aug '26 favorites
Small things that made my August just a little bit better.
creating
I’ve been trying to find a way to embrace florals in my art. My dilemma is figuring out how to do this in my own style: loose, abstracted, and maybe even moody. I don’t know exactly what I’m hoping to express, but I’m beginning the journey to see what happens.
Watch here to see the process.
following
YouTube: Jeanne Oliver is one of my favorite artists, and on her channel she shares videos from classes she offers on her website.
Pinterest: Emily Lex has beautifully curated boards.
Instagram: Orly Avineri is a mixed-media artist I recently discovered. Her art seems raw and earthy.
I paint flowers so they will not die.
—Frida Kahlo
learning
Hannelore Baron was born in Germany in 1926. Her family fled to New York in 1941 to escape Nazi persecution, and throughout her life, this experience influenced her art. She married in 1950 and had two children. A self-taught artist, Baron used found materials, fabric, and paper to create collages, box constructions, and assemblages. Despite ongoing mental health problems, she exhibited her work whenever she could. By the 1980’s, her art garnered critical acclaim, and her work was exhibited in galleries and museums. Baron died in 1987 of cancer.
I allowed myself less than 30 minutes to create this loose interpretation of her Untitled 1985 mixed media piece, which hangs at the National Gallery of Art in Washington DC.
featuring
Here is yet another scraping tool that I love using in my art. The color shaper smooths, pulls, and disperses the paint. Its thin silicone edges are similar to, yet different from, the catalyst wedge, which I mentioned last month. I highly recommend you give them a try!
It’s not about being good at creativity. It’s about creativity being good for you.
—Jaya Lakshmi
growing
Twenty years ago, we planted two kiwi plants (a male and a female) that were described as sturdy, vigorous vines; we hoped they would meander their way up a 2 story trellis. Let’s just say they exceeded our wildest hopes in that regard, and I’m sure they would climb another 10 feet if we could allow for such things. We also hoped that our dear kiwi plants might produce actual kiwis. Maybe not a bounty but a few. As the years passed, we gave up the initial hope of fruit picking and assumed the kiwi plants were mislabeled. We enjoyed our dear kiwis for what they were—enormous, leafy giants.
Then, much to our surprise, we discovered this solitary kiwi. It will be harvested in October with much fanfare!
eating
Once our cherry tomatoes ripened, I immediately started making Ina Garten’s Summer Garden Pasta, maybe as often as once a week. These little gems are truly farm-to-table perfection.
Ina’s version calls for angel hair pasta, which I generally use, but I think any thinner, less chewy pasta will do. In this case, I used orzo because I had it on hand. The goal is to let the tomatoes shine. I typically add uncooked, chopped zucchini, and if I want to make it a meal, then grilled chicken works great.
If you’ve never experienced the joy of accomplishing more than you can imagine, plant a garden.
—Robert Brault
reading
This was another month of very little reading. (What happened to those idle Saturdays of reading on the deck that I remember from last summer?!) While driving around, I listened to Peggy: A Novel, which was about Peggy Guggenheim, who I didn’t know much about other than that she was an art collector.
I tried to read Upstream by Mary Oliver, but for some reason her essays didn’t hold my interest, and I finally abandoned it. If you read and enjoyed this book, please let me know, and I might give it another try.
beaching
We spent three nights at the beach with our kids and grandkids in Seabrook (a planned vacation community on the Washington coast). It is family-friendly and walkable but a bit too sanitized for me. That being said, the ocean is always a good idea no matter the location. Combine that with digging, running, and playing with your grandkids, and you have the sweetest memory maker ever.
PS…this idyllic scenario came to a crashing close when Rick, playing pickleball, tore a calf muscle. Why do the old people always get injured?!
The heart, like the mind, has a memory. And in it are kept the most precious keepsakes.
—Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
celebrating
Dining at the tiny MariPili Tapas Bar, Rick and I clinked glasses to 37 years. That’s a long time to be married, but I’ll admit that I’d still pick him.
camping
It’s been years since we set up a tent in the living room. But a grandkid sleepover was the perfect excuse to bring back the tradition. The next generation definitely needs to know the magic of indoor camping.
“I believe in you.” Words that water flowers.
—Michael Faudet
wine tasting
Outside on a lovely Seattle August evening, we sampled a variety of American Red Blends. Choosing a winner was tough—especially for someone as naturally indecisive as me—and I held up the tallying with my usual delayed vote. Ultimately, the hosts won with the 2021 Glunz GSP .
Better than the wine was the conversation, great food, and a grandbaby appearance who stole the hearts of every one of us.
We are meant to live in joy. This does not mean that life will be easy and painless. It means that we can turn our faces to the wind and accept that this is the storm we must pass through.
—Desmond Tutu
I’m curious, what’s on your list of favorites?
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