with South at the top (I think.)

Siesta

Siesta. Oil on panel, 8" x 8". 

$295. [buy now]

As May approaches, I'm fondly remembering our lovely trip to jimgermanbar a year ago. The way things have been going, it seems miraculous we were able to gather ten people for a weekend getaway!

Since then, we've been busy moving Iron Goat Brewing to its new location in downtown Spokane, and in what meantime was available, I created an entirely new body of work in enamels and snagged myself an exciting new gallery.

But as the weather warms up, it feels like time to make one of Audra Wint's summery Siestas: reposado tequila, chamomile liqueur, Cocchi Rosa and lemon in perfect, refreshing balance.

I can't think of a better way to toast some exciting Mixology news: Mixology With a Twist will be featured in the May issue of Spokane Coeur d'Alene Living magazine. 

And in June, all things Mixology return to the Northwest Museum of Art and Culture's Artfest. As always, I'll have original paintings (this time from both books!), copies of the books, small originals, and giclée reproductions. New to Artfest this year, the popular Cocktail Cards, which combine all recipes and paintings from both books in a handy deck of 52 recipe cards.

So if the Siesta looks good to you, please join me this year and pick up a book! Or a painting! Or several!

(The museum emailed me this cute e-card as I wrote this post, so I can't resist...)

Bad News From Houston

Bad News From Houston. Oil on panel, 12" x 12". 

$595. [Buy now.]

It's January already, and time to ease out of the deadly holiday combo of insanity and debilitating laziness. Naturally, on the first post-holiday Monday, I came down with a cold. Small wonder it isn't worse, given the number and strength of cocktails consumed over the preceding weeks.

On the subject of strong cocktails, I give you Bad News From Houston. (Well, not literally give, but it is for sale.) This is one of my absolute favorite drinks from both books combined, hands down. The mix of rye whiskey, amaro and two vermouths is already right up my alley, but the real kicker is the little bit of salt that makes the whole thing so buttery-awesome.

The recipe came to be in Mixology With a Twist courtesy of Seth Sempere at Spur in Seattle. Seth also happens to be the vice president of Washington's chapter of the national bartender's guild, as if this drink isn't proof enough that he knows what the hell he is doing. (Trust me, it is.) 

This was one of those paintings that I did twice, as the first painting didn't come close to doing the drink justice. Not sure what painting would, honestly, but I was much happier with this one. Both paintings featured the "horn"-handled mid-century bar tools and wagon-wheel-esque fifties coupe found at a second-hand store in Sunnyside. But this painting succeeded with a simplified—therefore strengthened—composition.

If you desperately want the recipe but don't have the book, please click this link to get it. If you desperately want the painting, please find the link under the photo above.

Happy New Year!

London Breezy

London Breezy. Oil on panel, 12" x 12".  $595. [buy now]

London was already calling Camrin Costello when Teya and I met her one summer night at Casper Fry. The bar wasn't terribly busy, and as usual, the subject of the work-in-progress book came up. Camrin, intrigued by the book idea, told the story of a cocktail she invented on a trip to England.

In London for an interview at the University of Westminster, she spent a day at Westminster Abbey. The breeze blowing through the city provided both the inspiration and name for the drink she made that night: a concoction of gin, chartreuse, lemon and lime. I think she must have known the interview had been a success when she finished her new drink off with a splash of celebratory champagne. (Camrin lives in London now. Bully for her!)

For the painting, I wanted to capture the contrast of the citrusy drink with a cool cloudy background that suggested the tradition of an old english pub. I changed the color of the purple flocked wallpaper to a stormy gray, and was quite happy with the result—especially the way the oversized pattern leads into the composition.

The recipe for the London Breezy is available in Mixology With a Twist: The Art of Modern Cocktails,

Good Humor

Good Humor. Oil on panel, 12" x 12". $595. [buy now]

Seattle-savvy friends from both sides of the state unanimously recommended Canon Whiskey and Bitters Emporium as a can't-miss cocktail destination in the Emerald City.

So, during the west-side summer-show trip, Paul and I dutifully stopped in. Canon was already busy at around 4pm, but there wasn't time to come back, so the first bartender to hand us a menu got my spiel. That bartender was Sean Johnson. Without missing a beat he whipped up a frothy orange-colored concoction, then proceeded to decorate the foamy drink with a stencil and a spray bottle of bright-red Angostura bitters.

One sip explained the drink's moniker:somehow Johnson had caused a combo of gin, Cointreau, OJ, Licor 43, egg white and Angostura to taste exactly like an orange creamsicle. Minutes later Sean's original recipe appeared on the bar in front of me, jotted down on a scrap of  paper between drink orders. I think Good Humor described the bartender as well as the drink!

A note about Canon's bar: everywhere I looked was a still life setup. So much great stuff! I literally could have brought in an easel and painted right there. Since that was slightly out of the question, I had to recreate it best I could. Which ended up being pretty well, since I already owned some similar items and, oddly enough, the identical vintage art-deco lamp (see photo of Sean making my drink below). Only the base of the lamp shows in the painting, as the lamp itself conveniently provides the lighting for the still-life setup.

The Weber

The Weber. Oil on panel, 8"' x 8". $295. [buy now]

In the frenzy of finishing Mixology With a Twist and getting ready for the show at Mizuna, apparently a few things got neglected. Like posting some of my favorite paintings from the new book!

The Weber, invented by Clover's Cameron Walls, honors the memory of former Clover bartender Steven Weber. A friend of Walls, Weber was also a fellow whiskey fan. This drink is a lovely, thoughtfully-layered take on the bourbon-based sour genre. Plum bitters may not be available at every corner store, but their contribution to the Weber is worth the effort of finding them.

I think Clover must have closed its doors the night of the book release party, since so many of its bartenders were in attendance! I was thrilled to have Cameron and Kristy White among the revelers at Mizuna.

As always, Cameron's recipe, along with thirty-two other tasty originals, are available in the new book. Cheers!

Mid Mod Moon

Mid Mod Moon. Oil on panel, 7" x 5". $195. [buy now]

Mid Mod Moon is in the online store!

To be honest, I'm pretty surprised about this. I made the painting for Yuletide, and expected it to be gone almost immediately. Last year, Yuletide happened at the museum, and it was a busy, high-energy show. But as often happens with art shows, a change of location and hours resulted in poor attendance. Almost none, really.

Hopefully this will be resolved for next year, and if not, there will almost certainly be an alternative venue. Will keep everyone posted!

Just in time for the Holidays: A New Online Store

Mixology With a Twist. Paperback, 92 pages. $25. [buy now]

With the release of Mixology With a Twist, and the final show of the season over, it's time to retreat to the studio and immerse myself in fresh projects. 2016 is shaping up to be quite a bit different from recent years. With the exception of Spokane's Artfest, I will be taking a break from festivals. During this respite I will continue the exciting work I have started in two new mediums: ceramics and enamel.

Meanwhile, I have created a complete online store for my Mixology work. Both books, the popular new Cocktail Cards, giclée reproductions, and original paintings are now available in one clean and simple storefront. I will continue to add new, mostly small paintings to the store over the next few weeks, so be sure to check in from time to time to see what's available. All of the paintings from Mixology With a Twist that haven't yet sold are currently listed.

Also, I will be placing new links (like the one above) into this blog, which lead directly to the item in the store.

As I settle in for the winter, I am wishing you, and all of us, a peaceful season to come.
Cheers!

Yuletide is This Weekend!

Mid Mod Moon 2. Oil on panel, 5" x 7". $195. [buy now]

Yuletide kicks off this Thursday with a private party at the Downtown Spokane Public Library!

I'll be there with lots of original art (including Mid Mod Moon, above), both Mixology books, high-quality giclée reproductions, and of course, my new Cocktail Cards (the perfect stocking stuffer). 

Here are the deets:

Yuletide 2015

Preview Party November 12, 5 – 8 p.m.

Yuletide, November 13 – 14, 10 a.m. – 5:30 p.m.

Downtown Spokane Public Library, 906 W. Main (corner of Main and Lincoln, across from Nordstrom)

I know how much you all like your martinis, manhattans and rocket shakers! So, in addition to Mid Mod Moon, I've made several more new small original paintings just for Yuletide. Check them out after the jump. Hope to see you this weekend!

Juan Connery / Book Release Tonight!

Juan Connery. Oil on panel, 12" x 12". Sold.

Mixology With a Twist comes out tonight! It's been over a year in the making and it seems unreal. So excited!

This week has been crazy. Everything had to be varnished and framed in time to hang the show Wednesday—but not before showing up at 7 a.m. to help Mike install track lighting in Mizuna's banquet room. He liked the way the room looked during last year's Mixology show, and wanted permanent art lighting. And I am always happy to help light art! 

Add to that the fact that I piled some extra projects on myself, like the new Mixology Cocktail Cards, which were designed, ordered and packaged over the past week, and well, you get the picture. 

This will be a great party. Mizuna looks beautiful and the food is always amazing. Sherrece Scott (and friends) will be on hand to make five drink specials from the book, including her own invention, El Corazon. Mixology with a Twist will be for sale along with the first book, cocktail cards, giclée reproductions and of course, the original paintings from the new book.

There's still more to do today, so Ill leave you with an excerpt from the book about a fortuitous trip to Bend, Oregon:

Phoebe Pedersen, owner of Bend’s Dogwood Cocktail Cabin, awoke one night to a phone call. Bartender Grant McFarren had the perfect name for his new spicy scotch drink and couldn’t wait to share it. A year later, as I planned a trip to Bend, my husband Paul told me about a bar with a drink named the Juan Connery. I promptly went to the Dogwood. A giant painting of a strange woodland party by artist Philip Newsome dominated the room. The extensive menu overflowed with cleverly named original drinks like the Rye-an-Gosling, but when I asked my server to surprise me, she brought the Juan Connery. It was fate.
And, it was great.

For a photo of the show hanging in progress, join me after the jump.

The Northwest

The Northwest. Oil on panel, 8" x 8". $295. [buy now]

Shopping for barware has its perks. For one, you get more barware, duh. But this time, I got a new favorite drink as well.

I can't spot Reneé Cebula's Raising the Bar trailer without stopping, and the woman knows what she's doing. She spends a lot of time in the Perry district near my house. Guaranteed sales. Anyway, the last time I spotted her she was engaged in conversation with Ash Hayden. We hadn't met, so she introduced us and explained that he had tended bar for a well-known cocktail establishment here in Spokane. Ash is now working on a new project, an online bartender training course called The Bar Wit. (Check out the link for the kickstarter details. I'm excited to see what happens with this!)

Although I already had the number of recipes I was shooting for, I explained my project to Ash and asked if he might be willing to contribute. Within days he had texted me the recipe for The Northwest. Inspired by native northwest plants, Ash's drink pairs gin with rhubarb-based Zucca amaro and mint. 

I doubly loved this cocktail, and here's why. 

1. It's delicious and gets better with every sip.

2. Zucca amaro is on my hard-to-find list, but I already had it for another favorite recipe in the book, the Bad News from Houston. More bang for your Zucca buck!

The Northwest will be on display at Mizuna this Friday for the book release party. Please join us, pick up a book and find your own new favorite drink!

Cocktails are in the Cards!

My husband Paul is an idea man. 

Whenever I feel down about my business, he'll toss out twelve different things I could be doing, I won't get around to any of them, and then I'll feel worse. This time was different.

Last week, he asked out of the blue, "how many recipes do you have?" "Between both books?" I added them up in my head. "Fifty two." "What if you had them printed on playing cards?"

He went on to explain that often bartenders use flash cards to memorize drink recipes, so using my paintings and recipes on cards was a natural. While I spent maybe a minute marveling at the fact that I had exactly fifty-two recipes, Paul found an online printer that made custom playing cards. Fifty-four unique cards per deck---one for each recipe plus a front and back cover.  Three days later they were designed and ready to order. Boom!

Trouble was, the two shipping options. Free shipping would get them to me in two weeks, in the middle of Yuletide. They are perfect stocking stuffers, so that's great, but it would be nice to have more opportunities to sell them. Well okay, shipping option number two might get them to me in time for the book release party. For $165. Nope. 

Free shipping it was, with fingers crossed.

Damn, I love a nice surprise. This morning a cheerful Fedex man arrived at the door with a big box of Mixology Cocktail Cards. Ordered October 30th, delivered November 2. And they are beautiful. (I think a shoutout to Printerstudio.com is in order here. )

Sooooo.... get your Mixology deck o' cocktail cards this Friday at the Mizuna release party, or the following weekend at Yuletide! $10 each, and the perfect gift for your cocktail-consuming friends and relatives. Already own the books? Keep them nice and tidy, and keep these handy wipe-clean cards at the bar. I know I will.

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El Corazón, and Book Release Friday!

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El Corazón. Oil on panel, 8" x 8".

Mixology With a Twist debuts Friday with a party at Mizuna, so it's time to celebrate with El Corazón, by Mizuna bartender Sherrece Scott. 

This painting nearly kicked my ass. Let's just say it was NOT a "one and you're done." Having a history with the brick walls at Mizuna (the site of one of my earliest art shows), I really wanted that background, but getting contrast with the brilliant opaque red of the drink was tough. I had better luck with one aspect, at least. The week before starting this painting, Willi Sheller taught me how to make a heart-shaped garnish. Perfect timing!

The story behind this drink involves a bit of coincidence as well. Here's an excerpt from the book: 

Sherrece Scott, bartender at Spokane’s Mizuna, promised to share her new drink, Satan’s Sap, long before work began on Mixology With a Twist. At Mizuna many months later, I pored over a lengthy new bar menu, finally ordering El Corazón. As it happened, El Corazón was Sherrece’s newly-renamed Satan’s Sap. Rich, fruity-but-not-sweet, and spicy, El Corazón had me at the first sip. This drink’s balance is crucial. Sherrece, ever the perfectionist, tastes both lime juice and cayenne each time she makes it, adjusting to be sure it is sufficiently spicy and not overly tart.

What I didn't have room to mention is that Sherrece bent over backward to make this recipe accessible for home bartenders. One ingredient, a frozen blood orange purée, is easily available to restaurants, but not so much to retail shoppers. Sherrece spent weeks trying every grocery-store fruit concentrate she could get her hands on until she found one that perfectly mimicked the flavor AND color of the original purée in the drink.

Sherrece will be on hand to make El Corazon—plus many more scrumptious concoctions—Friday night. Come on down and have one!

Willi Sheller at Liberty

8-1/2. Oil on panel, 12" x 12". $595. [buy now.]

During our first trip to Liberty on Seattle's Capitol Hill, we had the experience of meeting Willi Sheller. "Meeting" is probably not the right word. "Being entertained by"? Not sure how to explain it, but the minute I mentioned the book project to him, he disappeared behind the bar for about twenty minutes, then reemerged with this:

Meet Tikitty. It's hard to tell from the photo, but the cherries in the lime adorning this tiki drink are on fire. When I could stop laughing long enough to try it, I found it was delicious. 

After that Willi brought out some more serious original libations, including the 8-1/2 (illustrated above), which he said he named for his favorite Fellini film that he'd never seen. Then, he killed my cucumber phobia with his Pimp's Cup, a twist on the Pimm's Cup using local BroVo Jammy vermouth. Here is the painting, which is an homage to what happened next:

Pimp's Cup. Oil on panel, 12" x 12". $595. [buy now]

So, what happened next was that I tried to figure out how the hell Willi had made the intricately woven garnish on my 8-1/2. I couldn't do it, so he went to the bar, grabbed a cutting board, some tools, and a few pieces of fruit, and proceeded to spend several minutes demonstrating garnishes.

Please keep in mind that, a) I am not a videographer, and b) I was at least two drinks in at this point, and not expecting to make a video. I did my best under the circumstances, and here are the results:

For another video and an actual photo of Willi, join me after the jump.

Yuletide 2015

Solstice Party. Oil on panel, 8" x 8".

I'm coming back to Yuletide!

Last year was my first time at Yuletide and it was a big success, so I am thrilled to have been juried in again for 2015.

This year,  Spokane Art School's holiday art and craft sale will take place at the Downtown Public Library located at 906 West Main. The event kicks off with a private party on Thursday, November 12 (get tickets here), then opens to the public Friday and Saturday, November 13 and 14.

I will bring lots of new work including framed and unframed original Mixology paintings, giclée reproductions, and my original Mixology classic cocktail books as well as my new book, Mixology with a Twist.

Here are the details:
Where: Downtown Public Library, 906 West Main*
When: November 12 – 14, 2015
Hours: Thurs. Nov. 12, opening party, 5 – 8 p.m.
       Fri. – Sat. Nov. 13 – 14, 10 a.m. – 5:30 p.m.

*Please note that there is parking beneath the library building, as well as on the street and at several   
nearby paid parking lots and garages.

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (Bitter Honey and Spice, November Rain)

Bitter, Honey and Spice. Oil on panel, 12" x 12". NFS.

Mixology With a Twist is almost done! All of the paintings are done, too... and in several cases, more than once.

As these things happen, the book progressed, and so it evolved. The paintings' style became more consistent over weeks and months. Which is great. Except that the earliest efforts now looked out of place. Worse yet, they didn't do justice to the amazing drinks they represent.

So, back to the drawing board I went. Repeatedly. Bitter, Honey and Spice (above) is the third iteration of the illustration that is now, just maybe, fit to represent my favorite cocktail from Eugene, Oregon's Izakaya Meiji Company.

But for all that, B, H, & S is not the record holder for bad paintings. It comes in a distant second to Curtis Day's November Rain (below), which I painted no fewer than five times. Five!

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November Rain. Oil on panel, 8" x 8".

As much as I love the drink, it almost got cut from the book owing to the creative block it inspired. Thankfully the fifth time was the charm. I used a bit of reflection trickery to bring some color into the almost-black drink set against Casper Fry's signature brick wall, finally making it pop.

Both original paintings, along with thirty-one others, will be on display at Mizuna for the Mixology With a Twist First Friday book release party.

In the meantime and against my better judgement, I have posted most of the rejected paintings below the fold (two versions of November Rain were so bad they were never photographed).

New Work Available on Daily Paintworks

Manhattans by the Pitcher Study. Oil on panel, 6" x 6". $125. Sold.

I'm back from the Bend/Sausalito trip, and it was a great experience. I met lots of fun new customers and many paintings found new homes. And of course, I tried new cocktails! I'm super excited about a new drink I discovered at the Dogwood Cocktail Cabin in Bend, Oregon.

More on that later, but in the meantime, a few of my favorites are still looking for love. This sweet little Manhattan painting is now available at my Daily Paintworks Mixology Gallery. I'll post more over the next week or so, along with new paintings for Mixology With a Twist.

Off to Bend and Sausalito!

Mac Daddy. Oil on panel, 30" x 15".

Time to pack them bags! Mixology makes its debut at two major west coast art festivals in the next few weeks.

This weekend, it's Art in the High Desert in Bend, Oregon. This is a lovely, well-juried little show along the river in Bend's Old Mill District. I've taken a few years off from the show and am excited to return with all new work.

Then on Labor Day weekend, it's off to the Sausalito Art Festival, a giant party of a show that never fails to be fun. I did this one last year with pastels, and couldn't wait to try it with Mixology.

I've made several new, bigger paintings for the shows including Mac Daddy, above, and Shake it Up and Stir it Up, below. Each is 15" x 30".

For show dates and hours please see my Shows and Events page.

Wabi Sabi and Liberty Bar (Laura)

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Wabi Sabi. Oil on panel, 8" x 8".

The best day at the Bellevue Arts Museum Artsfair was the day before the Bellevue Arts Museum Artsfair.

Paul and I set up in record time, then took off to try the Seattle cocktail recommendations of several friends. One place everyone agreed on was Liberty on Seattle's Capitol Hill. This low-key neighborhood bar and sushi stop turned out to be the single friendliest spot I have visited. In one evening, we came away with five recipes from two different bartenders, Willi and Laura.

Willi served us first, and that experience gets its own future blog post (once I do his drinks justice!). As we left for an art exhibit, he introduced us to Laura Bishop. Laura, herself an artist, liked the idea of the book project and wanted to contribute, so we promised to return.

Upon our arrival back at Liberty, Laura served three original drinks, all beautifully garnished (apparently the Liberty custom—more on that later). The first, the Wabi Sabi, combined green-tea-infused gin with lemon, simple and thyme for a fresh, summery taste that I instantly loved. Laura was so helpful and all of her drinks so delicious, I plan to include at least one more of them in the book. Stay tuned!

Laura demonstrates her mad garnish skills

About the painting:

Inspired by the Japanese moniker, I wanted to keep this painting simple. I googled Japanese textiles and found this vintage pattern, which I printed out for a backdrop. I already knew I wanted to use my best-ever-find cut-glass coupes (7 for $5 at a rummage sale!), so the perfect pairing of cut-glass pattern and bamboo-leaf print was a happy accident. The glass sits on a green-enameled metal wall tile, scavenged years ago from an old school. This brought the bright green color up into the stem and added green reflections to the bowl of the glass, all to tie in with the thyme-sprig garnish. But the real star of the show is the glow of the green tea gin and lemon against the dark background.