Pablo's Muse

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Pablo's Muse. Oil on panel, 12" x 12".

At long last, painting for Mixology With a Twist has resumed (insert sigh of relief here). With the book release just a few short months away, deadline-related confidence waned as other projects kept me from my "drinks." At least continuous prop hoarding enabled me to jump in the minute I had a minute!  

First up, Pablo's Muse from Kristy White of Clover, here in Spokane. This simple mezcal-based drink allows the flavors of its few ingredients to shine. Kristy is one of the first bartenders I approached for this book, after watching her juggle craft cocktail orders at a dizzying pace at the ever-busy Bon Bon last fall.

Kristy's concoction is actually colorless. My desire to add color led to a challenging choice of glassware (molded pink depression glass). The paisley wallpaper and galvanized "bar top," inspired by Clover's interior, added another layer to the task. Suffice it to say this one took about three times as long as it should have. But hey, the important thing is this: the drinks are flowing again!

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?

Brandied Cherries

If you had told me a year ago I might own a cherry pitter, I would have laughed. A lot. But months of fruitless (pun int.) searches for good, reasonably-priced brandied cherries have since altered my outlook.

Behind my studio, a pair of ancient cherry trees loaded with fruit reminded me of this recipe for brandied cherries. Armed with a yogurt tub, I climbed through scratchy limbs to harvest about five pounds of cherries.

Pitting cherries with the Norpro pitter. Fast and efficient!

Two splattery, sticky hours later, I possessed four jars of delicious, spicy, brandied cherries that actually still tasted like cherries. And for the first time ever, I craved a Manhattan on a 100-degree day. The recipe is a bit of work, but worth the extra effort.

Juniper and allspice berries simmer in syrup

It will be a few weeks before I post any new paintings. Still juggling two separate bodies of work, I've had to take five (weeks, or so) from Mixology to prepare for upcoming shows. But I've been hoarding more vintage props, so I'll try to post some of my finds in the meantime.

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. 

Brouwer's Manhattan

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Brouwer's Manhattan. Oil on panel, 8" x 8".

I felt like a bit of an ass ordering a cocktail at a statewide triple-IPA event, but I'm glad I did.

Brouwer's Cafe, a slightly gothic, belgian-style pub built in an old warehouse in Seattle, hosted the opening party for the high-octane hopfest. Along with the rest of the Iron Goat Crew, I drank my share of beer before succumbing to the temptations of the cocktail menu. Thanks to the generosity of Lucas Brouwers, I came away with a surprise new addition to Mixology with a Twist.

Heavy wooden booths and bars, rock walls and lots of ironwork make Brouwer's both cozy and impressive. The problem was, how to capture the old-world feel of the pub without building a complicated set? After mulling it over for several days, I found a refreshingly uncomplicated answer: an old wooden yoga block and an 88-cent vinyl floor tile.

This small, simple piece was a joy to paint. I was afraid it might be a bit too simple. But the second I switched the light onto the beautifully-colored drink, the setup came to life. Colors projected gorgeously onto the ice cubes in the mixing pitcher, creating a series of bright, graphic shapes. The result, I think, is an interesting combo of modern style and natural materials.

I'm especially happy with the looseness of the piece. I only had a few hours to do it, which pushed me to make quicker decisions and bolder strokes. Maybe I should give myself a time limit for every painting!