Stocking Stuffer Story

It was the Christmas Eve after my mother died.  I was making the traditional Hungarian Goulash and pushing through the last details of Christmas. (Christmas seems to have a lot of details!) Though the last years of interaction with my mother had involved a lot of frustration (on her part, due to memory problems) the finality of her being gone was hitting home. The kids were in high school, so we were several stages beyond wonder and awe.  Still, as I went upstairs to retrieve the Christmas stockings from the cedar chest, I had a palpable feeling of yearning: what did I want in my Christmas stocking? What did I need this year?

I opened the cedar chest and gathered the stockings: my childhood stocking, a gift from my aunt and uncle; Jacob and Mary's stockings from their babyhood; David's and Carly-the-dog's, too.  But along with the stockings came a little girl's blue-checked dress which I did not remember ever seeing before.  The label on the dress says Love. Now it is not as though there was a care instruction tag stating "a Special Message from Ma" but that is exactly what this felt like.  My response was immediate and I was filled with the very sense of awe and wonder (and love) that I had been missing. And it has stayed with me.

So how am I to interpret this event? I am informed by how I see the world as an artist. I have noticed that sometimes when folks are trying to paint, say a tree for example, they are quite frustrated because they have a preconceived idea of what a tree should look like. This makes it much harder than it needs to be. What works best for me is to let the tree tell me everything I need to know. All the information is there before my eyes, I just need to see it. This is how I am absorbing the Love label.  My preconceived idea is that someone departed from this world no longer has contact with us. What I see, however, is my mother filling my stocking with Love.

Merry Christmas, Everyone! May your stockings be filled...

Stolen, Kisses

Ah, well.  Mother Nature has other ideas. The Christmas Gift Exhibit scheduled for Saturday, December 18th has been cancelled. So please tuck away in your head that there will be another gift exhibit next year(weather permitting!)  The Courthouse Square Arts Guild will be working hard to organize an exhibit filled with great gift ideas, made where you live!

Would you like to be on my mailing list to receive invitations to openings and exhibits, as well as this year's holiday card?  If you would, please e-mail your snail mail address to me at: kathy@kathyreesjohnson.com and I'll get a card in the mail to you--a little consolation prize. Feel free to check out my website at: http://www.kathyreesjohnson.com/   Stay warm!

Ancient Kisses

Saturday is the last chance to buy one-of-a-kind presents for Christmas at The Corner Studio in beautiful downtown Carlisle, KY. I'll be there again with a selection of cards (great for stocking stuffers and little presents for friends and family).  But there is also going to be a special treat, truly one-of-a-kind: Brad Powell and Larry Mitchell went hunting for mistletoe and Brad has promised some special fossil art with mistletoe! Sounds like the perfect present for an old (ancient?) flame. I don't have a photo of one of these new creations, so I'll have to offer up some of Brad's fossil art without the mistletoe and an image of my mistletoe card. You can use your imagination until Saturday.

And I want to put in a plug for Larry Mitchell's fine walking sticks. I always use mine when walking at Blue Licks.It is perfect; just the right weight and length.  Buy one for the walker in your life.

The Christmas Gift Exhibit will be open one last time, Saturday, December 18th.  This event is sponsored by the Courthouse Square Arts Guild.  The Corner Studio is located diagonally across from the courthouse, on Main Street in downtown Carlisle, KY.  Hours are from noon to 4 pm. Come join the fun and buy something unique and local for your special someone.

A Workshop of One's Own

   Bob Edwards recently interviewed a songwriter-guitar builder from the artist's workshop, causing me to go into workshop reverie.  Is there any place more wonderful in the man made realm than a workshop, a place that holds the tools for creation?
   I have always thrilled to the idea of such a place.  My earliest idea of the workshop must have come with images of Santa and Mrs. Claus. Santa and the elves working away busily; I was more intrigued by the making of toys than the actual toys themselves. Mrs. Claus in her kitchen (a sort of workshop, too!) baking and packing endless batches of gingerbread cookies--such pleasant industry! So this setting has always been a sort of ideal for me.  Later, I began to make a lot of my clothes, so my workshop was a corner of my bedroom.  The prized piece of equipment was a sewing machine bought with babysitting money.
   In my twenties, a friend of mine and I conjured up the idea of an atelier which would produce ethnic garb (this was the late seventies).  Atelier is French for workshop, and I believe we were perhaps more enthralled with the idea of a workshop/atelier than any actual business model for producing goods and selling them.  We enjoyed books like Cut My Coat and Folkwear patterns.  I created a pattern for wrap-around pants.  After that dreamy experience, I started a custom dressmaking business called Katzwerk. Though, I did not have an excess of business, the business I had required a lot of industriousness and sewing for a living lost its lustre.  I did learn quite a bit about women and their bodies (like the skinnier you are, the more sensitive you are about your body).  Well, I'm getting way off the topic of workshops. To this day, I like having a place to sew, with all my tools to create things I would not have otherwise (like painting smocks and quilts with my studio logo).  And just for the record, I want you to know that I made my husband's wedding suit(!)
   Still, I learned  that sewing was a most labor intensive way of creating. Making costumes for KET made the idea of a sweatshop very real! Painting, as a way to bring color and concept into creation has been more in tune with my temperament.  A love of landscape and a desire to hold beauty in my heart is a major inspiration.  Having a place to work is key.  An artist needs to be able to leave a painting and come back to it, without major dis assembly. Once I had my first studio, my productivity became constant.  It does not have to be fancy, but it needs to have all your tools so that you can create. My favored idea of a studio is more like a workshop, where the practical means of producing are eased. Dreaming and thinking about what to paint can happen anywhere (like in the woods). But then, you need to sit down (stand up) and get to work with your tools all about you.  What a joyful feeling this is!  Getting in there and making!

Angels You Can See on High

    An exhibit of angel art will be ushered in with the Annual Advent Evensong, at St. Peter's, 311 High Street in Paris, KY.  Speaking at the Evensong will be Jane Gentry Vance, recent Poet Laureate of Kentucky and her topic will be: "The Arts as a Window to God". This will also be a chance to meet our new Priest-in-Charge, The Rev. Christina Brannock-Wanter. 

   On Tuesdays, December 7th and December 14th, you can view the Angel art during St. Peter's Advent Musical and Luncheon.  On the 7th, St. Peter's organist-extraordinaire, Owen Sammons will be offering 25 minutes of improv (12:05 - 12:30 pm).  Lisa Clark, Soprano will be featured on the 14th at the same hour. Lunch is served afterward in the Parish Hall,  scene of the Angel Art exhibit.  Please join us!

White Horse Exhibit Still Running

  We are down to the wire with my exhibit at White Horse Gallery, 431 Main Street, Paris, KY.  The paintings were selected to satisfy the World Equestrian Games crowd, so there are plenty of horses.  Featured is a series of six paintings, renditions of six breeds represented in the Games with backdrops of some of my favorite Kentucky trees (I could not resist!)  A nice selection of smaller paintings are perfect for gifts.  Come have a look.  I am including a photo so you can see how warm and inviting White Horse is.  Roz has wrapped the shop with a cozy holiday look.  And, Richard and Roz have a beautiful collection of their original jewelry--you have to see it!  Hours are 11-5:30 Tuesday through Friday and 11-4 on Saturday. 

While the Broth is On..A Black Friday Blog

  Maybe you are not at home right now--you might be out shopping.  Either you love the thrill of the deal on Black Friday, or you rather stay home and make a broth out of your turkey leftovers (like me) or have a horse running at Churchill (like my brother-in-law--go Strike Impact!)  In any event, a nice change of pace will be offered tomorrow:  the Christmas Gift Exhibit at the Corner Studio, home of the Courthouse Square Arts Guild in beautiful downtown Carlisle, KY! The hours are noon to 4 pm and this is every Saturday until Christmas. I am not sure what all might be on show tomorrow, but included will be Larry's amazing and beautiful walkings sticks (I always have mine when walking at Blue Licks), Regina's honey, Carol's ornaments, hopefully Brad's creative fossil art (you have to see these!) and Ottis's unique brand of abstract paintings. Ottis's paintings always inspire me to experiment--they make great presents, too! Louise will have her charming paintings, too.  I will have more to report after I see for myself tomorrow.  My offerings will be cards and prints; including cards featuring Paris Pike, my Horse Mania 2010 horse ($5 for five cards!) There is more information at my website: kathyreesjohnson.com; including info on how to sign up to receive my holiday card (see image) which features the Ashland Estate garden in the snow.  And just this morning, Meg and I walked over to see the same scene--very beautiful! Even if we don't have a White Christmas this year, we can look back to our beautiful White Black Friday!
Now to go chop the onion and celery...

This Thanksgiving

This year, the kids won't be home for Thanksgiving--but we will have a Great Blue at the table (see photo, hopefully).  I had a request for a recipe--either cornbread or cornbread stuffing--I am not sure which, so I'll include both.
   David is fond of southern-style cornbread and when we were married, we received a cookbook, Virginia Cookery: past and present. Fortunately, it has a terrific and very simple recipe for "skillet bread", cornbread baked in a cast iron skillet. I've tweaked it over the years.

Skillet Bread

1 cup cornmeal                                              
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 large egg
3/4 cup sour milk or buttermilk (I use yogurt)
1/2 cup water
1 tablespoon olive or almond oil, and 1 tablespoon butter

  As oven is heating to 400-425 degrees, place iron skillet in oven to melt butter and heat skillet.  Sift together corn meal, baking powder, soda and salt.  Beat egg, add it to yogurt and water and beat well. When the oven is ready, I mix the dry and wet ingredients together quickly and take out the skillet and mix the batter while pouring into the skillet (there is a satisfying sizzle!).  The cornbread bakes for 25-30 minutes, until nicely golden.  Immediately invert onto a round cutting/serving board.
Note:  I actually make a larger recipe and use a larger skillet.  This fits an 8 inch skillet nicely.

(So you can see we have already sampled the cornbread--it is great piping hot!)

Cornbread Stuffing

1 lb. sausage (hot or mild)
6 cups crumbled cornbread
1 cup finely chopped onion
1 cup chopped celery
1 tablespoon poultry seasoning
turkey or chicken broth


   Fry sausage in skillet (you can use the same skillet as the one for cornbread!) until done; break into small pieces and remove from skillet.  Put chopped onion and chopped celery in sausage drippings and cook until soft. (Love this smell!) Combine most of the sausage (reserve some for topping) celery onions, and crumbled cornbread and poultry seasoning.  Mix all ingredients thoroughly and place in casserole, top off with the reserved sausage.  You can refridgerate this until time to bake. Before baking pour some broth over. Bake in oven at 350 deegrees for 30-40 minutes (or if the turkey is roasting at the same time, cook longer at the lower temperature.)

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone.  May all your loved ones be close, if only in your heart!

Into the Woods

In October, I helped celebrate the 400th birthday of Woody C. Guthtree at Floracliff Nature Sanctuary, in Fayette County, Kentucky.  Woody is an unassuming chinquapin oak and folks were quite surprised to have such an ancient arboreal citizen in the area.  Walking in the woods that day, I felt absolutely in my element and I knew that this is a natural direction for my art work to take me. The next weekend, David and I went to Houston to visit our daughter.  On exhibit at the Museum of Fine Arts Houston was a wonderful exhibit of German Impressionists. Featured were three artists: Max Liebermann, Lovis Corinth and Max Slevogt. As I was exclaiming about these artists and their depictions of the woods, David remarked that the Germanic tribes were tree-worshipers and I said that I was right there with them!
    Returning to Kentucky, I set to musing about what painting to make for the Advent Angel Art exhibit at St. Peter's in Paris, KY.  Fortunately, I did some musing on the trails at Blue Licks State Park.  Walking down the trail toward the Licking River I was amazed to see a blue tree through the arcade of trees lining the trail.  A sycamore along the river and in shadow took on a distinctly blue hue.  Reaching the river road and looking up, the sycamores had become the glowing white that brightens the winter landscape in Kentucky.  I knew I had my angel for the exhibit.  I hope you can come see my Angel Tree painting at St. Peter's during Advent.  And I'm adding a painting that I'm working on. It is from the edge of a pine forest at Sewanee.