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.