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My annual new year's tradition

2012-02-05T09:08:00.000-08:00

My annual New Year's tradition is designing an original illustration and card to send to friends and family. I'm so busy in December filling orders I never seem to have time to sit down and think about my illustration until January. It always ends up that I wish everyone a happy new year for the 11 remaining months of the year. January is never all that good, due to the continuing cold, dark weather, yet lack of holiday distractions, so maybe it's best I leave it out.

This year I caught some opossums having a party in a 1001 Decorating Ideas Magazine living room scene from 1963.

recent publicity!

2011-12-19T20:18:00.000-08:00

Beth Bee Books was mentioned on thekitchn.com again - here in a nice little blog entry on recipe organizing.

1300 "sales" on etsy.com!

2011-11-19T09:44:00.000-08:00

Today bethbee.etsy.com reached its "1300th sale"! In the past, etsy counted two or more of the same things together when ordered in multiples, so I probably passed 1300 already, but, still! Each 100th sale is a little milestone for my little shop.

Back in the 1990s I made zines and sent them for reviews and listings in bigger zines like Maximum Rock and Roll, HeartAttack, and even Punk Planet, and people (mostly my age) in other places would send me $1 or so in the mail to order a copy of my zine. Back then, it was an analog process, and on a smaller scale for me, but the excitement of sharing things I made with people in places outside my own circle of friends and connections was the same as I feel today. These kinds of connections are faster and simpler now with the help of the web.
I consistently marvel at the great tool that etsy.com is for independent artists to connect with others and share and sell their work. It has taken outreach and work and quality products to become successful on the site, but now, somewhat magically, almost every day I check my email and someone else from pretty much any state in the US, or Australia, Canada, the UK, or even Switzerland, Finland, Italy, et cetera has put through an order for one or more of my little books!

I've discovered a lot of great artists myself by browsing on etsy, and shared mutual appreciation for their work. I've found it helpful for connecting with local artists too, despite our busy schedules. I've figured out how to use the site to find great art and crafts through its various tools like favorites and treasuries. If you've never used the site before it can feel overwhelming to find the gems in the rough. The listings are not curated, so not every listing is of high quality or well photographed. I like to check the favorite items of artists whose work I respect, mark shops and items I like as favorites to find later when I run across them on the front page or in treasuries, and occasionally take some time to search for specific terms or items to find new artists I haven't discovered. I usually have to include in my search some subtractions such as "-angels, -anime, -fairy, -sports, -keep calm and carry on"...

New 3D art piece for the Art Center's winter auction and show

2011-11-09T18:55:00.000-08:00

Fantasy Stapler Set

This month I've been working on a 3D art piece to contribute to the Corvallis Arts Center's Winter Show and Silent Auction, November 26th-December 23rd. This annual invitational show has a theme this year of "portals."

After mulling it over for a while, I chose not to follow the idea of a normal window or a door or a ship "portal" and instead took the direction of a fantasy portal to another place or dimension. The idea of a nondescript closet, train station locker, box, crystal ball, or wardrobe that is a portal to another place is a commonly occurring theme in fantasy fiction and legend. My non-descript secret fantasy portal is a regular ol' box set of staplers. Who would think to look in there? The design of the outside is in the theme of vintage packaging and office equipment, but it isn't an actual replica of a real Swingline stapler set (um, it's a fantasy stapler set). Inside is a portal to another place, the entrance covered with some overgrown fauna, but in the distance - a path, a valley, and mountains. Is it a short cut to a real place on earth, or another magical dimension entirely?

(Yes, I have been reading books like the Magicians and the Dresden Files series recently.)

Radio interview on KLCC's Food For Thought

2011-11-07T18:27:00.000-08:00

The other day at my local author event, I was asked for a radio interview on the spot by Laura McCandlish, one of the hosts and contributors to KLCC's Food For Thought radio program. KLCC is Eugene, Oregon's local Public Radio/NPR station. I wasn't sure when it would air, but I discovered today that the program played on Sunday, November 6th, and it is now available to stream online from KLCC's site and it's available to download for free from iTunes. I show up in the program at about minute 11.
Also featured in the show were interviews with two guests at my event who had great contributions and perspectives of their own on choosing to follow a vegan diet and making plant-based choices, plus a quick mention of the cocktails at the new local restaurant and bar, Terminus, and an interview with local Corvallis chef Intaba Liff-Anderson! Great show!

Rabbit Food Cookbook - Book event and cornbread

2011-11-03T18:33:00.000-07:00

Linked from http://finn-sapas.blogspot.com

Hop on over to my friend Marya's blog to see some photos of my book event last weekend at Grass Roots Books and Music in Corvallis, OR, and her pictures of the cornbread she made recently! mmmm.
Thanks, Marya :)

More Rabbit Food Cookbook blogging. weee!

2011-11-03T18:03:00.000-07:00

Today I ran across Amanda's additional post on her blog inmyveganlife.blogspot.com with a lovely review of my combo meal recipe for "super breaded fried-chickeny dinner" which is super delicious, and she agreed. Thanks, Amanda!

linked from inmyveganlife.blogspot.com

Rabbit Food Cookbook Book Blog Tour, last day!

2011-10-31T19:33:00.000-07:00

Well, the blog book tour has come to its end. Today's blog is from Sarah at Vegansaurus blog. She liked the book, in general, but was dejected at the thought of using garlic powder, like, ever, under any circumstance (in main dish recipes). Well, to each her own. I call for it in some recipes to make them quicker, and in others I do call for the real thing. Sarah tried out the tofu pot pie, but suggested different ways to execute parts of the recipe, which is fine, since cooking is all about adaptation and experimentation. In my recipe's defense, though, I never have crunchy onion problems in the pot pie by following the directions as I've written them.

Well, that's all for the official tour! Hopefully there will be some more talk about the book out there on the internets to follow as more people get copies of the book in hand!

Photo from when Agnes and I made our tofu pot pies!
Um...yeah, mine is the more perfect looking one in front,
but! it was in a smaller pan and I'm more experienced with the recipe.

Looking for vegan food suggestions in Portland?

2011-10-30T10:42:00.000-07:00

Some folks asked me for recommendations for vegan-friendly restaurants in Portland on Saturday at my author event at Grass Roots Books in Corvallis. I admitted then that Darren and I are totally fixated on eating at Vita Cafe on Alberta as our first destination every time we are in Portland...If we're there for more than one meal we then pick out another place to eat, LOL! I was having a hard time thinking of other recommendations on the spot. I know there are a ton of places to go, like Blossoming Lotus, Bay Leaf, VegeThai, Vegetarian House, Hungry Tiger Too, DC Vegetarian, Paradox, Proper Eats, etc., etc., etc., and I've enjoyed a bunch of other restaurants over the many years I've been living in this area. There are also a ton of people interested in choosing vegan options in Portland, so there are resources out there that answer this important request for recommendations. After all, Portland is a vegan tourist destination!! Visit Portland, and you will need to go to the gym every day the week after you get home. There is just so much delicious vegan food to gobble up.

Well, lo and behold! I happened across a Vegan Guide to Portland that my friends at Food Fight! Vegan Grocery have put together to answer this very important question better than I could off the cuff. They have links to some of the excellent vegan restaurant review blogs, and descriptions of well known restaurants that we can count on to have vegan options! Check it out! And - while you're roaming around Portland looking for places to stimulate your taste-buds, it's always fun to stop in at Food Fight's store at 12th and Stark for their amazing selection of specialty vegan treats and eats!

food fight's store-fisheye view, or something! linked from their website

A new place on facebook to find me being chatty

2011-10-30T10:06:00.000-07:00

Carving a block print

You know, I just realized I forgot to mention here that I recently created a new facebook public page for Beth Bee Books, Rabbit Food Cookbook, and my paintings/artwork updates. I went back and forth on what to title the page, and I settled on Beth Bee Books because that's more interesting than just calling the page "Beth Barnett". Although my name is a perfectly fine name (I'm glad my parents didn't name me something misspelled, like Gweendolyyn or Mykaael), there are a number of other people out there in the world who also have my same name, but no other businesses called Beth Bee Books, so there you go.

If you're on facebook, you can "like" the page to connect with me there, or if you're just curious, go take a look at my posts and links. You don't have to have a facebook account to look at the public page. Cheers!

Book Blog Tour - day seven at cookveganeasy!

2011-10-30T09:54:00.000-07:00

Today! We've come to the second-to-last entry in the official blog tour for Rabbit Food Cookbook sponsored by Sasquatch Books. They sent a free copy to Andrea of cookveganeasy.blogspot.com to check out, and she decided to try the curry tofu & peas recipe! I enjoyed reading her review, as with all the others, and I'm sad the tour is coming to and end soon! Maybe I'll see some other reviews later on as other folks get copies of the book in their paws.

This recipe is super easy and flavorful, and the thing that works great about it is the combination of the sweet peas and the spicy curry flavors. The end result is a spicy-sweet taste, without needing to add any sweeteners!

Blog tour, day Six!

2011-10-30T09:39:00.000-07:00

I was pretty busy on Saturday morning, preparing soup and breaded tofu for my 2pm author's event in Corvallis (which went great!), but I did still have time to go look up the day's entry in Rabbit Food Cookbook's blog tour, which was assigned to Allyson from ManifestVegan blog. Allyson has to cook gluten-free, and although I don't have special indicators in my book to point out the gluten free recipes, there is a lot of variety in the book and quite a few recipes happen to be GF. She decided to try the wassail - very season appropriate, now that it's fall!

Do I have a back story for the wassail? Of course I do! My lovely mother volunteered with the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra in Indianapolis, Indiana, while I was growing up, and the Symphony held an annual holiday performance at which the volunteers raised money by selling wassail and cookies. When I was old enough to help, mom took me (and my sister) along to assist with serving. That was the only place I recall having wassail rather than typical hot cider, but I always thought the wassail was special and delicious. The main difference between the two hot drinks is the added flavors of lemon, orange, and ginger that go into the wassail. Yum!

Book Blog Tour, day five! with VeganCraftastic

2011-10-30T09:11:00.000-07:00

I've gotten a little behind. Friday's blogger in the online book tour went to Kala from VeganCraftastic blog! She also tried out the chana masala recipe.

She was excited to try making this dish at home after having it in restaurants many, many times. I worked on creating my version of this recipe for the same reason. It's a delicious dish, and a reliable vegan choice on the menu at Indian restaurants. It's really not that complicated, and easy to make at home, too! It's a good idea to run the stove exhaust fan while cooking with these potent spices, though, unless you want the house to also smell like an Indian restaurant, not just the food itself, and the kitchen!

Book blog tour week - bonus blogging!

2011-10-27T23:22:00.000-07:00

What a treat! Today Amanda of the blog inmyveganlife wrote about Rabbit Food Cookbook too! She just made a batch of my lentil soup recipe this week, and, hey, so did I! ...Actually, 1 full recipe makes so much that Darren and I have been eating it all week, and there are still a few more servings left! But! It is soup season! Plus, my new work site has no cafeteria, so the abundance of soup is working out just fine.

It's fall now. Although I love the warm air and late evening light of the summer, and always think I just can't get enough of it in the brief summer season in Oregon, there are so many things I always love about the approach of fall: apple cider, big batches of soup, seasonal silk nog and westsoy mint chocolate drink (mmmmmmmm!), holiday tofurky and tofu pot pie, fire flickering in fireplaces, and bright red and yellow fall sweet gum tree leaves!

Blog book tour for Rabbit Food Cookbook - day four!

2011-10-27T23:04:00.000-07:00

Day four in the blogosphere! Today, a review by Carrie of CarrieOnVegan.com! Carrie tried out my chana masala recipe (spicy chickpeas)! I developed the recipe to be flavorful and simple, and I think Carrie agreed.

I do have a confession to make, though. I love my full recipe, but I also sometimes bypass my list of spices, oil, and tomato paste to make a variation of my chana masala using a great prepared spice mix that includes all three. It's called Patak's Original Mild Curry Paste (Cilantro and Cumin) imported from the UK. It's my favorite short-cut version since it saves some steps in the cooking process. You can find it in health food stores and grocery "ethnic foods" aisles. Not all jars of curry taste the same, but this one is very similar to the spice combination in my recipe! Enjoy!

Rabbit Food In the newspaper

2011-10-27T22:39:00.000-07:00

Had a nice surprise to find my book and author event mentioned by Chris Peterson in the local Corvallis Newspaper food section on Wednesday!

Blog Book Tour for Rabbit Food Cookbook - day three!

2011-10-27T22:36:00.000-07:00

Day three of the blog book tour! My friend Agnes Barton-Sabo came over a couple weekends ago for a tofu pot pie baking extravaganza! We had lots of fun making two pot pies. Agnes wrote all about it for her friend's blog bake and destroy! They're even giving away a copy of my book!

The results of our Tofu Pot Pie extravaganza!

Blog tour for Rabbit Food Cookbook - day two!

2011-10-25T13:12:00.000-07:00

Day two of Sasquatch's virtual book tour via blog! Very exciting! Today Lindsay of cookveganlover.com has taken the time to try several of the recipes, including some of the new ones for the 2011 edition. Check out here blog post here.

Rabbit Food Blog Tour Kickoff | Cake Maker to the Stars--Vegan and Gluten-Free

2011-10-24T21:56:00.000-07:00

My book is taking a fun little "blog tour" on the internets this week. Check out the link!
Rabbit Food Blog Tour Kickoff | Cake Maker to the Stars--Vegan and Gluten-Free

Rabbit Food Cookbook now available!

2011-10-08T09:06:00.000-07:00

With an October release date, Rabbit Food Cookbook 2011 Sasquatch Books edition is now available and in stock in a number of bookstores, with more to come! Want to get a copy and also support an independent bookstore? The book is already available from Powell's Books! xoxo, Beth

Fall feature

2011-09-25T14:09:00.000-07:00

There's a new vegan-oriented quarterly online magazine called Chickpea that just came out with their fall 2011 edition. Nice recipes, and a fall shopping guide that includes (handmade 2007 edition) Rabbit Food Cookbook!

Rabbit Food Cookbook - new Sasquatch Books edition!

2011-09-25T10:12:00.000-07:00

Sasquatch edition of Rabbit Food Cookbook

In less than a month, the new edition of Rabbit Food Cookbook will hit the real and virtual bookshelves! On my own, I produced 230 copies of micro-editions 1-4 and 1000 of the 5th edition in 2007. This will be the first Sasquatch edition, but the 6th version of this little book, now a more standard 5.5x7.5 inch size. This time around, the book will be nationally distributed and available in all sorts of stores and websites, and I don't have to do any of that distribution work myself. Phew!

As you can see, it still has wire-o binding this time around, since the practical matter of using a cookbook in the kitchen is always an important detail to me!

Also new for this Sasquatch edition: I added some new details in the food timeline! There's a new reference section on dry beans and grains and how best to cook them! A new pattern for making mesh produce bags! Tips and drawings of essential kitchen equipment, that I recommend! Bigger margins around the recipes so you can more easily pencil in your notes! 12 new recipes and a few tweaks to and better descriptions for several others! And of course, some new illustrations to go with all of that!

Aren't you excited!!? Tell your friends!

2011 Card

2011-04-14T10:29:00.000-07:00

It has been a while, since the year began now, but it's not too late to enjoy my card illustration. I know it's the year of the rabbit, but I ended up being in the mood for cats. :)

Chinese New Year - Year of the Rabbit!

2011-02-03T09:54:00.000-08:00

Happy Chinese New Year! It's the year of the rabbit this time around. How auspicious!

My annual New Year's cards to friends and family aren't in the mail quite yet...they usually coincide better with the Chinese New Year more often than not, though if I planned for that intentionally I suspect they'd not go out until April!

Studio Remodel

2011-02-01T22:36:00.000-08:00

I have lots of plans for 2011, but first, my studio is undergoing an inconvenient but very necessary remodel....which is throwing some chaos and distraction into my creative activities.
I couldn't put this off any longer, though. The 1960s discolored pressed paper tile ceiling, wood paneling, stinky deteriorating fiberglass insulation, and color-bleeding red linoleum tile floor were all mid-century retro, but only in a bad kind of way. We found mud wasp nests and a bird's nest in the ceiling when we pulled down the tiles. Nice. We'll be adding numerous ceiling lights to replace the currently zero ceiling lights. This will be good - I just wish it would magically remodel itself in 2 weeks, not several months.

featured on thekitchn.com!

2010-12-15T21:05:00.000-08:00

My Beth Bee Books blank recipe book was featured on the apartment therapy thekitchn.com online blog/site on 12/13. Super! -- I love that site!

New painting

2010-12-09T20:39:00.000-08:00

Last month I finally finished up this painting, started back in 2007. I don't usually paint people because I don't often photograph people. This piece is from an actual photograph, but with several people & things removed and some other small changes for the sake of composition.

Two chairs, girl in field. 16" x 20" oil on hardboard.

Around Oregon Annual 2010

2010-09-22T18:14:00.000-07:00

One of my paintings, Parking Garage No.3, will be hanging in the Around Oregon Annual juried exhibit at the Corvallis Art Center from September 23-October 23. The gallery is open Tues-Saturday noon-5pm; the evening reception for this show is Thursday, October 7th 5:30-7pm.

New Paintings

2010-06-13T00:10:00.000-07:00

At long last, two new paintings completed in the past month!

I have also posted them to my flickr photostream along with the source photographs. Enjoy!

Parking Garage No. 3 (Oil on hardboard):

Monroe Street, Corvallis (Oil on hardboard):

Artwork on Display

2010-02-28T09:44:00.000-08:00

Oops! I forgot to mention one of my paintings is making a public appearance in the annual Howland Community Open Exhibit, which will be up through March 2. The piece in the show is View from Parking Garage, Chattanooga, TN.

Beth Bee Books will be at Handmade Bazaar 12/12/09

2009-12-09T18:49:00.000-08:00

I am rarely lured out of the house to table with my books at a live craft fair, but my good pal Meredith has organized a lovely holiday season Handmade Bazaar event, and so I had to join the fun! I'll be there selling my books. If you're in Portland, it would be lovely if you'd come by and say hello!

Handmade Bazaar @ Mississippi Studios

3939 N. Mississippi

Portland, Oregon

Saturday, December 12,
11am - 4pm

www.handmadebazaar.org

Corvallis Arts Center - piece on display & for sale starting 11/13

2009-11-06T23:51:00.000-08:00

The Corvallis Arts Center is putting on a holiday art sale/show invitational, with the theme of "Shrines & Reliquaries" this season. They gave me a box with which to make something shriney. This project is a little outside my own "box," but I still managed to make an oil painting. Here's the result:

The show will run from November 13-December 12, 2009. For more information, check out the Arts Center.

Mural Installation!

2009-10-16T14:52:00.001-07:00

At long last, the smaller of the two murals is up at Good Samaritan Hospital, Corvallis. (!)

Mural #2 Update - Painting Completed!

2009-06-17T21:45:00.000-07:00

At long last, I have finished painting the second mural painting I began in September/October last year.

Final varnishing remains, and renovations must be completed at the hospital before installation can be done. Stay tuned for updates.

This photo is not quite true to the colors of the painting. Better images will follow when I have a chance to take some photos with better light.

Mural #2 update

2009-05-28T14:01:00.000-07:00

Sorry to have left everyone in the dark for so long! A painting of this size is harder to photograph than my usual work. It's best to get a photo during the day when daylight is available. Also, last time I was going to do this, my camera's batteries were run down.

The far left panel is basically finished. The other three have various things to be attended to, but I am in a finishing sort of mode now! The handful of cows, some of the shadows cast by the trees, and fence posts are coming up on my agenda. (Click on the pic to see it much more close-up.)

This and that

2009-05-01T00:17:00.000-07:00

I am currently prioritizing the mural project... so that I can get it finished! I'm closing in, but your patience is still needed! The mural #2 I'm working on is 16x4 feet of surface area, basically. (That's 64 square feet of painting). I will try to post another progress photo soon!

I'm keeping up with Beth Bee Books as well as I can, but trying not to boost sales until I can turn my attention back to more production after the mural commission is out of the way. Despite this, Occasionally my books are finding themselves being mentioned...

on Apartment Therapy Chicago!
http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/chicago/organizing/do-you-keep-an-address-book-073994

in Italian!
http://www.pinkblog.it/post/2583/ricettari-e-tastebook-ricette-online-o-scritte-a-mano

on random people's blogs!
http://food.pinkhairedgirl.com/?cat=39
http://jdorganizer.blogspot.com/2009/02/organizing-recipes-easy-to-elaborate.html

splendid!

Mural #2 Update

2009-02-20T20:38:00.000-08:00

More progress...

(click to view a larger version)

Mural 2 progress

2009-01-22T20:46:00.000-08:00

I continue to work on the second mural as much as possible - this is an update from 1/17. More progress has been made since last week, which I will post later. As you can see from the furniture in front, this is a very large painting! By the way, you'll need to click on the image to see the whole photo.

Keeping Busy!

2008-12-11T11:31:00.000-08:00

December is going well! 50+ sales on Etsy.com already this month, and it's only the 11th! The shop is keeping me quite busy with holiday shoppers, plus I'm still working on the second mural painting and trying to get in my own holiday shopping (all around my day job during the week!).

My books are out there in a few retail locations for the holidays, but I haven't made time for any craft fairs. If you're lucky, they might make an appearance at my friend Meredith's table at the Handmade Bazaar at P:ear in Portland on Sunday - but I'm not promising!

New Retailers Update

2008-11-09T13:37:00.000-08:00

A selection of Beth Bee Books are on sale at the Corvallis Art Center in downtown Corvallis for their Winterlight Art and Craft event. The sale takes over the whole gallery through Christmas Eve! I was excited to see a few things for sale from both Satsumalyn (a local etsy seller) and Appetite (from Portland Sat. Market and Etsy), two fellow artists/craftswomen whose work I really like.

I am also really excited to have books selling up north in Moscow, Idaho at the Prichard Art Gallery store (part of the University of Idaho, Moscow) starting this month!

Mural Project update

2008-10-16T12:30:00.000-07:00

Making some more progress...

Artwork on display through 10/30

2008-10-16T12:24:00.000-07:00

The month is already half over, but it's not too late to go by the Corvallis Arts Center in downtown Corvallis to see the Around Oregon Annual exhibit. My EconoDryer painting is on display and priced for sale (1400).

Second Mural of two

2008-09-08T17:54:00.000-07:00

I've been working on the prep work (sanding, gesso, gesso, gesso, base drawing) for the second mural commission. Finally I have put down some oil paint. This piece is larger than the first. There are 4 panels, each 46" square with a 6" space separating them.

2008-06-17T13:37:00.000-07:00

More work from the weekend on the mural - it is basically finished! I feel like I need to do another once-over to be sure, but I may decide to go ahead with varnishing. Some detail views:
Click to enlarge and view details.

Blog Interview

2008-06-12T18:18:00.000-07:00

So, I did this little interview with some nice N. Carolina folks with the Etsy NC Triangle Street Team. They're fellow etsy users/sellers. The interview is about Beth Bee Books stuff. It can be found on their collaborative blog, here:
http://nctriangle.blogspot.com/ ! Now you know!

Mural Update

2008-06-02T21:51:00.000-07:00

Yet another update - Not finished yet, but getting closer!

Mural Update....again!

2008-05-21T19:59:00.001-07:00

More progress:

Mural Update (again!)

2008-05-13T13:06:00.001-07:00

Yep, another update on the mural - click on the image to see an enlarged view.

Mural Update

2008-04-23T19:39:00.000-07:00

More progress on the mural to look at:

On display through mid-April @ ArtCentric

2008-04-12T17:50:00.000-07:00

I forgot to mention that I have my Repaired Building with Birds painting on display since late last month through mid-April at the Howland Open Exhibit at Artcentric in Corvallis. I've entered this community exhibit for several years now. Go check it out if you're around those parts.

Mural 1 Update

2008-04-07T20:59:00.000-07:00

More progress in the distant fields -

Mural Update #3

2008-03-26T14:10:00.000-07:00

Some more progress on the painting over the weekend:

(The middle panel is a little distorted because of the patching of 2 photos together.)

Mural 1 Update

2008-03-09T22:50:00.000-07:00

Most of the additional work in the last few days has been in adding detail to the sky. Note the tissue box for scale - Each panel is 44 inches square. I've got a long way to go yet.

Illustration for Oregon League of Conservation Voters Event

2008-03-08T11:09:00.000-08:00

Last month I did a bit of illustration work for the Oregon League of Conservation Voters (OLCV) - an organization based in Portland. The invitation design is finished now - and has been sent out, so I can share it! I provided my illustration with some suggested colors (first pic), and then Kalen Garr from OLCV worked up the final card design/color scheme, etc. I'm very happy with how she incorporated my artwork. The owls will also be appearing in the event program.

The illustration & card are for the OLCV's annual Dinner for the Environment event on April 25th.

This and other illustrations are in the Design section of my website.

Beth Bee Books featured on DIYAlert

2008-03-06T09:38:00.000-08:00

There's a blog all about Portland area crafts and crafters called DIY Alert. Diane, who is its creator, asked me to do an interview for it, and voila - here it is: http://www.diyalert.com/node/4455!

Also, the other day - lets see, actually, it was a week ago - a fellow illustrator and Etsyan, Marjorie (aka Marmee Craft) featured my blank recipe book on her blog @ marmeecraft.typepad.com, which was quite nice of her to do.

Mural 1 in progress

2008-02-25T22:25:00.000-08:00

It has taken a while to get through the prep. work which included sanding, gesso, & under-drawing, but I have finally begun to make some progress with the Mural #1 (Lewisburg area, looking south). Here's a patched together photo. I can't stand far enough away from the panels to take one picture so I have to correct for some distortion, but this is at least something to look at. Each of the panels in the photo are 44 inches square with two 4 inch spaces separating them.

Blank Recipes Book v. 2.0 is here!

2008-02-10T19:22:00.000-08:00

Yes, at long last, I have finally gotten all the pieces together including my fabulous new die-cut tabs. No more sticker sticking (except with the Address Books, that is)! Anyway, it is nice to see this project coming together at long last. The new version of this blank recipe organizer has the fancy tabbed dividers, two-color screen printed covers, and pre-cut everything so I don't have to slave with the box cutter anymore to trim the board. I've grown very tired of doing trim work I know a machine could do in seconds. Yay machines! This is still assembled and the covers printed by yours truly, plus insides printed locally with Portland print shops.

Beth Bee Books @ Crafty Wonderland Sunday, February 10th

2008-01-24T18:12:00.000-08:00

I'll be at the February 10th Crafty Wonderland Craft Bazaar at the Doug Fir Lounge (in Portland) selling Beth Bee Books books sharing a table with my pal Meredith of NeverTwice. She'll be selling some felty sorts of things, I believe. Come out to say hello and browse or buy!

Mural Paintings Project

2008-01-24T17:52:00.000-08:00

The details have been finalized, and I have begun assembling materials to start on a commission I have received by way of the ArtsCare program of the Corvallis Art Center (ArtCentric) for two large multi-panel paintings for Good Samaritan Regional Medical Center in Corvallis. The paintings will be two panoramic landscape scenes - one from north of Corvallis and one from the Alpine area south of the city.

The project will be ongoing through 2008, and the paintings will eventually be hanging in the hospital's Conference Rooms A & B after remodeling/ construction is completed. I'll post updates and pictures occasionally through the year, so check back!

Art on Display through end of February

2008-01-05T09:12:00.000-08:00

The opening on Thursday went great!
Thanks everyone who braved the rain and darkness to come out. I was pleased to see so many friends and meet some new people too! It was all very positive.

If you missed the opening and still want to check out the 12 pieces on display in person, which I recommend, of course - Visage Eyewear is a friendly store, and they're open every day of the week:

(Located at the corner of NW Johnson & 11th - 1046 NW Johnson)

Mon - Fri 10-6

Saturday 11-5

Sunday 12-4

The paintings will be on display through January & February!

First Thursday Opening @Visage Eyewear & Gallery Space, January 3rd, Portland

2007-12-21T06:47:00.000-08:00

I will be hanging paintings at the Visage Eyewear & gallery space venue in the Pearl District, Portland, opening on First Thursday, January 3rd. The opening "event" will be 6-9pm with some free snacks and wine, etc. If you're close to or in Portland please come out to the reception, and tell all of your friends to come too. This is my first Portland show, so don't miss it... we can wish each other a happy new year!

First Thursday Reception

Visage Eyewear

1046 NW Johnson

Thursday, January 3rd 6-9pm

More Etsy Gift Guides!

2007-12-14T17:49:00.000-08:00

Oh! More Etsy.com Gift Guide exposure in the categories for Book Worms and Writers (Address Book), and Gourmets (Blank Recipe Book). This is splendid!! . . . though sales slowed down after Wednesday. Back to painting!

Etsy Gift Guides!

2007-12-13T09:57:00.000-08:00

Aah, I just discovered that Rabbit Food Cookbook is also featured in the Etsy.com Housewarming, Hostess Gift, and Teenage Girls (12-17) gift guides!! They don't tell me about this I have to look around and discover it myself. I don't know how often the items are rotated, but still - Very cool!

I also updated my photos of the books on my shop, displaying them all on the beautiful green linen dish towel my sister Lynn knitted just for me earlier this year!

Featured on Etsy.com home page

2007-12-06T19:45:00.000-08:00

Yes, for a brief while on Dec. 5 my blank recipe books were featured on the etsy.com home page, an unexpected surprise, and some nice extra exposure! Here's a snapshot pdf since the site's featured "pics" are rotated out several times a day.

RFC on Natural Health Magazine Website

2007-11-11T13:47:00.000-08:00

Rabbit Food Cookbook has been included in the Natural Health Magazine holiday gift guide for 2007! Unfortunately it wasn't used in the feature appearing in magazine itself, but the free publicity/advertising is appreciated anyhow. It is listed on their website in the additional "25 gifts under $25" feature: www.naturalhealthmag.com/holiday07 (page 3).

More Retailers and other update

2007-11-05T11:21:00.000-08:00

Check out the "where to buy in stores" link in my Beth Bee Books section for my growing list of retailers carrying Rabbit Food! Maybe one is near you!

Also, I'm finally preparing to soup up the Blank Recipe Book/Journal and get some sweet tabs made for it, like those in the new edition of RFC. Unfortunately this may not be off the ground by xmas, but who knows? The book has moderate sales on Etsy as it is, but if I made more at once, I could get more out there. Look for updates.

New Feature - Recipe Downloads

2007-11-01T13:20:00.000-07:00

At long last I've added downloadable pages for the new recipes (here) added in the Rabbit Food Cookbook 5th Edition! If you've got a copy an earlier edition of the book, don't miss out on the new recipes & artwork. These are also available to anyone as a sample of what's in the book. Happy cooking!

Econo Dryer

2007-10-03T22:41:00.000-07:00

I think I've decided this painting is finished.

Arwork on Display in October

2007-09-27T15:00:00.000-07:00

Three separate displays coming up in the month of October:

Around Oregon Annual at the Corvallis Art Center/Artcentric, Corvallis, OR - Eagle Creek Reservoir oil painting on display and for sale.

Samaritan Health Services National Arts Program Employee Art Show at the N. Santiam Hall Gallery at Linn-Benton Community College, Albany - older pastel of Crater Lake for sale, also Stanley Park at Dusk, a recent oil painting on sale and displayed. The Stanley Park painting may be featured in press releases from Samaritan as well.

First Alternative Co-op South Store Corvallis, OR - several of my small oil pastels from 2001-03 will be on display for sale, plus, I am planning to have a list for taking orders at the Co-op for matted prints for $25 each. Prints will be available within approximately 1 week.

Now at Powell's Books too

2007-09-06T10:49:00.000-07:00

RFC at 1005 W. Burside location and online at www.powells.com.

New Stores

2007-09-04T13:13:00.000-07:00

I'm currently in search of stores to carry Rabbit Food. Suggestions are definitely welcome! In the past month, RFC books are newly available at both Atomic Books in Baltimore and Quimby's in Chicago. I hope to be adding more to the list soon.

New painting in progress

2007-08-14T17:40:00.000-07:00

This painting is finally coming along and looking like something. Unlike the machines featured in my 2004 Speed Queen painting from this laundromat, these are EconoDryer brand, so that'll be the title this time.
p.s. this pic is also found in the Work In Progress page in the Artwork section of the site.

Food-related Lecture

2007-08-08T20:05:00.000-07:00

My friend tipped me off on this link to Malcolm Gladwell (author of The Tipping Point) speaking about the diversification of flavors/varieties in the processed food industry, a lecture titled "What we can learn from spaghetti sauce. Aah, interesting and entertaining! http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/view/id/20
I had to share.

Pretty:Darn:Swell in August

2007-08-02T23:24:00.000-07:00

So there's this website called Pretty Darn Swell that sells nice small prints of artists' work and donates part of every sale for nice charitable purposes, and one of My paintings (veins & body) is up and available for the month of August in the "gallery", plus it will continue afterwards in the past artists section. Go to: www.prettydarnswell.com

Rabbit Food Cookbook 5th Revised Edition Is Available!

2007-07-08T09:07:00.001-07:00

The Rabbit Food Cookbook new edition is published!! Gosh, that took a long time.
Copies will be available to order online as soon as I get the etsy.com shop updated; any orders received before July 16 will be shipped out on the 16th!

Repaired Building with Birds

2007-06-29T11:10:00.000-07:00

I Finished a new painting about a week back. I mentioned it before, but I thought it deserved it's own posting. You can also look at it in my Modern Scenes gallery, or on my Flickr page.
The next one in the works will commence this weekend. I've been so busy with books books books I've not sat at the easel. Darren says all I talk about right now is "books, books, books." Yep.

Print, stack, print, stack

2007-06-28T21:12:00.001-07:00

Ooh, almost done with the back cover printing.

Some mishaps and frustrations, but overall okay

2007-06-27T22:16:00.000-07:00

Print, place on floor, print, place on floor, print...

2007-06-26T17:29:00.001-07:00

Silkscreening

2007-06-25T15:03:00.000-07:00

Silkscreen set-up is in progress for Rabbit Food's covers. In the past I have printed using block prints, but for the larger volume I am converting my process to silkscreen - something I haven't done for 12 years. I have learned that 5 year old silkscreen photo emulsion sensitizer is too old to use. Trial #1 failed. Lets hope there are no more false starts!

2007-06-22T18:27:00.000-07:00

Rabbit Food Cookbook update: The cover board is in, the tabs are printed, the pages are being printed next week! Now after 10+ years hiatus, I am going to prepare silkscreens to print the covers, egad! These books might just get made... I've had a few requests about notifications when they actually are done. If you want to be on my list, just send me an email.

Yep, now on Etsy.com

2007-06-21T23:20:00.000-07:00

I'm trying something new - a shop page on Etsy.com for Beth Bee Books. This is great as it enables me to accept credit cards via paypal! I'll get Rabbit Food on there as soon as I get the new edition done - by the end of June? Maybe!