Chilli, Match.com, Gravity Still Works

(Note: My apologies!  I must have only hit "Preview" for the Friday post and not "Publish" since I'm having some technical difficulties with getting the photos from my camera to my computer this week.  Sorry for the delay in this weeks' post!!)

This week's Wine Art Wednesdays was a bit subdued due to all of the winter colds going around!  Luckily, Joan was able to cook a million and one things to make us all feel better...

Appetizers:

Roasted Mashed Turnips with Garlic to be spread on...

Homemade Bread

- (with Roasted Red Peppers on top, if you wished, as I did - YUM!)
Salad

Curried Shrimp (those went FAST!)

Mains:

Spicy Potato and Leek Soup

- (with more Curried Shrimp and Parsley to garnish)

Beans and Meat "Lick-Your-Lips" Chilli (and we all licked the bowls too!)

- (with Cheese and Hot Peppers to garnish)

Desserts:

Chocolates from...you guessed it!  CocoaShak!  (According to Facebook, they have just released a new Vegan Truffle - YAY!)

Wines:

You'd think that one week I would actually remember to write them down, but as I cannot actually drink them, I do tend to forget!  (I had delicious Apple Cider, if you wanted to know! ;)

 (red peppers nearly gone)

 (delicious salad)

(chilli)

We were a little "hodge-podged" with our theme this week.  It started off as a Valentine's week, but if you are an artist and have something on your mind, it's hard to not follow it!  So, you know how it goes.  Still, I think you will be please once our Etsy is updated.  I feel so lucky to get to paint with these Artists so often!  

The topics of note most certainly include Match.com profiles.  Did you know that some people actually COPY & PASTE other peoples' profiles in to their own?!  We were appalled to find out one of our girls was C&P-ed, though not shocked, we do think she is both a highly talented artist and writer after all...not to mention her profile is extremely witty and brilliant!  But, I am biased and I digress - call it Baby Brain.  At least Match lets you contact them to remove the copiers, but the nerve!

After one of the girls *slightly* missed her mouth when attempting to drink some water, we found out that Joan tried to disprove gravity in her teens.  She was lying in her bed reading a very good book and thought "why do I have to sit-up to drink my coke?  I'll just take a sip lying down!"  Well, after her coke was up her nose, in her ears and eyes, all over her face and pillow, and HEY, a little in her mouth, she realized why she had never seen someone else do it before.  I wish she remembered the book she was so enthralled in!

I remembered something about my first art class after reading over notes from one of the past month's WAW's that didn't actually get posted in to a blog (we slacked a bit and relaxed over the holidays - and we deserved it!).  Joan had said "When you paint yourself in to a problem, then you just paint yourself out.  This is art!"  We all love this quote - it's so true!  I remember my first art class because we were drawing elephants and I somehow got red paint on the foot.  The teacher said "paint her toenails red!"  I've never forgotten it and now I look at every "mistake" as a possibility for something I hadn't thought of when I began.  Art surely evolves from the moment it starts.

*I also want to know who uses those really long (1.5 feet or so) paintbrushes?  I always hit myself in the face - haha!*
 

We discussed how to tell if you are done with a painting.  The best quote?  "Drink Wine and Walk Away."  It seems you will know when you come back!  And another great one about WAW specifically: "This is Slow Food and Fast Art."  Yes, yes it is.

(girls at work...and play)

Welcome to 2012, friends!  We wish you a WONDERFUL one!

<3 Alex

 (some of these ones are not finished)

 (finished paintings)