The LOCAL 14 Art Show & Sale is less than one week away! Right now there are close to 100 artists busily putting the finishing touches on pieces of art and taking care of details such as tagging and inventory. It’s a busy time for everyone associated with this wonderful show.
Bob and I continue to enjoy the garden, even as the summer winds down. We have been good stewards of the vegetable garden’s bounty, eating lots of fresh veggies, canning and freezing, and giving away multiple bags and baskets of fresh veggies to family, friends and co-workers.
Over the Labor Day weekend Bob harvested a big basket full of tomatoes, eggplant and beets. We took a few photos before the veggies went to their respective pots… here is a close-up of the basket. In addition to feeding our bodies, these beautiful vegetables have also been feeding our souls. Look how beautiful!
Within hours the tomatoes were simmering in a pot with celery and onions. The sauce is now in the freezer and will be enjoyed throughout the coming months in a variety of dishes. The eggplant went into the oven and were roasted for baba ganoush, which we devoured last night with shish kebab and grilled garlic naan. Mmmmmm! The beets are going to a friend who loves fresh beets. Earlier this summer I canned two batches of pickled beets!
We discovered a few new favorites in the garden this year. One veggie was quite a novelty and posed a bit of a mystery. We picked up a tray of Veronica Cauliflower at the nursery. We were surprised at the way the plant looked as it grew, and started calling it Alien Cauliflower. We were even more puzzled when I saw a picture of this mystery veggie in Sunset magazine, and they called it Romanesco Broccoli! I did a bit of Googling, and found that, depending on where you are, it is called both Romanesco Broccoli, Romanesco Cauliflower, and Veronica Cauliflower. It’s a strangely beautiful vegetable, looking like a piece of fractal art. The taste is mild and slightly nutty. We plan on putting this in again next year. It’s quite the conversation piece. Here’s a closeup of this oddly beautiful vegetable…
The garden continues to pump out the produce at an almost alarming rate of speed. What to do with all those zucchini? One thing we’ve done with this abundance is to make zucchini relish.
Canning is a time-honored tradition, one that my grandmother taught my mother, my mother taught me (AND my daughters!). It seemed that it was becoming a lost art in this high-tech world, but with the current economic conditions people are looking for ways to save money and make the most of what they have. Canning is one good way to do that.
Bob and I REALLY went back in time to put up the relish, enlisting the help of a Universal Food Chopper that is more than 100 years old!
Since the Universal Food Chopper makes a bit of a mess (zucchini, onion and pepper juice everywhere) we set up the grinding station out on the patio on a plywood work surface.
Here I am, getting a workout on the Universal Food Chopper.
This kitchen relic has a patent pending date of 1899 stamped on the side. It is a simple tool, consisting of a chute through which the vegetables (or other food items) are processed, a crank with turns a large corkscrew-like piece inside that pulverizes the items going into the chute.
A bit of cranking and grinding, and before you know it, you have a juicy pile of ground up veggies.
My recipe for zucchini relish, which came to me from my mom, consists of ground zucchini, ground onion, ground green and red peppers, apple cider vinegar, sugar, mustard seed, celery seed, salt, and lots of elbow grease!
Anyone wanting the complete recipe with quantities and cooking instructions can send me a comment and I’ll email them to you.
Below are photos of Bob, who also got into the grinding act, and the finished product!
It’s mid-July and our gardens are going gang-busters! I thought I’d post a few pictures. I had never been much of a gardener until I married Bob. His love and enthusiasm for gardening is contagious! We have a sort of arrangement… he is in charge of the vegetable gardens (this year there are three!), I’m in charge of the flower beds, and the shade garden out front is a joint project. It’s a big yard, so these gardens keep us busy during the spring and summer months.
It’s amazing how fast things grow. Just a few months ago there was a bare patch of ground where now there are rows of corn, tomatoes, peppers, zucchini, beets, peas, lettuce, broccoli, zucchini, cauliflower, onions, zucchini, eggplant, zucchini, cantaloupe, cucumbers… did I mention the zucchini?
The picture above was taken almost a month ago, so imagine how big it is now! We’ve already had stuffed zucchini Italiano, zucchini bread, grilled zucchini and have used it in stir fry. We’ve also taken bags of zucchini to our workplaces and I’ve given it away to friends. This afternoon I got the other ingredients needed to make zucchini relish and I will be putting up jars of that to enjoy for months to come.
This shot of the Zorko Veggie Garden #1 is also about a month old. Farmer Bob is seen enjoying his morning cup of Tully’s.
Well, I’d better get busy… I have a pile of zucchini waiting!
Why have this powerful tool at my disposal and not use it? So, I pulled up a few digital images I took from my garden and started experimenting with some of the filters in edit mode.
Here’s a shot of my Oriental Poppies that I took in Macro on my trusty digital camera. I cropped it even further, then selected the sponge filter. Cool! Seeing the photo in this way makes me want to 1) find ways to use these altered images in my paper arts and 2) use the images as inspiration and pull out my watercolors. I think this would make a great painting!
How’s this for wild? A close-up of my dwarf gingko takes on a psychedelic look using the neon glow filter. Wow! I can see endless possibilities for fun and creativity here. I’ve only scratched the surface, I know. Much to learn!
I’m downloading some recent shots taken from the backyard, and couldn’t resist sharing this picture of a handsome flicker enjoying a bit of suet from one of our feeders. Flickers are one of my favorite birds.
It’s a Saturday, and Bob is at work, and it’s overcast outside… so I’m going to seize the opportunity to work in the studio today. I have lots to do! I’m going to get another cup of Tully’s (our favorite coffee), put on some good tunes, and get in a creative groove. I still have things to do to prepare for the Camp Cactus Summer Sale (see post below).
Wow! Time sure flies! Here it is, June already. I just got a jpeg version of the promo postcard for the upcoming Camp Cactus Summer Sale, so I’ll post it here.
This is a collaborative art show and sale that Portland artist Jane Russell has graciously hosted in her wonderful studio since 1992. Jane has invited a number of artists from the area to participate and assembles their work boutique-style throughout the studio.
She has recently finished a remodel of the studio. I’m anxious to see it, although it’s hard for me to imagine a studio more charming even before the redo. It’s a wonderful space brimming with creativity!
This will be the third year Jane has invited me to participate. Thank you, Jane! She holds two shows each year, her summer sale and also a holiday sale. Both are not to be missed!
The Summer Sale begins Friday, June 12th with a preview evening from 6 to 9 p.m. There will be wine and goodies on hand, and you’ll have a chance to get the first look at the beautiful offerings presented by over 30 artists. Shown to the left is a list of some of the artists whose work will be featured at the Camp Cactus Summer Sale.
I will be bringing an assortment of my Note Totes, embellished notebooks, wearable art pins, and handmade soap.
I will also have a few of my lastest projects, my paper-tiled mirrors. These have become something of an obsession with me! The 10″ square decorative mirrors have wide wooden frames that I cover mosaic-style in matboard based tiles. Some are covered in beautiful papers, some are painted in luminous acrylics, and all are coated in resin so that they resemble ceramic tiles. Each mirror includes a tile that features a favorite quote. Scroll down further in my blog to see an example. I will only have a few at the show, as they are time consuming to make and I’ve already given some away to friends and family. Hopefully by the time Jane’s holiday show rolls around I will have more. 
That’s it for now. I need to get busy in the studio — there’s a show to get ready for!
With the Columbia Gorge Art Festival behind me, my thoughts are turning to the yard. In fact, I spent all day Saturday working in the yard, and part of Sunday. Attendance at the show seemed low, and I’m betting that’s one reason… the first gorgeous weekend in a while, and people were chomping at the bit to get things done in their yards. Bob and I went to Farmington Gardens and came home loaded with bedding plants for the vegetable gardens and flower beds. Most of them are now in the ground, but I suspect there will be one or two more trips to the local nurseries before we’re done!
We have two new visitors to the backyard! A pair of blackheaded grosbeaks have been stopping by the last few days to partake of the birdie buffet at Chez Zorko. 
Here is a picture of the male, chewing on a sunflower seed from the tube feeder. They really like those sunflower seeds! With their brilliant colors and large beaks, they look almost tropical!
We also have another type of grosbeak that frequents this feeder, and they seem to be taking turns with the new blackheaded visitors — it’s pretty funny.
Below is a picture of the female. While beautiful, she’s not quite as striking as the male. Nature is funny that way… in most cases the male is more beautiful than the female. Except in the case of humans. ;-)
In other birdie news, we have a pair of nesting chickadees who have taken up residence in the beach house… a birdhouse we bought a few years ago on our first anniversary trip to Cannon Beach. The house is make from a big piece of driftwood. The chickadees seem to like the house and are preparing for their new arrivals. It’s fun to watch them going in and out. Too cute!
It’s Thursday morning and I’m busy getting things ready for this weekend’s show, The Columbia Gorge Art Festival in Corbett, Oregon. This is a fun show, one I’ve done for a number of years now, and I urge everyone to come out for it. The weather is predicted to be sunny and warm, and Corbett is just a short drive east of Portland off of I-84.
You’ll find everything there from handmade cards to large garden sculptures! I’ll have my notebooks, Note Totes, wearable art pins, and handmade soaps there, and this will also be the first time that my new paper-tiled mirrors will be available for the public to see (and hopefully buy!).
A trip to the Columbia Gorge Art Festival makes for a fun outing, and you can use the opportunity to see and do other things along the beautiful Columbia Gorge. You can even enjoy lunch while at the festival… they always put on a great barbecue — the hamburgers are wonderful!
Here’s the address… 35800 East Historic Columbia River Hwy, Corbett, Oregon 97019
From I-84, take Exit 22, go up Corbett Hill Road to Historic Hwy and turn right. Art Festival is about 1/4 mile on left.
I’ll be there Sunday afternoon, and plan on doing some shopping of my own… last year my big “find” was a wildly painted papier mache cat that now occupies a comfy perch in my studio. He is painted in psychelic colors and has emerald green metallic whiskers. His yellow glass eyes watch and encourage me as I create new things. He is my “mews”! I’ll have to take a picture of him and post it — he’s really quite spectacular!
After weeks of my blog not being available/accessible, it appears that the blog is back. It’s still a mystery, but at least now the problem, whatever it was, seems to be fixed.
I’ve been anxious to share some of the publicity photos that Dan Kvitka took of my new paper-tiled mirrors. He really did a great job. He also took some new photos of Note Totes, a notebook, and a few pins. I’m hoping to be juried in to the Wild Arts Festival in November. It’s a fundraiser for Portland Audubon Society and it looks like a very nice show. I made up a few pieces that would fit with the Wildlife theme, had Dan photograph and format them for jurying purposes, and sent them in. Now I’m crossing my fingers!
Here is my third mirror. It has a leaf motif and a quote on nature from Henry David Thoreau. I included this image in my entry packet to Wild Arts. Below is another image I sent in… a notebook featuring an embellishment of a crane.
Hopefully the judges will like these. It’s a bit nerve wracking, putting your art out there for others to judge and waiting to hear if you’ve been accepted. Wish me luck!
