Monday September 28, 2009

Welcome to the Studio

"Hold fast to dreams for if dreams die, life is a broken winged bird that cannot fly." ~ Langston Hughes

Welcome to the studio and thank you for reading my first monthly newsletter. I hope to bring to you a bit of insight into my world and my dream to continue creating works of art that inspire and connect with you on some level spiritually.

A bit about me, I love to garden and a few years ago started a butterfly garden to raise Monarch Butterflies which I love to draw and paint. Included in my garden are bird feeders and as my interest in birds grew I became a member of Audubon which led to exploring nature at our local Presque Isle State Park and a blog written by Michele Franz and myself .  As a watercolorist, my work reflects nature and botanical art while my mixed media art combines nature, natural elelments, calligraphy and collage. I love to experiment with my art and allow myself to be guided through intuition and exploration.

My plan for this newsletter is to keep you up to date on newly created art, originals and prints for sale, shows, exhibits, special offers and brief tid bits about what inspires my creativity. I recently created my online shopping gallery of prints and originals for purchase through paypal a secure online shopping cart.

Because I love to share all things creative each newsletter will also include someting creative for you to try. Today it is a chili recipe under the header 'Soup Night'

Enjoy,

Toni

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Bay Breasted Warbler

The original 'Bay Breasted Warbler', a watercolor on canvas, was the featured art this year donated to our local Presque Isle Audubon for their annual banquet fundraiser. The banquet was Friday, September 18th and the raffle recipient of this original work was Prof. David J. Gustafson of Gannon University. Congratulations Prof. Gustafson!

I photographed the Bay Breasted Warbler during Spring migration this year at Presque Isle State Park nestled among the evergreen trees at Fry's Landing. I was fortunate to be taking a class with Jerry McWilliams as he pointed out several warblers that day. Presque Isle is an important migratory stop for several bird species on their way to their Summer nesting grounds in Canada and it is such a joy for several weeks in April and May to watch them pass through. Click here for more information on the Bay Breasted Warbler.

I am now offering prints of the 'Bay Breasted Warbler'. The image size of the print is 12 1/2 x 9 1/2 printed on Fine Art paper with archival pigment ink for $35.

To purchase the print and purchasing info go to my web site Kelly Ink Studio.

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Live, Love, Laugh

This Summer the Northwestern Pennsylvania Artists Association, of which I am a member, put together the largest exhibit we have ever seen in our area. It was a huge success and I was proud to be a part of it. The exhibit 'Nut and Boltz' involved manufacturer sponsors who helped fund the show which started out in an old maufacture building which was converted into gallery and studio space. Over 200 pieces of work was on display by members for 30 days during August. The exhibit was then split up among the sponsors for display in their place of business for 60 days (till the end of October) to reach a wider audience who might not visit art galleries or have a chance to view and purchase our art.

My work 'Live, Love, Laugh' was part of the exhibit and is now on display at one of the manufacturer sponsors, Boldt Machinery. This is one piece comprised of three canvases each measureing 12 x12 inches. Acrylics were used and handmade paper colaged on. Gouache was used to do the lettering. This original piece of art is still available for $325 and can be purchased on my web site where you will also find shipping information.

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Soup Night

Soup Night started for us about 14 years ago when my youngest son moved out and I still wanted him to have a warm home-cooked meal. It has evolved into a tradition now in the Fall and Winter months where once a week my son and daughter in law come over for soup and a chance for us to chat and connect in a family way. We all look forward to this time of year and our soup extravagance.

With Halloween aproaching one tradition my Mom started was serving us chili on Halloween night before we ventured out trick or treating. So here is a heart warming hearty chili to try with your family.

Ingredients

* 1 tablespoon canola oil, divided
* Cooking spray
* 1 ½ lbs. beef stew meat
* ¾ teaspoon salt
* 1 ½ cups chopped onion
* ½ cup chopped green bell pepper
* 1 tablespoon minced fresh garlic
* 2 teaspoons finely chopped jalapeño pepper
* ⅔ cup cabernet sauvignon or dry red wine
* 1 ½ tablespoons brown sugar
* 2 tablespoons tomato paste
* 1 ½ teaspoons ancho chile powder
* 1 teaspoon dried oregano
* 1 teaspoon ground red pepper
* ½ teaspoon chili powder
* ¼ teaspoon ground cumin
* ¼ teaspoon ground coriander
* ⅛ teaspoon ground cinnamon
* 1 can (28-ounce) whole tomatoes, undrained and chopped
* 1 can (15-ounce) dark red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
* 1 can (15-ounce) hot chili beans
* Reduced-fat sour cream (optional)

Directions

Preparation
Heat 1 teaspoon canola oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Sprinkle beef with salt. Add half of beef to pan; sauté 8 minutes or until browned. Remove from pan. Repeat procedure with remaining beef.
Add remaining 2 teaspoons oil, onion, and bell pepper to pan; sauté 3 minutes. Add garlic and jalapeño; sauté 1 minute. Add wine, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Return beef to pan. Stir in sugar and remaining ingredients except sour cream; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 1 1/2 hours or until beef is tender, stirring occasionally. Garnish with sour cream, if desired.

Nutritional information per serving

CALORIES 390(26% from fat); FAT 11.4g (sat 3.2g,mono 4.8g,poly 1.1g); PROTEIN 31.3g; CHOLESTEROL 71mg; CALCIUM 94mg; SODIUM 825mg; FIBER 10.1g; IRON 5mg; CARBOHYDRATE 37.5g

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