I had been hoping to hit the ground running upon our return to the States and to keep up my work here on the blog on the regular, but you know how life goes. I often expect more than what I can actually manage. I think that’s all right in a lot of ways, as I’m almost never bored.

We’ve been back in the U.S. for a few months now, and things are cooking right along here on our homestead. I’ve purchased a small group of laying hens, made progress on the garden, and even managed to sell a painting (someone needed a Mother’s Day gift). I find that I’m in a bit of a transition period. I’ve been searching and thinking and dreaming about how to make our homestead work…as a farm…as a business…as a haven for our family and friends. I need it to make enough money to pay for its annual up-keep, I need it to combine my passions for the visual arts and for education, and I also need to develop systems for me to maintain it and care for it basically on my own. After a lot of prayerful consideration, I believe I’ve come up with a plan, so stay tuned to hear more about the direction I’ll be taking in the next few months.

With a lot of hard work and a little luck, I will be offering some in-person workshops for kids and families and I also will upload some free tutorials to YouTube. I also plan to get at least one online course up for folks to try out in July. I apologize for being a bit vague just yet, but I have the most delightful problem right now: I have so many ideas that I have to triage and decide what will work this year.

To that end I’ve started a list of homestead topics and studio topics for workshops and online tutorials. If there’s anything you’ve been meaning to learn that you think I could help with, please drop me an email or DM me over on Instagram to let me know.

In the studio:

Exciting news from the studio - I accepted, completed, and delivered a commissioned piece!! A local friend of mine had been looking for a painting of lilacs for her mother for some time, and she asked if I thought I could create a piece by Mother’s Day. Honestly, I was excited and terrified to take it on. She left size and price up to me and just put her trust in me. I felt so blessed to work on the piece, and she seemed sincerely delighted and pleased with the piece upon completion. She even gave me a hug. I haven’t heard back, but I’m hoping her mother loved it.

I find painting flowers tricky but also really enjoyable. When you look closely at the structure of each flower, there’s a level of complexity to it in terms of light and shadow that is endlessly fascinating. Another friend on Facebook has been in touch to ask about the lilac painting, so I’m considering taking additional commissions and potentially doing more florals. I’d like to have a balance of offerings between realism pieces and my more-for-me abstract/mixed-media/experimental pieces.

If you are interested in commissioning work, please consider adding yourself to my newsletter mailing list. Folks who are on the newsletter will have first slots for commissions and will have pre-sale access when I release new paintings and prints.

Holiday:

Apparently today is National Pizza Party Day - maybe because it’s the end of the school year? Sure! The kids have earned it!

I hope you had a pizza party kind of Friday. On the off chance you need it, here’s my favorite pizza crust recipe:

4C     Flour (high gluten bread flour is best)

1.5tsp      Yeast

3tsp     Salt

1.5-2C    Warm water

~1T     Olive oil

In a large bowl whisk the yeast into the flour, then add the salt and whisk. Add the warm water a bit at a time and mix into the flour, scraping the sides of the bowl. If the weather is humid, you may need less water. Knead the dough gently on a countertop until smooth. [This can be done in a stand mixer too - my preferred method] Place the dough in an oiled bowl (olive oil is great for this) and cover with a lid or a moist cloth under a dinner plate. Allow the dough to rise in a warm place for a minimum of 3 hours. If the dough expands too much and pops the lid, fold the dough and allow to continue rising until you’re ready to make pizza. This recipe yields enough dough for two large pizzas or 4-5 smaller personal pizzas. The best way to shape the dough is by spinning and stretching. Add sauce, cheese, and toppings. Bake on a parchment paper-lined cookie sheet or pizza pan in an oven at 450F for 12-14 minutes.