carving a new block

Carving a new block and working on some new paintings ... stay tuned.

from the studio: 4.23.15

Yesterday we had to put our cat down. I miss him very much. Here's a roller piece I painted up on the wall when i got to the studio this morning. #rollers #streetart #legendarycat #notstreetart #studio #practice #wip

I miss my little buddy

yesterday, mindy and i had to put our cat down. he had severe chronic kidney failure coupled with a blockage between his kidney and bladder that was quite literally poisoning him. he lived for 15 good years and his quality of life deteriorated greatly in the last week. while we couldn't bear to have to make the decision to euthanize our friend, we also couldn't bear to see him not eat, sit in one spot, and just generally not be the active, happy, and energetic cat we had always known. he seemed sad and in pain, only offering little head bumps and a few quiet purrs when we approached to pet him or lay beside him. we miss him. very much.

he was part of our little puzzle, and now it seems like there's a piece missing. he went by a lot of names. he was called, baby, legend, turdboy, periscope, lil fucker, monster, kaypoh, and a million other things.  he picked and chose which ones to answer to.  he was a very independent cat. he wasn't clingy or needy. he was never a lap cat. he didn't like to be held or sought out, and he generally hated people that did seek him out. he wasn't very friendly to most, but for me and mindy he was always there. he would greet us at the door with his tail up when we got home. he would wake up early with me most everyday to make coffee and go play out in the garden. he was mindy's shadow, following her around the house as she did whatever chores or tasks she had to do. he stayed up with mindy through the wee hours of writing her dissertation. and would hang out with me in the studio. in decent weather, he would sit on the stoop in our patio and sniff the air. he would eat or just generally disturb the plants, climb the bleachers and walk through all the plater boxes. then he'd lie on the ground and roll around in the dirt, just for the hell of it.

this spring, on the first warmish day, mindy caught the two of us rolling around in the sun out on the patio, just soaking in some vitamin d after the long cold winter. he was our friend. not really ever a pet. maybe, he was more like a roommate or a brother. for me, he's always been an iconic character. i've put his image on mugs, shirts, bags, cards, paintings, prints, signs, newspaper boxes, stickers, and walls all over the place. he's in NYC, chicago, and baltimore. he has fans on our blog and other social media outlets. he was always the character in our posts about the garden or posts about our lives in general. he became so much more than just our cat. and it was hard to have to let him go yesterday. as the doctor gave him a sedative and the final solution, he and i watched each other, eye-to-eye, as mindy held him. i watched him drift away, until his eyes went blank and glassy. he was a happy cat, he was an independent cat, with a great personality. he was our friend. he was legendary. in the coming weeks, i'm going to paint a huge portrait of him in some public space somewhere, along with putting his image up in many other ways, because he can make the world smile like he made us smile. #legendarycat

from the studio: 4.19.15

Never Stop Searching

Piece for TAP at TAF

I experimented with more spraypointillism for the piece I did at the annual TAP at TAF today:

from the studio: 4.17.15

For my wife to hang in our little dining room...

{Five for Friday} 5 Spring Developments in the Garden

 We are happy our garden is finally starting to take shape. Here in mid-April, we are already seeing a lot of peas,

the carrots are sprouting,

the strawberry plants are pretty,

baby blueberry blossoms are making an appearance,

and the Swiss chard have also started!

What are you growing in your garden this spring?

from the studio: 4.15.15

Now that the weather is nice again, we've been thinking about what we want to do when we go out to finish painting at Dana and Kathleen's. Zach started work on their outhouse last fall, but it got too cold before he could finish (see this post). The new plan is to work a portrait of their kitty, Rose, into the finished piece. 

Zach started a new block based on this picture I took of her:

I thought the block was life-sized, but when i picked it up and cradled it in my arms the same way I cradled Rose,

I realized Rose was even smaller than Zach's rendition!

Here's the print:

A tribute to the sweetest kitty we know.

Magnolia trees by day and night

It's that time of the year where everywhere we look in our neighborhood, majestic magnolia trees are in bloom ...

Recipe of the Week: Creamy Lemon Rice Soup

basic. simple. quick. delicious. the brightness of lemon rice soup is great to wake up the taste buds as an appetizer or to add to a sandwich for a satisfying lunch. it takes about 10 minutes and minimal skill.

Ingredients
4 c of chicken broth
1 c pre-cooked rice (preferably that bowl that's been in the fridge a few days)
3 eggs
3 juiced lemons
dash of lemon zest
parsley
salt
pepper

Directions
bring the chicken broth and pre-cooked rice to a boil.
in a separate bowl, mix the eggs and the lemon juice. once the broth is boiling, remove from heat.
carefully temper the egg/lemon mixture by stirring the broth into the egg/lemon mixture one ladle-full at a time until the mixture is steaming.
then add the mixture back the to rest of the soup. you may need to add a bit more lemon juice if it is not sour enough for you.
top with a pinch of fresh chopped parsley and add salt and pepper to taste.

enjoy.

yyaaAWWwwnnn ...

Is it weird that I like taking pictures of our cat yawning? 

happy ccaaatTURDdaayyyyy!

Reds vs. Pirates

yesterday, mindy and i headed off to Cincinnati. we drove straight to Great American Ball Park to see the Reds play the Pirates, for an early afternoon game.  there was threat of rain the whole game, and we did have about an hour long rain delay, but we found a place to sit inside the club and wait it out. when we got there we walked around, bought a hat and a doll in the pro shop, and a beer. we ate some food in the club and sat down to watch the game. we got to see anthony desclafani start for the reds, and aj burnett for the pirates. it was a great back and forth game, one of the best i've been to. votto hit a homerun, hamilton had a couple of stolen bases and a great diving catch in the outfield and best of all the reds won it on a walk-off.

with the afternoon game ending around 4:30, we had plenty of time to find somewhere for dinner. we ate at Bouquet across the river in Covington. it is one of those great farm-and-forage places that mindy and i always seek out. it was a great little spot. comfortable atmosphere, knowledgeable staff, and best of all, a simple local seasonal menu.  nothing fancy really, but everything interestingly pair.  mindy and i had both of the daily special options of lobster risotto with green asparagus, and wild ramp sauce and i had the rack of lamb with fiddleheads white asparagus and morels. a beautful dinner that tasted like the beginning of spring and the end of winter at the same time. and a great end to fun day.

we stayed in covington, ky and woke up the next day to go to ikea in the north suburbs of cincinnati. we've been working on updating parts of our house, so we had a list of stuff that i promised not to get angry installing or building. we came away with what we needed and didn't blow the budget in the process, even with a few little add-ons like a stuffed moose.

off to Cincinnati for the day!

Rain, rain, go away ...

We're taking the day off and heading to Cincinnati! :)

Spraypointillism

 Playing around with pointillism in the studio, working on a new mural idea ...

Quick Sketches

We used to make videos like this of Zach sketching:

But then he started sketching more and more, and I stopped filming. I think it's time to start doing more videos again! :)

opening day 2015

it's opening day!  that yearly event that denotes the official start of spring.  the reds opened against pittsburgh, and johnny cueto was throwing darts through the pirates lineup.  the bullpen blew his lead in the top of the 8th in a matter of minutes, but it was all for not.  in the bottom of the 8th, todd frazier hit a ball so hard i think it almost knocked down the 2nd deck at GABP. then chapman came on to throw 100mph fastballs for people to whiff at.  game over.  reds win.  now if only the rest of the season can reflect the 1st game.  go reds. it's spring, and in the baseball world hope springs eternal.

mindy and i didn't go to this game, but we'll be at the ballpark on thursday for game 3.  hold the rain, please.  there's nothing like baseball from the stands, and i can't wait to settle in with a beer and a dog and cheer on the team i've followed since i was a kid yelling for eric davis to sign my hat.  nostalgia still exists in the real world.  it's called baseball.

before the game mindy and i made an impromptu visit to shades state park (another of my spring rituals).  it was pretty vacant, save for a few old people walking around with cameras.  it is so nice to see the little bits of green beginning to rise from the forest floor and hear the birds and squirrels dashing around foraging for food.  the breeze, the creek, the mud.  it was lovely, even if the sun was hiding behind the clouds.

Easter birthday

We celebrate the cat's birthday on Easter, so today, this little monkey is officially 15!

Hugs and kisses for my best furry friend! :)

hooray from the Kessler kids!

On Friday, I got to go celebrate with my friend Corrinne and her two little kiddos. They made me the best congratulatory cards,

and bought me a beautiful begonia for the garden.

Corrinne has been one of my best cheerleaders during my extra long grad school career. Having been through the process of writing a dissertation herself, she has generously shared her wisdom and experiences with me. She has faithfully upheld me in prayers. On the days where I felt buried in despair, she encouraged me to take baby steps and "eat" my problems away, one bite at a time. She is gentle, non-judgemental, and ever so kind to me. Thank you, Corrinne, and thank you too for those awesome kiddos who never fail to make me feel like a rockstar!

Signs of life

It is April and the garden is finally showing some signs of life, from Zach and the cat soaking up some vitamin D on the patio,

to the seeds we planted on the first day of spring,

and the perennials that are awakening from their winter slumber ...

Container gardening has its own set of challenges, but we love every aspect of it. Zach and I have been talking nonstop about what we want to do in the garden this season. We always get overexcited about our fruits and vegetables this time of the year. With the sun shining and the temperatures rising, who can blame us?