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.
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