Winter 2020

To simply sum up this year it was one of shedding, healing, growing and learning. I wouldn’t change anything except the loss of my friend Martin, I didn’t know how much he meant until suddenly I did. This year has brought me closer to knowing myself, family, friends, and how much I cherish those relationships. 

The nuts and bolts of where I am in my life’s progression is that I am still in Ireland, and hoping to stay, but with some hiccups in my immigration process it is very uncertain, and unnerving. Family, friends, meditation, yoga, running, painting, baking, and reading all are keeping me steady through the uncertainty. The main objective at the moment is to focus on building new work for an upcoming show at the Molesworth gallery in Dublin this summer. 

Having something stable in my life has been critical and I have truly felt that in my work this past year.  The easel that comes with me where I go documenting in paint my daily life — be that fresh baked bread, a steaming pot, or an advent calendar gives me a sense of place and purpose. This approach to painting keeps me calm, knowing there will always be something to paint, no matter if things are falling apart, coming together, or in limbo. 

Professional nuggets

This fall I was a virtual visiting artist at Burren College of Art and Minot State University, I enjoyed presenting my work, what I am currently up to, and meeting individually with students. I also was part of the RHA 190th Annual exhibition and delighted with the audio tour piece that Eithne Jordan gave regarding my piece 'Knife test'.

I continue to show work at the Molesworth gallery in Dublin, and delighted to be part of their Christmas show on currently. 

I am part of a new wonderful platform called ArtinRes, where you can purchase works and pay over the course of a year, to make buying work manageable for anyone who wants to collect.

Read, watch, listen

Read

My dad and I have started a book club! Each Sunday we talk about one or two chapters we've read during the week. The slow pace is ideal for me getting some non-fiction into my life. These are the two books we’ve read so far.

I recommend both!

The Salt Path by Raynor Winn

My Last Supper by Jay Rayner 

In terms of books I've read this year, these are my top five

1. A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara. This is a book that reads so well, you are inside the world she has created, if I were to choose only one book to recommend this would be it. 
2. Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata. A short read, incredibly well written, about one womans daily life.
3. Self Portrait by Celia Paul. A memoir/biography of a painter I adore, relatable to say the least. 
4. Sourdough by Sarah Owens. I am a bread head and this woman is fab. I also am a subscriber to her Patreon membership where she provides new recipes weekly.
5. Cookies by Dorie Greenspan. After checking this out from the library too many times I bought a copy and am committed to making every recipe at some point, slowly I am getting there, and each one bakes beautifully.

Watch

Less is more is really my best way of handling life at times. So I only have a subscription to Netflix, that’s plenty choice for me.

I fell hard for Schitts Creek & another favorite was Chef Show

Listen

For music I tend to repeat albums for long periods of time.

This is my current go to that I won't be abandoning anytime soon.

Ólafur Arlands, Some kind of Peace

Recipe Time!

Gingersnaps 

I love the taste of gingerbread, but I am so not a fan of soft gingerbread. I want something that is dunkable, can handle a long paddle around my cup of coffee, and still has a little crispness to him.

— as a note —

Golden syrup is a not so common ingredient in the states, but I have found it in my local grocery stores, it is often near the corn syrup, or in the health food aisle. 

50g      Butter

50g      Brown sugar

25g      Treacle (or molasses)

25g      Golden syrup

107g     All-purpose flour

1tsp     Ground ginger

1/2tsp   Baking soda

Preheat the oven to 350/180

1. First, mix the brown sugar, treacle, and golden syrup in a medium sized mixing bowl to a thick paste. This doesn’t have to be precise just want it all mixed up.
2. Sift the flour, ginger, and baking soda in a separate small bowl.
3. Place the butter in a pan and melt.
4. When butter is melted stir into the brown sugar paste. This will take a little bit of time, but it will come together in a uniform and slightly shiny mixture.
5. Then, add the flour and mix with a spoon, I tend to mix with a spoon for a while but eventually use my hands to form a piece of dough.
6. Take this dough and shape into a log like form. The dough at this point is a little warm and fun to play with.
7. Once it is in a log form slice into discs, I like to cut them a bit thicker than ¼’’. 
8. Place the discs on a parchment lined baking sheet, bake for 12 minutes. These can get burnt quite quick so check after about 10 minutes. They should barely have shifted color; they will crisp up once cooled.

*I am known to spoon dark chocolate crumbs on them hot out of the oven to create a lovely accent to the ginger flavor. 

A taste of my journal

I did promise some juicy bits in this letter so here we go.  

Recently I was speaking with a few friends about part time jobs I have held and discovered I have a plethora of stories. This is now a journal entry topic. 

A ‘PG’ favorite: While living in Boston in 2011 I held a part time job at a Creperie. We also made a lot of smoothies, a few were made with frozen yogurt. The jimmy Carter was popular (a fro-yo, banana, PB situation). This body builder would come in most nights I was working. He was clearly taking steroids: losing his hair and moody. He would order a Jimmy Carter, with whey powder for extra protein, point to me and say ‘I want her to make it.’ Once served he would sit at the front booth, drink the whole thing in one long gulp, and leave. It was nasty.

Read more anecdotes here.