The snowdrops are out in my garden now, lovely to see signs of new life and growth in this very cold month.  Lovely also to see a Battenberg cake flying heavenwards!

Earlier this week I went to the Cloudhopper Gallery, to collect my paintings that didn't sell in their 'Affordable art' exhibition.
Amongst them was 'How does Your Garden Taste?' Still a bargain, still for sale!

This was inspired by my early childhood reading material, where magic lands accessed by flying chairs had food-producing vegetation!
How amazing indeed it would be to have cake and tart producing shrubs and bushes growing in your very own garden.
Well, stay reading because this does happen in my garden, right at the bottom of it.


My next 'Cloudhopper' event will be to participate in their 'Wearable Art' fashion show, an event I featured in last year.  http://www.cloudhoppergallery.co.uk/#!events
  This year I will be taking again to the catwalk, which was such fun.  with so many people looking at you, and what you are wearing, clapping and taking photos, it was really rather like getting married!

In the meantime, with Mr Cooper laid low again, I am looking forward to a weekend in my studio, and not in the pub. Sad in one way, productive in another.

 Hope you are feeling better now, Juliette, I missed you at work on Thursday.

So here is 'Cinderella' as you saw here last time,

……...and here she is on Friday the 13th.

Jam tarts have arrived on the bush, having 'grown' on it, at the bottom of my garden.
Next time you see her, the chair will hopefully have coloured wings, and cats on it too.

Some of the next 3 days will also be spent  with my sons.  With Sam in the kitchen at Woodfire all day Saturday, (Sam with the skills, me washing up and weighing).
And with John in a cold garden on Monday, helping to pollard an Ash, (John with the skills and chainsaw, me with the hand saw and stacking duties).

Such is life.  See you next week.

Toasting the almonds makes the spikes taste delicious, but adding eyebrows makes a hedgehog cake look too anxious about being devoured!
 Meet Barry, created and mostly eaten on the 29th January, and completely eaten on the 30th.

One thing I must do this year is to crystallize my own angelica, as shop bought angelica lacks that vibrant 70s glowing green. (Look at Barry's eyebrows, they are a little insipid.)
There is another thing I also need to do this year, which combines one of my New Year resolutions, and the book I am starting to write.

In the sketch above, my green donkey gains a foal, plus kitchen accessories which grow as trees.  This image is appearing in my 'Cinderella' painting, in one of the windows.  

 Look at the green of the painted angelica (yes, the donkey is now on top of a trifle)  That is the intensity I am after, when I make my own.

This image will also form part of my entry for the Jerwood drawing prize, where it will become on of 6 jigsaw pieces about my life in 2014.

http://parkerharris.co.uk/artists/awards/index.php?ArticleID=277

So, what is the other important thing I have to do, as well as writing a book, writing a blog about why I am not writing a book, painting, drawing, cooking, being married, etc.

Well, if I am to enter the Pantomime Horse Race in London this year, (New Years Resolution) surely it would be better to enter as a Green Donkey? 

http://blog.newscom.com/blog/2014/12/15/weird-wacky-and-odd-the-pantomime-horse-race/

Which means making the complete outfit as well as growing and crystallising angelica!

We ate the Hedgehog Cake at bookclub.  It was called Barry, and seemed to get the hang of being eaten, as the night wore on.

Here is the recipe so you can make your own cake, and some pictures also to help in the construction.

Sorry it is all in Imperial, which is how many of my recipes are. 

6oz butter

60z caster sugar

3 eggs

6oz S.R flour, which includes 1 tablespoon of cocoa powder.

1 tablespoon milk

Cream the butter and sugar, add the eggs one at a time, beating after each one. Sieve in the flour and cocoa, then fold in gently, adding the milk to ensure a dropping consistency.

Bake in 2 x 7 inch greased sandwich tins at 180 degrees c for 25-30 minutes, turn out and leave till cold.

Make a butter cream by creaming 8oz butter then sieving into it 11oz icing sugar and 1 oz cocoa powder.  Mix until smooth and delicious.

Cut your cakes and assemble on a plate as follows below. 

When all the pieces are cut ready to assemble, use the butter cream to sandwich them together on a serving plate, and then to coat the cake to resemble a tall hedgehog.

Eat the off-cuts.

When coated to your satisfaction, add sliced almonds to provide the spikes (toasted or un-toasted, your preference) a cherry for the nose and smarties for the eyes.  Use angelica to provide eyebrows if desired.  These do add emotions to your hedgehog's face, be warned.

Then slice, serve and enjoy.

This cake is definitely designed for sharing, so gather together your friends and family.  

Speaking of which, a big wave hello to Margaret and Emily, it was lovely to see you again.

Last week has been an enjoyable one on the work front.  I have worked away from home only on Tuesday and Saturday, so the rest of the time I have been busily painting, whilst listening to Radio 4 extra.

This week though is not much of a one for painting.  I am working at 'The Greyhound on the Test' http://thegreyhoundonthetest.co.uk/ on Tuesday and Thursday, and at 'Woodfire' http://woodfirestockbridge.co.uk/menu/ on Wednesday.  Since leaving the teaching profession, my only regular income has been as a K.P (kitchen porter/dish pig)  You get a rigorous arms and abs workout, plus food.  The Greyhound is my weekly haunt, and I make a guest appearance at Woodfire, where son Sam is a chef, when their excellent K.P Gabo is having some rare time off.  It's great working with Sam, a day full of culinary treats. And at the end of the day he helps me to wash the floor, as he can't bear to see me do it on my own!

The watercolour sketch above is a study for a work called 'Totally Unexpected'.  It shows me working away, and thinking about Mr Cooper as I often do. Then he appears at the window with a huge bunch of red roses.  You can see why I called it 'Totally Unexpected'.

Lots of my friends were really surprised at me choosing to earn money in such a physical and not cerebral way.  But as an artist, I have worked in many restaurants and kitchens since student days.  After 15 years teaching 11-18 year olds, its great to have a job you leave behind, and where no part of that job is trying to argue with you. Hard-working bliss.

I have Wednesday evening free, the girls are coming round for Book Club.  This calls for Bagna Cauda followed by 'Hedgehog Cake'.
Incidentally, the book we read was 'We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves' by Karen Joy Fowler.  Well worth a read. 'Gripping and intelligent' said one review, and I will go along with that.

Time to go outside now, for another burst of painting.
Pictured below now are last weeks painting of Cinderella, with this weeks below it, so progress can be seen.

Might not be seeing so much progress with Cinderella next time. 

 Probably time to re-visit 'Hedgehog Cake' instead.

Lets start this week's blog with a taste of summer to come…..

 After a week of scraping ice from the windscreen, or remembering where I left my umbrella, I thought a little more warmth and colour was needed for us all.

This painting came about when I read the phrase in a novel.  I thought it was so charming and very evocative, and 'Holiday In My Heart' was the result.
My painting is now in the process of leaving the studio to become part of my pink bedroom. It will lean against the wall there until me and Mr Cooper eventually get round to finding the drills, screws and spirit level.

In my work, there are signature images that appear. Look out for this image again, at the end of this blog.

Just in case you are wondering where the Green Donkey Cookery Book has gone…..

Last week I told you about the 'Affordable Art Exhibition' at the Cloudhopper Gallery., running form the 13th January - 7th February http://www.cloudhoppergallery.co.uk/
The other two paintings I submitted are 2 companion pieces, very much cake-based art.

Pictured above is 'Celestial Picnic With Swiss Roll'

and its companion piece

'Terrestrial Picnic with Swiss Roll'

These are for sale at the truly amazing price of £50 each.  If you are almost tempted but need a little more urging, in my studio there are the 'Millionaire Shortbread' picnic paintings, and also the 'Battenburg Cake' picnic paintings. Contact me for more details.

They will be in evidence later on in May, as part of the Chichester Art Trail. The dates are 2nd, 3rd and 4th May, and 9th and 10th May.http://www.chichesterarttrail.org/

What am I painting at the moment? It is a larger painting, which will bring together many elements from my life.  

I thought I would show you the painting as it evolves, which will help show how I work.  I started it last year then left for a few months. 

 When I am involved in creating a more complex  image, I always needs time to reflect and to work out the direction.  Sometimes I do a huge amount of sketching before starting the final piece, so I have made this journey before I start.  This is necessary when creating a pen and ink drawing. 

 When painting, ideas can evolve on the canvas. 

Anyway, here is 'Cindrella', most of the basic elements are present.  It should now begin to unfurl. 

 I hope you enjoy watching this process, I am just off now to do some more unfurling.

I am so close now to starting some proper art work.  My 2 creative projects are to start the illustrations for the Hedgehog Cake, and to start consolidating my ideas for the drawing I will submit for the Jerwood Drawing Prize.  It would not be a proper year without going to Wimbledon to deliver my drawing, and then returning the following week to pick up my rejected drawing.

Last week I created a 3D work of art.  In the absence of Mr Cooper (skiing, French Alps), I spent a couple of days removing all the crap that has accumulated during the year from under and around our bed, and then restoring it back to a lovely place to be.  Even my Dr Marten collection is now shiny.

The good news is that Mr Cooper is thrilled.  He can also sort out the crap in his own time, as it is now under, around and on top of another bed!

The Cloudhopper Gallery, www.cloudhoppergallery.co.uk/‎, are running their first exhibition of the year, the 'Affordable Art Exhibition'.  this runs from the 13th January to the 7th February.
I took four paintings over on Friday to the selection committee.

Pictured above is 'How does your Garden Grow'.  All the artwork for sale is at a reduced price, so a really good place to pick up an art bargain.

The sister painting to the above is also there, I will let you know if any of the four are selected.

'How does your Garden Taste'

I think reading 'The Magic Faraway Tree' and 'The Wishing Chair' when I was young has influenced my life and art.  I have had to accept the fact that I will never be Silky the fairy.  Oh well, must also crack on with the painting of me as Cinderella!

                           This is the outward face I presented to the world over Christmas.

                         

 And after a very busy Christmas I am quite looking forward to actually enjoying January!

I thought it would be best to make some New Year's resolutions that I might possibly keep, so here are my 2 totally new ones.

1.Go to Brighton in the Spring to buy some denim dungarees, preferably trimmed with green.

2.Enter the Pantomime Horse race which takes place in London in December.
The London Pantomime Horse Race Report

That should give me enough time to train seriously for the event.  I think wearing 2 coats and too large wellingtons and running round blindfold around the coast path bent double should be a good starting point!

It goes without saying that writing my book is a big part of this year, and also doing all the other art things that prevent it happening.  I have just started a series of cake paintings ready for the Art Trail in May, the first one is pictured below.

And my head is filled with ideas for the Jerwood drawing competition…………...

The Flying Blackbird paintings are now at the Cloudhopper Gallery!

A lovely gallery, well worth a regular visit.  http://www.cloudhoppergallery.co.uk/

Returning to my Food Art journey;  first paintings, then lino prints and then a whole new world of ideas opened up to me. I used my prints and paintings to create picnic tables and trays, using decoupage to add the images.  I was having some serious fun now, creating trays and picnic table tops showing plates of food, and party settings.

The only trouble with getting excited with an idea is you end up with lots of artwork.  The table tops were building up in the garage, and the trays were piling up in my studio.  Obviously, the next thing to do was to find an outlet for my work.

 So far, my only regular point of contact with the public, as an artist, was being part of the Chichester Open Studios Art Trail.  I have been on the committee for this event for 6 years now.  During the first two weekends in May, people are invited in to studios and workshops in and around Chichester, to meet artists, talk about their work, and hopefully buy some!  This is always a really fun and rewarding time.  But not really enough to sustain my profile.

As well as thinking about artistic outlets, I have asked all my aunties and cousins for their childhood cake memories, to start collecting and collating for my Green Donkey recipe book.

Talking of recipes, I am currently steaming my Christmas Pudding, this year the recipe comes from a brilliant war time recipe book from 1946, from the Daily Mirror.  This is a step by step picture cookery book featuring the newly married Patsy, showing how she how she learns to cook during wartime with help from friends and family.  Here is the recipe from that book.

Will have to let you know the results after Christmas day!

So, things I had to do.  Find outlets to sell my food art, and start to put together the collection of recipes.

Back to the present day; tomorrow I go the the Oxmarket Gallery for their private exhibition, as they accepted a large ink drawing from me, for their 'Journeys' exhibition.

http://oxmarket.com/

Here is the picture below which is titled 'It depends What you Call Normal'.

See you next week.