Alcohol Inks on Yupo Paper

Happy Easter Everyone!  I'm exploring once again some new art materials.

These are created using alcohol inks on Yupo Paper.  

It is fun to see the imagery you can create because you have no control over what the inks want to do.  It is amazing what can be created using only 3-4 colors.

These are my landscapes, and soon I will post my abstracts.  

This type of art is so much fun to create and the color is amazing in person.

Have a great weekend and try something new.  It is so rewarding.

Almond Muffins

I have created a fun piece of art to bring everyone some brightness & to cheer up my kitchen.  This is part of the "When Artists Cook" Series.  I have had an interesting couple of months around my food intake causing me to be even more creative in the kitchen with limited ingredients.  I found out that I have very high cholesterol, even if the only foods I am eating with lots of cholesterol are butter & eggs.  I am the last person I would think of who would need to be watchful for this elevation.  Since Thanksgiving I have cut out butter from my recipes.  

Last month I had a severe reaction to fructose that created a lot of havoc in my system.  Thank goodness the medical staff in the ER were able to get my reaction & severe stomach/ intestinal spasms under control.  This has left me only being able to eat chicken broth, white rice, and rice noodles for the past several weeks.  I’m slowly adding chicken, fish, potatoes, and this muffin… back into my diet.  One day soon I hope to find a way for my body to accept more foods.  If anyone has any suggestions for food intolerances & food allergies, please email me.  After an eventful start of the year, I am ready to play in the kitchen again.

This piece of art is on Yupo paper, which is made of plastic.  I love color and whimsical themes and since Yupo paper has its own character, it is fun to see what emerges.  I used Twinkling H2O’s and ink on the surface.  The colors and shine pop.   

This is my version of a muffin loaded with joy.  I have had this image in my mind for years to paint, but it wasn’t until I started playing on Yupo that I knew this was the time to paint it. 

I found this muffin on Dianne’s blog www.deliciousasitlooks.com  & adapted it a titch since I am not able to have canola oil or lemon.  Thanks Dianne!  They are gluten free, fructose free friendly, dairy and soy free and easy to digest.  They stay nice and moist too.  The sauce is great for these muffins, waffles, tarts, and more.  I pretend it’s my jelly by thickening it a bit more.  

Almond Muffins

Ingredients

2 cups almond flour

½ cup dextrose

2 tsp. baking powder

¼ tsp. salt

4 large eggs

¼ cup olive oil

2 tsp. vanilla extract

Directions

• Preheat oven to 300° F.
• Grease muffin pan with olive oil spray or other non-stick spray
• Mix ingredients together.
• Fill each muffin cup about 2/3 cup full with batter.
• Bake 15-18 minutes, or until center of tops of muffins are set.
• Makes 32 tiny muffins or 12 regular size muffins.

Sauce

Ingredients

1/8 cup dextrose

1 ½ tsp. corn starch

Sprinkle of Celtic Sea Salt

¼ cup unsweetened rice milk

¾ tsp. vanilla

1/8 tsp. caramel unsweetened LorAnn Flavor Fountain

1/8 tsp. pomegranate unsweetened LorAnn Flavor Fountain

Directions

• Mix dextrose, corn starch and salt together in a pan.  Add rice milk & vanilla and stir together.
• Slowly bring mixture to a boil stirring constantly until thickened beautifully.
• Cool slightly and add pomegranate and caramel flavoring.

Enjoy!

For more information on Colleáyn, please visit:

Website: www.qigong.ckgalleria.com

Etsy shop: www.ckgalleria.etsy.com 

Fructose Intolerance: www.qigong.ckgalleria.com/Fructose-Intolerance.html

For more information on the "When Artists Cook" Series, please visit:

http://www.diondior.com/search/label/WAC 

Cheery Flowers on Yupo Paper

11x14, Watercolor & Ink on Yupo Paper (c) 2013 Colleayn Klaibourne

I created this piece of art to bring cheeriness to a long Minnesota winter.  You have probably noticed that each blog has a very different look to my art.  It has been suggested to me that I have one "style" so people would know my work.  I have tried for years to do this, but I have decided that I am going to be an artist with many styles.  The common denominator is color!    It is how my mind works, how my art emerges, and what keeps me excited about creating.  

 My goal this year has been to loosen up my work, and Yupo paper does that.  This is created using Twinkling H2O watercolors & Ink on Yupo Paper, which is 100% recyclable and made from polypropylene.  When you paint on it, it has a mind of its own.  You really don't know what is going to emerge.  It is non-absorbent so the paints remain bright and happy.  It is perfect for my love of creating vibrant, colorful art.    

You’ll still see the detail of my Celtic Art, Mandalas, and flowers, and I’ll keep it fun with whimsical art, Angels & Faeries, and more.

Enjoy!

Jackie Frost Visits

Brrrrrrr... it's cold outside in Minnesota! I awoke to -14ºF with -40ºF windchill.   I'm not a winter person, at all, but it was fun to see all the beautiful drawings Jackie drew on the windows.

 I am taking a "Joynal" class with Jane Davenport, 

and in this week's class we are drawing naughty Pixies.

 Jack Frost's twin sister, Jackie, has arrived and is trying to steal his favorite windows to draw on.

Jack loves drawing on our windows because our house is around 150 years old with gorgeous  large windows adorned with stained glass.

The next time you look out a wintery window, you may want to ask "Is this masterpiece created by Jack, or his naughty twin sister Jackie?"  

This journal page was created in an old book covered with gesso, serviettes, doodles in ink, acrylic paint and colored pencils.  

Flower Faeries

Happy New Year!

I have been having fun drawing and painting some Flower Faeries.  These are all created in an altered book using gesso, serviettes (napkins), acrylic paints, Distress stains, colored pencils and ink.  It is so fun playing with serviettes as the background.  They create a fun theme of their own.  Everywhere I go I'm on the lookout for a great napkin- not for dinner time, but for another piece of art. 

These are faeries from my garden, although they are inside now since it is so cold out.  They love to be by all the beautiful flowers, colors, bugs and nature's gifts.

These paintings are bright, colorful and happy to remind me of the warm summer days ahead.  

This faery is overlooking one of Minnesota's 10,000 lakes after a winter storm.  She is watching some skaters far off into the distance.  

For those of you who are experiencing cold winter weather, bring some color and a faery into your life.  It will make your days feel brighter.  Those in warm climates- enjoy all the magic outside in your gardens and with your plants!  

I Love Aprons & Almond Sesame Bread Recipe

Hi Everyone, here is a peek into one of my favorite kitchen accessories- Aprons.  I love aprons- New ones, Vintage ones, Ruffly ones, Simple ones and all the ones my Brother and Sister-in-Law give me and my Mom makes for me.  There is a Senior Center in the building that I work in and I recently found these wonderful Vintage aprons for sale that I couldn't resist adding to my collection.  I couldn't pass up the blue polka dots apron and the red one with white ruffles.  

The person who helped me with my purchase said she was afraid no-one would buy them because it is a lost kitchen art form.  I helped her see that aprons can still make someone’s day and are an important part of the cooking process.  I have to be careful each day to take off my apron before I see clients.  I’m sure one day I’ll walk out of the house with one of my fun ones on. 

I thought this would be a perfect time to blog on this since I am also learning how to draw ladies.  I am stepping out of my box this year and trying new art techniques. I couldn't resist doing some ladies walking down the catwalk modeling these fun aprons. 

Today as I woke up to 18°F on a cold winter day, I decided someone needs to make fleece lined aprons for the long winters.  That would make me a very happy cook.

This is one of my favorite gluten free & fructose friendly breads for the "When Artists Cook Series".  It has great flavor, and if you slice and freeze it right away, it doesn't get too crumbly.  It makes a smaller loaf, so you’ll need to help yourself to more pieces.  I love eating it with garlic salt and creamy goat cheese with scrambled eggs for breakfast.  My favorite sandwich is bacon, butter lettuce and mayo on this tasty bread.  It is very simple to make.

Gluten Free Almond Sesame Bread

Ingredients

1 ½ cup blanched almond (I love Bob’s Red Mill or California Almond flour)

¾ cup tapioca starch

1/8 cup sesame seeds

½ tsp. sea salt

½ tsp. baking soda

4 eggs

1 Tbsp. olive oil

1 tsp. glucose syrup

1 tsp. white vinegar

Directions

*     Combine almond flour, tapioca, sesame seeds, salt and baking soda. 

*     In another bowl, blend eggs for several minutes, until frothy.  Stir in olive oil, glucose syrup and vinegar into the eggs. 

*     Mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients.

*     Pour batter into a well-greased 7 ½” x 3 ½” loaf pan. Add a piece of parchment to the bottom of the pan so it comes out smoothly.

*     Bake 350° for 30-35 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean.

*     Let cool.

*     Slice and freeze within a day to keep it nice and friendly.

Enjoy!

Autumn Faery

Hi Everyone, Happy Holidays!

My hand decided to have a major arthritis flare, so I had to take a few weeks off from painting, drawing, etc. I didn't realize how hard it would be to go without creating art for so long.  I was hoping I would have had this done to wish you all a Happy Thanksgiving, but I just finished it this weekend.  Instead I wish everyone a really nice week!

The faeries had fun preparing the gardens for winter, but I believe they are all tucked inside now to stay warm and to play in the houseplants. 

In the art class I am taking, Joynal, we are learning to use Serviettes for backgrounds.  I feel pretty cool getting used to the word “serviette”, since here in Minnesota we have napkins.  But thanks to my teacher in Australia, I get a new flair of words while learning to paint ladies, fashionistas, faeries, and more.  

The background is a serviette that we had for our Thanksgiving dinner and a bit of acrylic paint to blend it all together.  It makes a great background for my garden faery.  

Queen of Nuts

"Queen of Nuts" (c) 2012 Colleayn T. Klaibourne

Watercolor and ink

Hi Everyone,

The new post is up for the  "When Artists Cook"  series for my recipe of Cashew Chicken. For more photos and to see the post, please click here.

Doodle before it was painted

The leaves are starting to turn into beautiful reds, golds, & rusts and fall is right around the corner.  This is the time of year for harvest and is also time for our squirrel's to go crazy for nuts!  I couldn't help but laugh as a little squirrel went running by with two large green walnuts hanging out each side of his cheek.  Up the tree, down the tree, race around the yard - that is what makes up our manic squirrel's day. Each day is about finding that golden nut and magical hiding space to enjoy during that long winter. The squirrel in me likes to gather art supplies, pens, paper, sparkly glitter and more as I prepare for a long Minnesota winter.

This drawing is of one of my busy squirrels.  As I began drawing and painting her, it kept getting more and more complex- which fits these rascals very well. 

The Bragg Liquid Aminos is one of my favorite finds to replace soy sauce.  It is gluten free and delicious!  This is new to so many of my family, friends, and clients that I wanted to introduce it to people who haven’t tried it yet.  It is full of good things for your body and great in many dishes.
After watching our goofy squirrel's loving their delicious treats, I thought they would be great inspiration for another favorite recipe of mine- Cashew Chicken.  If the squirrel's had their way, they would have a nice stash of cashews, but they can't figure out that bird feeder.  Instead, you can enjoy this recipe for these busy little guys and stash this away into your recipe collection.  This is gluten free, dairy & fructose intolerance friendly, and delicious.

Colleáyn’s Cashew Chicken

Ingredients

2 Chicken breasts, cubed

1-2 Tbsp. Olive Oil

1 cup basmati rice cooked in 2 cups water

Roasted salted cashews

Sauce

Dry Ingredients

1 ½ Tbsp. dextrose

2 ½ tsp. cornstarch

1 tsp. salt

¼ tsp. garlic salt

Wet Ingredients

½ cup + 1 Tbsp. water

2 Tbsp. Bragg Liquid Aminos

1 tsp. toasted sesame oil

½ tsp. regular sesame oil

Directions

*     Cut chicken breasts into cubes with a kitchen scissors  

*     Start cooking basmati rice according to package instructions. 

*     While rice is cooking, fry the cubes of chicken in the olive oil. 

*     I like to put the dry ingredients in one bowl and the wet ingredients in a large bowl, then combine together.

*     When chicken is done, pour the sauce over the chicken and simmer on low until it thickens to a nice sauce.  Stir constantly.  This only takes a few minutes. 

*     Serve the chicken and sauce on top of the rice 

*     Sprinkle with cashews and enjoy!

*     Feel free to modify the salt and Bragg Liquid Aminos to your taste.  I am on a high salt diet, so feel free to cut this back if needed.  The Bragg Liquid Aminos is salt free and gives a great burst of flavor.

Excellent!

Have this often!

Angel of Goodness & Love

(c) 2012 Colleayn T. Klaibourne

I love Angels!  My goal this year was to get back into drawing & painting.  I think my Angels were very helpful in creating the space, time and motivation to create Art again.  With some life changes and some tweeking of my work, daily schedule, and studio arrangement, I found a way to do so.  Little did I know that I would be led to start drawing them.  I see Angels all around people when I do my healing work. I wish I could take a photo of them so my clients could see them as well.  I am learning how to draw faces so I can draw what I see in my intuitive minds eye.  My Angels are listening but instead of having a photograph magically appear, they are steering me to learn how to paint them myself. I am still in the learning process of this exciting adventure.  I can't wait to see what appears next.  

This is an Angel of Goodness and Love.  She is created with Acrylic Paints, Colored pencils, Markers and Pens.  We all have Angels around us, and she is here to remind us that we are surrounded by LOVE and at any time something GOOD can happen.  

When Artists Cook- French Fries

Hi Everyone.  I am happy to share that I am part of a blog series called "When Artists Cook".  Each week an artist will share their art which is focused around food, recipes, cooking, and more. This month I am sharing one of my favorite recipes of oven baked french fries.  I could eat these every day!  

Joy

(c) Colleayn T. Klaibourne 2012

Mandala of oregano & basil growing in my garden.  

Twinkling H2O watercolors on watercolor paper

This is a peak of some of the paintings, information and recipe I've added.  You'll find the full post at: http://diondior.blogspot.com/2012/08/when-artists-cook_15.html.  To see other great works of art by Dion Dior and other artists in the series please visit: http://diondior.blogspot.com/  Dion's work is so vibrant, colorful and happy. I'm sure you'll love her blog as well.

Oven French Fries:

Ingredients:

4 large russet potatoes (peeled if you have fructose intolerance)

3 Tbsp. Olive Oil

½ - ¾ tsp. Celtic sea salt

¼ tsp. garlic salt

1/8 tsp. ground cumin

¾ tsp. basil leaves

1 tsp. Italian seasoning

¼ tsp. chili powder

Instructions:

Peel and cut potatoes into strips.  In a large mixing bowl, drizzle potatoes with olive oil and add salt and herbs.  Stir until the potatoes are evenly coated.  Place potatoes on a non-stick cookie sheet that has the lips on each side.  I like to spray the pan first with an olive oil spray.

Bake at 420° for 45-55 minutes, flipping every 15 minutes.  Some days the fries cook faster than other days.

Feel free to modify the salt and herbs to your taste.  I am on a high salt diet, so feel free to cut this back if needed.

I love using herbs from my garden.  The recipe below is with dried herbs, but if you have fresh cut herbs it makes the French fries even better.  

I love dipping them in Mayo seasoned with Salt, Garlic Salt, Italian Seasonings, Basil and Oregano.

Eat often!

Something new is ready to emerge!

I'm on a journey to learn how to draw faces and bodies so I can create Angels and Faeries. 

3 Weeks ago, I didn't even know where to begin to draw a face. Thanks to Jane Davenports Supply Me class, I am on my way.  It is fun to see faces appear with their own personality.  I've always enjoyed drawing and painting, but have steered clear of people.  I'm leaving my comfort zone of Flowers, Celtic Art and Mandalas so I can create more of the magical world all around us. This will add a missing piece to the Art I have in my mind to create. 

Week by week, I learn new ways to add that twinkle to the eye.  

Happy Faces emerge.

I had to take a deep breath as I started painting her with ink and no pencil sketch underneath.  

Step out of your comfort zone.  Magical things are waiting to emerge for you too.

Happy July Day!

(c) 2012, Colleayn T. Klaibourne

I love the color red.  This started with a yellow and green background, but as the details came together, it wanted to become a beautiful red and burgundy color. It may be a reflection of the last couple of weeks being in the upper 90's - 100 degree temps. with high humidity.  It portrays July perfectly with the beautiful flowers, warmth, festivities, and more.  Happy July everyone!