Author: -N-

Old Trees in Winter

If you have been reading this blog awhile, you know I live where there is fire and not snow. Still, winter does come to my warm (ish) part of the world, and with it memories of tromping through the snow under spreading trees along a lake shore.

I use two software programs these days to scan my paintings – and I rather like the way they end up, similar but different. Above is the one using VueScan. Below is the one using Epson V600 and its software.

Epson software is more inclined to push colors, but in this case it does a decent job and pulls out more of the colors I put into the tree. Both scans are pretty much straight out of the scanner. Your choice as to preference!

Watercolor, Arches Rough 140#. Colors primarily burnt umber, ultramarine blue, Hooker’s green. 10×14.

Muffins (Recipe) to Devour!

I am not a big fan of most muffins – they are simply too sweet, too big, and bland. One recipe I found years ago was made with honey and blueberries – quite delicious – but no matter what I did, warm or cooled, they always mixed with the paper cups and you got a mess. Yes, I tried silicone muffin cups, but they were not much better, even when coated with butter or sprayed with cooking oil.

And then I found this recipe for “Nutty Cranberry Oat Muffins” by Getty Stewart. There is sweetness but not too much, texture, flavor, and oodles of good suggestions. I made the version with white flour, as that is what I had on hand, used goat milk kefir diluted with water to get the correct of liquid to equate buttermilk, and used pecans along with the dried cranberries. Other than that, I followed the recipe pretty much. I suggest you go to her link (above) for the details. I really like the flavor and texture of these muffins!

Getty Stewart’s Nutty Cranberry Oat Muffins

Ingredients

  • 1 c. rolled oats
  • 1 c. goat milk kefir (about 1/2 c.) diluted with water to make required amount – you can also use plain yogurt, buttermilk, or thinner kefir
  • 1 c. 3 T. all purpose white flour
  • 1 1/2 t. baking powder
  • 1/2 t. baking soda
  • 1 t. cinnamon
  • 1/4 t. salt
  • 1/2 c. brown sugar
  • 1/3 c. bland oil – I used safflower
  • 1 t. vanilla extract
  • 1 egg
  • 1 c. dried cranberries soaked in hot water for 15 minutes and water drained out after the soaking
  • 1/2 c. – 1 c. pecan halves

Method

  • Preheat oven to 375. Line 12 muffin tins with paper cups.
  • In small bowl, mix the kefir / yogurt / buttermilk with the oats.
  • Heat up hot water and soak the dried cranberries in it for 15 minutes – same time amount as oats – and drain when ready to use in batter.
  • In larger bowl, mix together flour, soda, powder, salt, cinnamon.
  • After 15 minutes, mix together the oil, brown sugar, vanilla, and egg into bowl with the oats-kefir mix.
  • Stir the wet ingredients into the flour. Mix until just mixed – too much mixing will result in cone head muffins!
  • Spoon evenly into muffin tins. These will not make big muffins that flow over the top of the muffin cups. If you want bigger ones, put more into each cup and plan for a longer cooking time and fewer muffins.
  • Bake 15-17 minutes until tops are firm to touch.
  • Remove from oven. Cool or eat as desired. My muffins were cool when I ate them and I didn’t have paper and muffins fighting to stay together. I didn’t eat one when warm, but I wonder if, because I used dried cranberries – which have less liquid – I would not have that paper-muffin war. I’ll try that next time!

Notes

There is a topping included in the original recipe, but I don’t tend to like toppings on my muffins. Instead, I like to cut mine in half and eat with butter!

This is, by far, my favorite recipe to date for muffins. If you like more earthy muffins that are not loaded with sugar or coated with drizzled sugary frosting, these are definitely for you!

Let’s Just Say It’s Colorful!

Autumn along the Virgin River is filled with trees turning orange and yellow from the greens of summer. The sky is bright, bright blue. The red-orange mountains all around are dynamic and rugged. The river is aqua and blue and green.

The light is full of contrast – bright, dark, shadow, reflections. The leaves add texture, as do grasses and trees and rocks. Wind plays through the canyons and trees. The whole world shimmers and vibrates with energy and color. Simplifying it seems impossible.

Watercolor, 10×14, Arches 140# Rough.

Land’s End, SF

I love San Francisco, like so many people. And, like so many people, I am sad to see how challenging it has become as a city in a lot of ways – homelessness, cost of living, among other things. Still, it has a lot to offer, and Land’s End is one of them. Part of the Golden Gate National Recreational Area, it is a beautiful bit of nature on the edge of the Pacific Ocean.

There are paths within Land’s End, and this row of trees on a bluff is a signature landmark of the area itself. Golden Gate National Recreation Area is wonderful, and I have spent time here, and in the city and around the Bay Area often, more so when I was younger. I had friends who lived in the city itself and have great memories of all it has to offer.

This painting was a bit of a challenge. The tree trunks are bright and clear in the foreground and sharply contrast the foliage of the trees and undergrowth. In the distance, the shapes of the trees and their leaves merge into fascinating shapes. What I find so interesting about these trees – I believe they are Monterrey Cypress – is the trunks and branches seem to vanish within the leafy canopy. The hillside is variegated in vegetation, and while I caught some of the bright green and dark browns, the lights and darks were evident.

I tried to paint as directly as possible, putting paint down and then, while it was wet, varying colors within the shapes. The foliage was a good example of this, as was the hillside below the trees. The sky was painted first and brought down between the trunks near, leaving the trunks to be painted later. Bushes were also painted this way. Finally, trunks and foliage, near and far, and final touches such as a bit of titanium white gouache and a few dots and lines here and there.

Watercolor, unlimited palette, Arches 140# CP, 10×14.