Christmas Fair

A selection of the artwork for sale at the Christmas fair.  

We manned the art stand and the the hot waffle stand for the kids!  

The best combination of jobs in the world!

Customized Family spoon portraits!

Family crest

The start of studies for a family crest, the homely comfort I enjoy most. To be developed to include the other interests of husband and kids.  After finishing a big project that took a lot of my free time over the past few months I am taking back the time to paint for myself a little.

Lamb and mutton

There were lots of sheep and lamb in the Lake district. This is a quick 3-minute drawing from the car window while the children attempted loud communication with the herd...!

The difference in English between Sheep and Mutton is that one is the animal, the other the food.
A lot of culinary terms in English are derived from old French,  Clearly lamb is such an English delight they did not adopt the foreign word for it!

Biodynamic flour mill - Long Meg stone circle

Another page from the Cumbria trip!

 

 

 

 

Eggs - continued, wolves and MFK Fisher

Started to read the Art of Eating by MFK Fisher, lots of fantastic quotes and reasons for a few doodle... Both strike a chord about recent experiences.

Want one of them, or any quote illustration, as Kitchen art? contact us!

Farm eggs and Tautavel!

One unforgettable Cumbrian cottage diner!  After a full day of activities in cold and crisp Lake District weather, and once the kids were in bed.  Eggs from the nearby farms, with the yolks so bright it colours cakes a deep turmeric-yellow.  And some Tautavel 2009!

We did a taste test between 2 eggs providers, see the notes!  The Tautavel bottle was brought from our personal reserve in London...!  :)  Dessert was a bit of lemon quatre-quart and great conversation!

Easter in Cumbria

We spent Easter in the Lake District of England, a wonderful place full of cold pure streams, ancient stone circles, high valleys and peaks.  We had spring lamb, farm eggs, local honey.  We made bread with our sourdough (brought from London, like a pet - it needs to be fed!) and the local water-milled stoneground biodynamic flour.  The lovely mill is next to Long Meg stone circle and includes a café with chicken running free outside and the view onto the stream.  The region clearly has a love of huge earthy crumbly fruit scones.

At the Keswick market, we got some Benzoin and lemon-scented gardener's hand cream made by a local women under the name of  "Essential Spirit". 

The market lady sent us to Calbeck, a stunning village full of energy and streams, with a church named after the local Celtic saint St Kentigern ! Lots of amazing mystical stories attached to this saint, hard to imagine it is an official Catholic saint!  He is featured on the Glasgow coat of arms, with the main features of his legend:
Here is the bird that never flew
Here is the tree that never grew
Here is the bell that never rang
Here is the fish that never swam

 

 

 

Cheveux Poivre et Sel - Salt and Pepper Hair

We now have the pleasure to illustrate the French Edible idioms on a regular basis over at the lovely Chocolate and Zucchini site.  Here is the latest:  "Cheveux Poivre et Sel" or "Pepper and Salt Hair" explained skillfully by Clotilde!  The comments are also so fun and Thank You Sylvie for the compliment!

The entire edible idioms series can be found here.

Christmas market

2012 is drawing to an end.... (but of course it is not an end to our drawing....:)
Here are pictures of our stall at the West Hampstead Christmas market, with our goods on proud display.  Melinart paintings of vegetables, fruits and donuts but also Mr MelinArt upholstered storage boxes, made of Toile de Jouy and French wine boxes.  We enjoyed ourselves thoroughly, talking and sharing coffee and cookies with our neigboring stalls and the happy visitors of the market.  We hope to do it again next year.  In the meantime, we are celebrating the holidays with family and the new year with the happiness that is wanted and needed for all of us.