YULE LOG!

My attempt at a bûche de noël this Christmas. Since Antoine was not able to be with his family this year, I wanted to make sure he had some of the familiar French traditions.

I was excited that this came out the way it did! Flourless baking and lots of eggs for this recipes!

Joyeux Noël!

Hope for 2015

 

There are only a few more days left of 2014, and while I do not want to complain, I am happy to have it end. 2014 was an active year, but at times a stressful one! I am eager to see what 2015 has in store.

I visited three new states this year (Texas, Washington, and Oregon) and was able to visit Italy, France, and Canada. Traveling makes the heart happy. I hope to be able to add a few more to the list this year! I'm excited to say that I am currently working on seven or eight different projects right now, with some due out in this coming year.

Above is a sequel cover to Shirley Parenteau's Ship of Dolls. Taking place across the ocean from the first book, Dolls of Hope tells the tale of the recipient of the gift from the United States.

With just a few more days in 2014, I'm trying to be as productive as possible, making sure to work the heck out of this year, with enough momentum for next year as well!

Festal Cheer!

Each age has deemed the new-born year
The fittest time for festal cheer.
-Sir Walter Scott


Well, the New Year is fast upon us! This year's card features a recipe totally unknown to me and my part of New England. Apparently, it's big around Wisconsin and Minnesota areas still. I was excited to hear about this once commonly popular drink, and look forward to giving it a try this New Years!

Tom & Jerry

Often mistaken for eggnog. a Tom and Jerry is light and spicy, with a sweet foamy crown that forms when scalding hot milk is poured onto the batter placed in the bottom of a mug, then stirred quickly, which causes the egg whites to rise. Once you've sprinkled the top with freshly ground nutmeg it is ready to drink.

The Tom and Jerry's origin is a bit of a mystery. Some say it was probably invented by Pierce Egan, a British journalist who lived in the 1800s and wrote the popular novel The Day and Night Scenes of Jerry Hawthorn, Esq. and His Elegant Friend Corinthian Tom (hence Tom and Jerry). Egan is said to have named the drink as a publicity stunt. Others hold that a famous American bartender, "Professor" Jerry Thomas, concocted the Tom and Jerry in the 1850s.  The only Tom and Jerry certainty is that there is no connection between the drink and the cartoon.

Ingredients
Yield: 1 Cocktail

1 egg
1 ounce Cognac or brandy
1 tsp of confectionery sugar
Hot milk
1 ounce dark rum
Grated nutmeg for garnish

• Separate the egg white from the egg yolk and beat them separately.
• Fold the beaten eggs together then add the confectionery sugar. Place  batter  into an Irish coffee glass.
• Add the dark rum, and brandy. and fill with hot (but not boiling) milk.
• Stir well.
• Garnish with grated nutmeg.

Store, covered, in the refrigerator, and use as needed. Will keep up to 1 week in the refrigerator. Mixture will probably separate in the refrigerator. Just stir and use. The drink will still turn out frothy and delicious.

Here's a sampling from Christmas Cards Past!

WOLLSTONECRAFT IS COMING!!!

January 6th, 2014!
Wollstonecraft Detective Agency hits the shelves! Jordan Stratford has been busily working on the follow up books as well, and here's a few teaser images.

Viterbo 2014

Finally getting a chance to share of the images I worked on this past summer. I was lucky enough to join my colleague Fred Lynch in teaching a course in journalistic drawing in a small town just northeast of Rome. It was a fantastic trip, made all the more special by a dedicated troop of students. Visiting Assisi was also a true highlight, as well as traveling by car with the Lynch family from Viterbo to Lyon France. While is was a bit stormy in the Italian Alps, the view was still breathtaking.

The Lynches were also kind enough to take me to another neighboring medieval walled city called Vitorchiano. The views were stunning.

This chance to work in a whole new fashion awakens a deeper connection to my artistic roots. I mean, I used them everyday, but here... on the street, trying to capture a fading light, or a fleeting moment sharpens the trust in myself... not only that I can do it... but I chose the right subject matter as well.

It was a hard working, eye opening summer for sure!

Class Painting Demos

It's been busy these last few months, which is always a good thing! I really enjoy the one day out of my semester where I take an hour and demonstrate my convoluted process. It gives me a chance to step outside of my current projects and just paint... to paint. I took a few extra hours to polish these up last weekend, and it was just what the illustration doctor ordered. These are both from my spring and fall semesters of 2014.

2014 draws to a close, and I hope to visit the blog more frequently. It's been such fun to be able to have a chronological record of the last eight or so years! I hope to cram a few more posts in 2014!

Waves

Hello again, dear blog. I miss you. I miss you a lot and I can't tell you why it's been so long. Maybe it's been a touch of being busy or more likely distracted. I have been working, though! I've been lucky to have three different bookcovers to work on since the new year. I'm also nearing completion of the first Wollstonecraft book.

As I type we are about to be hit with the second snowstorm of the year, and even though I've succumbed to the winter's plague, I am loving this weather. I wish I had the opportunity to ski or skate like I used to. Perhaps I should try and just brace the knee. I have a torn ACL and  a damaged medial and lateral meniscus, so it makes the more rigorous sports a bit scary. I will have to get my fix by watching the upcoming Winter Olympics!

I'll come back soon, blog!