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.)

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.

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!

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!

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.

Mixology With a Twist Art Exhibit and Book Release Party!

Looks like I have a date! 

Once again, Mike has graciously offered to host the Mixology release party and art exhibit at Mizuna. I'm so excited to have it on the calendar! Just like last year, the event will be the first Friday in November, from 5 to 10 p.m. 

I'll have all the paintings from the book available for purchase, along with, of course, the book, and giclée reproductions and copies of the original Mixology classic cocktails book.

There's a ton to do between now and November, though! New drinks to paint, less-than-successful paintings to re-paint, drinks to taste, WRITING, more painting, more writing, more drinking, etc., etc. Oh, and a few art festivals happen somewhere in there.

And on that note, I had better get back to work.

Here are all the details:

Mixology With a Twist Book Release Party and Art Exhibit

When: Friday, November 6, 2015, 5–10 p.m.

Where: Mizuna, Spokane, WA

Celebrate the release of my second cocktail art book, featuring original recipes from Pacific Northwest bartenders and cocktail enthusiasts. Original paintings from Mixology With a Twist will be on display (and available for purchase) along with books and reproductions of select paintings. Mizuna will offer drink specials from the book along with their delicious food (separate, full vegetarian/vegan menu). Last year's party was a blast, so if you missed it, here's your chance to see what you missed!

Artwork will remain at Mizuna through the end of 2015, so if you missed the opening party, please stop by. Many of the original works are now available through my new online store.

Festival Season!

I've added two festivals to the summer Mixology schedule, making for one fun road trip! Starting the last weekend in August at Bend, Oregon's Art in the High Desert, I'll then move on to the Sausalito Art Festival in Marin County, California for Labor Day weekend. What a great lineup.

Both festivals are top rated for the West Coast (not to mention the entire country). I'm so excited to be bringing Mixology paintings to them both for the first time.

Please find more details and links to the show websites on my Shows and Events page.

Hoarder

Painting may be on hold for a bit, but hoarding continues full steam ahead.

Above are all of the glasses, shakers and mixing pitchers I've collected while working on other projects. OK, maybe not all of them, but whatever. I can quit anytime I want.

For now, I've got a book to make. For that I must collect recipes. New recipes spark new painting ideas, and each new painting naturally requires some very specific prop that I don't already own.

For example, the purple glass is for a delicious recipe called La Mûre Printemps by Boots/Ruins bartender Suzie Bertholic. The drink, served in a Collins glass, involves gin and fresh blackberries. Tell me I didn't need that exact glass. The green and smokey glasses came with it as a bonus. All are vintage, found on my favorite vintage store for lazy people, Etsy. Just type in exactly what you're looking for, click the "Vintage" button on the left, and boom. You will spend money.

Same goes for the three mid-century rocks glasses, parts of whole sets found on Etsy. So many sets...

The sweet Mad Men-era mixing pitcher comes from my favorite local barware emporium and travel trailer, Raising the Bar. It's for a drink created by liquor rep Beth McRae to showcase liqueurs by Seattle distillery broVo. One of the distillers at broVo is the son of Renée Cebula, who owns Raising the Bar. The Tequila Negroni simply could not be painted without a pitcher from RtB!

And no week would be complete without a purchase from my favorite source for new barware, Crate and Barrel. The copper shaker is slated for a lovely mescal drink by Clover bartender Kristy White. The thick-based flute may represent for a refreshing drink by Jim German, owner of Waitsburg, Washington's amazing and unexpected jimgermanbar.

More on those drinks and stories later with paintings to come…. wait, what? Etsy, is that you I hear calling?

Mixology at Artfest 2015!

Moontinis at Midnight. Oil on panel, 14" x 10".

Artfest is coming! Spokane's own Northwest Museum of Art and Culture hosts its annual juried art festival May 29 through 31st 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 12" x 12" paintings from my first book will be available for purchase, along with dozens of smaller pieces and some new larger works created just for the show.

Here are the vital details:

When: May 29–31, 2015
Where: Coeur d"Alene Park, Spokane, Washington
Hours: Friday, Noon–8, Saturday, 10–8, Sunday, 10–5.
Booth # TBD.

And here are some more new pieces I'll have available:

The Pink Lady. Oil on panel, 12" x 12".

The Mile High Club. Oil on panel, 12" x 12".

Clouds Over Manhattan. Oil on panel, 6" x 6".

Manhattans by the Pitcher. Oil on panel, 8" x 8".

Two Olives. Oil on panel, 6" x 6".

Artini. Oil on panel, 8" x 8".

Bourbon Renewal

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Bourbon Renewal. Oil on panel, 12" x 12".

Clyde Common is one of my favorite restaurants in Portland. Its bar manager, Jeffrey Morgenthaler, is well known for his inventive cocktails, a blog, videos, a regular drinks column in Playboy, and a book on cocktail technique. 

When I visited Clyde Common a few weeks ago in search of recipes, Freddy (the bartender on duty) immediately suggested the Bourbon Renewal. I tried to explain that I was looking for original drinks, not old classics. I had seen the Bourbon Renewal on menus at bars all over the Pacific Northwest so it had to be an oldie but goodie, right? Embarrassingly, not so much.

I looked it up while I sat a the bar enjoying another delicious drink, then sheepishly admitted my mistake to Freddy. The drink is indeed the invention of Mr. Morgenthaler, who named it after his business partner's band. Freddy kindly shared the recipe and J.M.'s business card.

When I emailed Jeffrey later, he bent over backward to help, answering my many questions and offering any additional assistance I might require in the future. Which, given his extremely busy schedule, went above and beyond.

The painting is inspired by the bar at Clyde Common; the chalkboard behind lists the many top-shelf offerings available. The beautiful ruby-red color of the drink comes from small amount of Creme de Cassis added to the bourbon. 

French Farmhouse

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French Farmhouse. Oil on panel, 12" x 12".

An all-day, beer-lovers' brunch inspired this new twist on the French 75. Truthfully, the idea had been rolling around my head for a while, but the brunch kickstarted the process.

If I haven't beat this to death already, I am part owner of Iron Goat Brewing, a microbrewery in Spokane. The brewery is moving to a bigger space with a bigger liquor license, and a cocktail menu is now an option. A collection of beer-related drinks seemed apropos, so I've been pondering possibilities. Asked to bring a brunch cocktail on short notice, I gave this idea a try.

This drink replaces champagne in a French 75 with farmhouse ale (saison). Our seasonal farmhouse ale didn't come out until after the aforementioned brunch, so I used Boulevard's Tank 7 instead. (As a former graphic designer, I have a weakness for pretty packaging, so that was another excuse to use one of my favorite non-Goat beers.) The saison substituted seamlessly, the drink was declared a keeper, and I decided to paint it.

To get inspiration for the painting, I googled French country decor. I have never seen so many ticking stripes on one search page in my life. Or anywhere, really. Whitewashed wood and ticking stripes as far as the eye could see. Unbelievably, I already had a bar towel with stripes. Amazing! After several hours of futzing, an equal amount of easel time, and an unheard-of $0 in new props, a painting, and an unexpected addition to the new book, was born.

Last Canes

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Last Canes Cocktail. Oil on panel, 8" x 8".

Every so often, the list of unpainted cocktails needs restocking. When that happens, someone has to take one for the team and go find new drinks. It's tough work, but it must be done.

A few weeks ago, the job fell to me alone. I headed to Clover to find Kristy White, and find her I did. She mixed me a delicious drink she had recently invented (Pablo's Muse, coming soon). Then she set to work calling other bartenders for me. (I am always pleasantly surprised at the generosity of the bartenders I meet—not just with drinks, but with volunteering to find more people to share more great drinks.)

Kristy and bar manager Justin recommended Cameron Walls, another Clover bartender. Cameron happened to be heading our way. In the meantime, Kristy mixed a favorite Cameron concoction: a drink the Clover staff had nicknamed the "Little Cutie." A bit sweet, but with the layered complexity I love, the "Cutie" was a hit. Inspired by Cameron's mother's marmalade, the drink contained rum, amaretto, apricot liqueur and lemon juice in addition to the bitter-sweet orange preserves.

Cameron arrived and within minutes had me sold on an additional drink (the Weber, also coming soon).  But he had a problem with the Cutie… the name. Not manly. Few men would order a drink called the "Little Cutie." In order to give the drink universal appeal, Cameron decided it was time to commit to a different name. He chose Last Canes, a sugar harvest celebration from Barbados, as the permanent title.  

Last Canes, Little Cutie—whatever it's called, this drink is delicious and fun to paint! 

The Anton Boxrud

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The Anton Boxrud. Oil on panel, 12" x 12".

Last week was a bit panicky, as the list of unpainted cocktails had shrunk to almost nothing. I enlisted a few members of the tasting gang and headed out for happy hour. First we hit Clover, looking for a bartender who had agreed to contribute a recipe. Unfortunately, she had left early to pick up a sick kid. Not willing to waste a perfectly good happy hour, we tried some tasty drinks and got a few leads (we'll be back!). 

Then it was on to Ruins, where Kelli Aspen Green greeted us from behind the bar. Just about every bartender in town had recommended I get a recipe from Kelli. She did not disappoint, immediately offering a delicious original creation and a story to go with it. 

Asked by mutual friend Sylvia (original owner of Mizuna) to create a drink, Kelli came up with this tasty concoction on the fly. Sylvia fell "instantly in love" with the drink. So Kelli decided to name it for the place where she first fell in love, the Anton Boxrud bed and breakfast in Salt Lake City. Kelli wrote down the story for me, offering that it was the place where she left her virginity. "Do you want that in the book?" I asked, and received an enthusiastic "yes!" So there you have it.

This drink is pure herbalicious refreshment, with a gin base, lime, fennel simple syrup, celery bitters and a rosemary garnish. Best of all, every ingredient is available in Spokane! At last!

Mixology With a Twist

Mixology With a Twist. Oil on panel, 12" x 12". Sold.

With a few solid drink paintings done, starting the design phase of a book amps up the motivation. It can also feel like a scary blank canvas. The goal for the new book is to feel fresh and modern, but what would that look like?

A visit to a free font site started the ball rolling. Okay. Lots of tall, modern display fonts tied nicely with the last book's art deco titles. How about pairing that with a typewriter font to reflect all those cocktail menus I've seen? And how about giving that a nice distressed texture to give it that old-as-new feel of modern cocktail bars? 

With that roughly settled, it was time to think about the cover. I knew I wanted the whole cover to be a painting this time, but that would be tough with one of the existing images. The only thing for it was to create a painting specifically for the cover, leaving room for the title and subheadings. So I worked backward, designing the text portion first, then creating a still life to fit it. 

Here's the mockup:

Even with the mockup cover printed out and clipped to the easel, it still felt like winging it. I didn't trust that the proportions would work exactly as planned. But in the end, I'm pretty happy with the result. The painting, which (hopefully) hints at the creative nature of modern bar tending, fit just fine. With the cover as a launch point, the page design almost falls into place. Feeling accomplished!

Here's the completed cover (subject to change of course):

65th Street Cocktail (Redux)

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65th Street Cocktail. Oil on panel, 12" x 12".

Like a few other paintings for this book, the first effort or two didn't quite hit the mark. But deja vu smacked me upside the head as I started this post. Then it dawned---the first painting is already posted here. Awkward-ish. But this was the first drink I painted for Mixology With a Twist, and it had not occurred that I would get so damned picky.

So much happier with this one! I imagine it as Curtis Day's view as he makes his signature cocktail at Casper Fry. Oddly, I didn't tell the story of this drink in the original post. The night we met Curtis, he told us that his girlfriend lived on 65th street in NYC. But the very next day, she was moving here and they would be together. So cool! 

Happy for him, happy with the final piece. Joy.

Between the Devil and the Deep

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Between the Devil and the Deep. Oil on panel, 8" x 8". 

Between the Devil and the Deep is the first original Kristi Gamble drink I ever tasted. It is also one of the most beautiful drinks I have seen. The lovely coral color combined with Kristi's gorgeous lemon rose garnish are stunning. I didn't do it justice, but gave it my best three tries. If I had a job which required making lemon roses all night, I would be fired. It's so much tougher than it looks!

As I collect recipes from around the Northwest, I'm finding that Spokane bartenders are much kinder in their use of ingredients. That is to say, they use (mostly) things I can actually get without a road trip or an operating loan to cover shipping costs. 

This drink took a little extra effort, but it was a) not that difficult, and b) worth it. Rhubarb bitters came from Pearl Specialty in Portland, and I made my own Falernum. Falernum---a syrup made with cloves, almonds, ginger, lime, sugar and rum---is my new obsession. Here is the recipe.

And here is a photo of Kristi's beautiful lemon rose.

Golden Stonefly

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Golden Stonefly. Oil on panel, 12" x 12".

Back in the groove, for a bit, at least. This piece was fun. Golden Stonefly is a drink invented by bartender Kristi Gamble, currently at Durkin's Liquor Bar in Spokane. She created it at the request of Spokane's own Dry Fly Distilling to showcase their award-winning vodka.

The last set of paintings for the vintage cocktail book proved enjoyable due largely to fun deco patterns and old barware. Conveniently, many new cocktail bars have an old-school look, so I can still get out my vintage yah-yahs. Durkins, for example, is all flocked wallpaper, subway and hex tile, antique-looking coupes and chandeliers.

As with all the book paintings, this one is reserved for a book release exhibit this fall. But there are similar paintings available now on Daily Paintworks.

Tamarind Whiskey Sour

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Tamarind Whiskey Sour. Oil on panel, 12" x 12".

I had my first tamarind whiskey sour at an Indian restaurant in Portland, Oregon a year or so ago. Mixology (the project) didn't exist yet. It was so delicious, though, that later I looked for a recipe online. I found one on Bon Appetit's website, and noticed it was contributed by someone in Portland. That someone, it turned out, was chef Andy Ricker, owner of Portland's famous Pok Pok Thai restaurant. 

It was this drink that gave me the idea to start a second book of original recipes and twists on classics from the Pacific Northwest. I contacted Pok Pok, and they were kind enough to give me permission to use the recipe. A few weeks ago I went to the source and had the drink at Pok Pok's bar, looking for inspiration for the painting.

But this painting had been swirling around in my head for a while, and I already knew what I wanted to put in the painting. So in went the statuary Buddha hand and brass shaker, even though Pok Pok is modern and non-traditional. But hey. Their recipe, my painting.

Below is the 6" x 6" sketch that brought me out of my painting funk. It's for sale at Daily Paintworks.

Tamarind Whiskey Sour Study. oil on panel, 6" x 6". Sold.