Cheshire, CT Strawberry Festival : 6.14.14

Join us via our Facebook Event (click here)!

Date : Saturday, June 14, 2014  (Yes, Father's Day is Sunday!)
Time : 9 am - 4 pm
Where : Cheshire Strawberry Festival, 111 Church Drive, Cheshire, CT 06410
Who : All ages

Wine Art Wednesdays will be attending the Saturday, June 14, 2014 Cheshire, CT Strawberry Festival on the town green! Our booth will be open from 9 am - 4 pm over by the Cheshire Historical Society.  Please come out and say "Hello!" and see the other wonderful arts vendors, crafters, and antiques out for sale...PLUS enjoy some strawberry deliciousness and entertainment (live music, kids bouncy castles, face painting, etc...!

We will be hosting a raffle and have some new items for sale! And we will be posting some of our first photos to our new Instagram account: @WineArtWednesdays !

Happy Summer friends!
<3 Alex

Gina and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day

Have you ever read the children's book "Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day"? I thought of it because that exactly describes my day yesterday. As a matter of fact, it describes my whole past week!

I got in the car after work and starting wondering if it was worth making the hour and a half drive from Stamford to Cheshire for Wine Art. What if the traffic is bad? What if I get there and am too tired to stay long? What if my painting comes out horrible and I end up even grumpier? I made the drive with a dark storm cloud brewing over my head. 

Sometimes when things are feeling that bad, something wonderful needs to happen.  The traffic wasn't so bad after I left Fairfield county. My ipod was randomly selecting some pretty great songs. A light snow started to fall as I drove into Cheshire. The soft magical kind that will remind any bitterly cold New Englander that snow is great sometimes. I parked my car in the driveway of Donna's house and braved two seconds of frigid air as I bounded up the front steps, my little black cloud in tow. When I opened the front door all I could smell was garlic and rosemary and knew a fantastic meal was in my immediate future.

I felt my dark cloud evaporate into thin air.

 

Often we come to Wine Art with a big pile of the week's baggage. So many of us work multiple jobs, are involved in the community, and have families to tend to that it can be hard to get out from under things. If you are feeling anything like I was,please see the top secret Wine Art Wednesday cloud removal recipe below:

1. Let someone hand you a huge glass of wine when you walk in the door

2. Sit down to the best dinner of your life (roasted lamb and potatoes, hubbard squash with bacon/cornbread/cheese stuffing, vegetable curry, fruit salad, green salad yum yum YUM!)

3. Pour yourself another huge glass of wine and talk about how to preserve a dead body (click if you dare to know what started this conversation...) (http://www.nydailynews.com/news/world/belgian-woman-sleeps-husband-corpse-year-article-1.1522140)

4. Eat two bowls of pistachio and chocolate mint gelato (screw it, have a third!)

5. Go and finish a painting that you've been unsure about how to finish for weeks

 

If this recipe doesn't clear your cloud and you have tarnished silver, try this and you will be awed and amazed and completely happy!

http://www.ehow.com/how_7695630_polish-silver-aluminum-baking-soda.html

 

Donna demonstrated this technique on some jewelry and silverware that was almost black we tarnished and then we all yelled in amazement because it worked so well! It is so hard to polish all the little nooks and crannies in a silver chain so this will definitely make your day!

I know I'm not the only one who has had a terrible, awful, no-good, very bad day but as a survivor of many, I can promise you that they will get better! Try our proven recipe and see if your dark cloud clears!

Love Gina 

Happy 2nd Birthday Wine Art Wednesday!

It's hard to believe that the first official Wine Art happenings were two full years ago! The first paintings went up on Etsy in October 2011 and we had no idea then how successful things would get from there!

I remember the first time I heard about this concept from my mother who mentioned that Alex and Joan wanted to start a painting night at their house. I was skeptical at first thinking to myself that I barely knew how to paint, I didn't even like wine, and what if I felt like I didn't fit in with this group whose kids all grew up together and who had known each other for years? At the time, I was living between about three different houses while I struggled through my first job out of college and didn't have much of a sense of place or community. I didn't know how much I needed Wine Art at the time but boy did I ever need it!

Two years later I can't tell you how proud I feel when I paint something I really like and then someone buys it on Etsy. I always think "seriously someone wants to pay money for something I made???" Two years later I have a recycling bin to prove that I've gotten over my dislike of wine. Two years later I am eagerly awaiting next weekend when the WAW ladies come to my house! Birthdays are a great time to reflect on personal growth so I can't help but smile at how far Wine Art and the artists and cooks who take part have come from two years ago.

I think my experiences with this group of wonderful women is a great testament to the power of trying new things. My small fears were so easily forgotten as soon as I tasted Joan's amazing curry and was handed a glass of wine that I realized wasn't so bad after all! Many of us began as novice painters and felt so encouraged by the great painters and warm friends around us that pretty soon it stopped mattering because we were just having fun!

I've had plenty of experiences trying a new class or going out with co-workers that seemed to fall flat on their face. Each time I would come home defeated thinking that maybe staying in at night and watching TV is the way to go. What made Wine Art different than the other things I tried is that is almost came about as an intentional community. We all had enjoying the arts and eating artful food in common and the rest just fell into place! Why start a book club if you are snoozing after the first chapter? Why join a jogging club if you have to be dragged out the door each time it meets? Some easy advice on how to start or participate in a social group is to base it around something you love. Even if you start the endeavor with strangers, the shared passion and shared learning experience can be a great way to start friendships! I am so glad that two years ago I didn't let a couple things deter me from taking part in what has become one of the most enjoyable things I do. Now I can say I work a boring office job but in my spare time I'm a budding painter and a lady of Wine Art Wednesday!!

Please enjoy a few pictures from our September art market:

This fellow with a large nose and jaunty hat came from the produce stand next to us. I bet he will show up in a painting in the future!

Set-up time!

Oodles and oodles of art!

We learned a few valuable lessons like that this setup will act like a sail when the wind blows!

Plan B was much more stable!

ART SHOW! This Sunday (9-29-13) in Cheshire, CT

It's here!  Our first live Art Show!

We will be selling our paintings this Sunday (September 29) at [RE]new Furniture's (534 West Main Street in Cheshire, CT) first ever West Cheshire Village Marketplace from 2:00 - 6:00 pm.

Come out join us.  Meet the artists and see what's being made and sold locally.

Address :
[RE]new Furniture
534 West Main Street
Cheshire, CT 06410

Date : Sunday, September 29, 2013
Time : 2:00 pm - 6:00 pm

We hope to see you there!

Email WineArtWednesdays@gmail.com if you have any questions.

Sincerely,
the Wine Art Girls

Check out some of our current art at http://www.etsy.com/shop/WineArtWednesdays.
(Please note that we will put our Etsy shop in "Vacation" mode on Sunday during the show, since each painting is unique and we don't want to create any confusion or double sales.)

colored pencil earrings

i think i will *mostly* let the photos speak for themselves, but i will definitely list our delicious menu!  (and yes, it included pez...)

 

 menu :

bellini's + wine

prosciutto-wrapped greens w/ a dressing

lamb coconut curry over rice

spicy daal w/ naan

roasted vegetables

handmade fried fishcakes

*various sauces + chutneys were passed*

carrot cake

(the ramekin contained a little dairy-free version that robin made for me and benj - so sweet of her and delicious, oh my gosh delicious!)

cola, raspberry-lemon, + strawberry PEZ

(because why not? and gabrielle visited the Pez Factory in Orange, CT, haha!)

. . . c o l o r e d   p e n c i l   e a r r i n g s . . .

 matboard lovingly cut and punched in pairs

 gina's creation begins

 gabrielle's whole process is a work of art

 robin's faces were showstoppers

 my photo does not do justice of jessica's ombre work

(see finished photos at bottom)

 joan's landscape on one side / faces on the other...i love seeing the inspiration next to the work

 denise's beautiful pair were inspired by venetian glass
. . .

and here they are!!!

 i am newly addicted

 (see what i mean about robin's faces?!)

 

another wildly successful wine art wednesday

a big thank you to rita for teaching the workshop and preparing all of the materials - it was a blast - and i'm terribly sorry about speaking over you that time, haha, what was going on?! and also to donna for hosting, all of the chefs and you girls for being you girls...i love you!

and in the conversation that i *can* repeat :

- check out quarterly.co because jessi is subscribed to cool hunting (and their website here) and just received an awesome bag in their latest shipment. donna has just subscribed to "food + home" and we are all excitedly waiting for their first shipment.

- the arts council of greater new haven is accepting submissions for their "to the t" exhibit

- and i know i missed a bunch of great conversation when i brought benj home for grandpa to babysit him, but maybe you girls can remind me in the comments.

i especially loved all of the new ideas flying around for what to do next.  we will never be at a loss for what to do and that makes me happier than anything else.

oh wine art, how i have missed you.  it was great to be back!

xoxo,

alex

p.s. : dear kind visitor, if you have made it this far, please let us know what you are enjoying (or not) in the comments below!  also, would you like us to sell hand-painted earrings on etsy?  thank you in advance!

Chicken Feet

“One of the best things about art is the wine and friends that I always share it with”

-Kielty W.

“A good painting to me has always been like a friend. It keeps me company, comforts and inspires”

- Hedy Lamarr

I have no doubt that the artists of Wine Art Wednesday could run the world. These individuals work impossibly long days while still finding time to paint amazing artwork and meet up with friends on a weekly basis. And not to mention, they cook the best food I’ve ever had!   

After a holiday hiatus, it was wonderful to see everyone full of their usual positive energy and great stories.

The dinner menu:

Wine

Toasted baguette with Sicilian sea salt, olive oil, red pepper topped with goat cheese

Wine

Slow roasted Brussels sprouts

Sliced sweet carrots

Cauliflower kofti

Coconut fish curry

Wine

Risotto

Braised chickens feet

Freshly baked apple crisp

Homemade Baileys

The menu is creative. It sets the stage for the original silly conversation(s), and eventually, the actual painting. This week we ate chicken’s feet. Why? Well, why not? We eat liver, breast, wings, legs. Why not the feet? They were delicious and I cannot wait to have them again. The Thai coconut fish curry had large pieces of cod and slices of  avocado. If you don’t think you would like it, think again. In fact everyone loved it so much that there was literally nothing left in the green Le Creuset. 

The picture that you are seeing below is the official inventory of the paintings from the past year. About 10 or so paintings were removed to be painted over and another 10 or so were sold. As we edited our stock of paintings, conversation turned to potentially traveling as a group to Paris and new topics that inspire us to paint.

In each blog post we like to showcase a little about our artists so here's a little bit more about me, Gabrielle:

Currently reading:

-          Ecology abstracts and reports

-          5^th grade homework and laboratory packets

Seriously. Those are the only things that I have time for. Either I am spending my energy on various ecology papers to keep myself as informed as possible of my field. Or I am grading various assignments from my 90 students on their science comprehension. To be honest, I really would not want to be doing much else. I love learning about new field work/research and the progress of my students. Both are quite gratifying.

Art that I love…

-          http://www.etsy.com/listing/56021969/5x7-pen-and-ink-original-zebra-drawing?ref=usr_faveitems

I am having a bit of a love affair with ink right now. There is something so beautiful about just seeing the shape in each piece. Yes, yes, the pictures that usually catch my eye are animal related, but look at the detail in that zebra!!

-          http://www.etsy.com/listing/115428064/a-dozen-eggs-2013-letterpress-calendar?ref=usr_faveitems

I actually have these. I bought them for myself, well for my mother buy I kept them, before Christmas. I love the simplicity and functional art aspect of these little egg calendar pieces. I am excited to figure out how to use them when the year is over.

-          http://www.etsy.com/listing/99079498/postcard-wood-6-sheepcards?ref=usr_faveitems

Wood sheep postcards? Yeah. This is whimsical and ecofriendly. A great way to reuse postcards AND the wood is from a sustainable cedar forest. The only reason why I have not purchased these items is because I have no use for postcards! I wish I did.

I often times have my students set daily, weekly and monthly goals for themselves. To make myself vulnerable for a second, I am going to share with you my (resolutions) goals for 2013:

1. Paint higher quality work at WAW

2. Tell people consistently their importance in my life

3. A serious relationship

4. Be (even more) adventurous with my recipe making

With the support from the WAW crew I am excited to take on 2013 with homemade liquors, beautiful art and our fall trip to Paris.

Summer Hiatus?

Hello!! My apologies to the world for not blogging recently. The WA girls have been busy! Summer is coming to a close and we will be back on our weekly schedule very soon. I look forward to seeing the girls more often, working on projects and of course eating yummy, yummy food! But first, let's rewind to the beginning of August. It was a rainy Wednesday night and we were glad to be inside listening to a variety of classic tunes such as Ella Fitzgerald, Cole Porter, and Billie Holiday.  Joan made a delicious Curry dinner with a coconut sauce. Donna made home made lettuce wraps to go with. Let's just say, they didn't last too long! "Life is so GOOD at Wine Art!" We decided to take a short break from painting and try something new - felting! One of our fellow WA ladies, Robin, brought all the supplies and taught many of us how to felt a creation.  To my surprise it's rather simple but very time consuming. Also quite addicting!! The results were fantastic.

Start with....

Poke a lot, form, add colors and it can become...

Wish to purchase any of the beauties? No need to worry - they will be up on Etsy soon! 

Mothers, Daughters, and Phoenixes

By Rita

You might not know this but Wine Art Wednesdays was started by 2 sets of mothers and daughters: Joan & Alex and Audrey & Jennifer and later garnered two more sets; Gina & me and Donna & Jesse. And the funny thing about this is that of the eight of us, none have the same last name. Either through marriage, re-marriage, or divorce, none of our last names are the same!  (Fun fact.)  In other words, Life ….. its shifts, dips, rises, and eddies, affects us all. We change, we re-invent, we adjust, and we move forward. WAW began sort of as a phoenix that needed to rise from some ashes.

Over the past two WAW’s, one at Donna’s home and the next at mine, we talked of our usual concerns such as … where is the best flea market to buy (no kidding) bugs.  Note: please see our new line of “bug paintings”.  Or, what is the best way to launder an expensive, intricate tutu. Oh, I won’t make you wait for the answer … in a Jacuzzi of course! Donna is a costumer extraordinaire and is full of erudite knowledge about costumes. Or the perils of being an aging butterfly. Or whose corn chowder tasted better.

But there is a theme that runs through many of our multi-color conversations and that is how special mother daughter relationships are.  We are all daughters, some of us are mothers, some of us have daughters, and some of us have the amazing fortune to become so close to the younger women in the group that they have become our surrogate daughters.  Within the WAW group we have begun a special bonding process between one generation and the next. Of course, many in the group go way back and that process began when our younger artists were infants.  But there are many new, cross-generational friendships and close relationships growing in the fertile soil of WAW.  We share our stories (sometimes uproarious stories) of child-rearing and they share their stories of apartment hunting or dating disasters and sometimes finally let us know about something that went on at college that they now feel it’s ok to tell us.   It’s really never ok. You guys wouldn’t want to hear our frightful college stories. But I digress.

During our dinners and our famously fun painting sessions, there is an amazing magic happening.  We are developing a caring for one another, we’re learning each other’s stories, and we’re supporting and mothering any one of us who needs a little bit of mothering.  We are becoming closer to our own daughters and quasi-adopting other daughters who grace the WAW tables. It’s a safe place for us to discuss ANYTHING and there is always positivism and a sense that our creativity transcends and heals anything that Life may place in our path.  As I looked around the WAW table this past week, each of us has had a pile of ash to rise up from. Life has a way of dumping a pile of that grey stuff on all of us.  These small canvases we paint …. whether they are sumptuous, whimsical, primitive, or pure design …. they are the colorful feathers of our Phoenixes. We are giving each other the safe place we need and the open hearts we all crave. The kindness of friendship, the laughter, the understanding, the sharing, and the love we give each other are the wind, the air, and the color we all use to create our plumage …….

….. and our Phoenix rises.