New Paintings

I've been very busy in the studio lately. Not everything I've been working on results in a finished painting plus I've got several works in various stages of completion. But I do have two new works that I just finished yesterday.

Shady Spot: San O.  6"x6" Acrylic on Board.

This painting reminds me of a lovely sunny afternoon last summer listening to jazz and Hawaiian music on the beach at San Onofre.

Island Escape 8" x 10" Acrylic on Canvas.

This is a painting I did on paper some months ago. I really liked the way it turned out so wanted to do a version on canvas. It ask reminds me of a beautiful day in Tahiti.

Takes the Cake

I love to cook and being English I love dessert. I've been asked for the recipe of a cheesecake that I made recently and thought it might make a good post. However, many of the best English desserts are very high in calories and so are not for the faint-hearted (literally). So if you are on a low calorie diet please look away now.


Raspberry and Ginger Cheesecake

This is a British recipe so I cannot give equivalents in cups since I haven’t tried to fit these amounts into American cup measurements.

225g/8oz Ginger Biscuits, crushed

100g/4oz unsalted butter, melted then cooled

150ml/1/4 pint double cream*

225g/8oz mascarpone cheese

2 tbsp. clear honey

Juice of 1 lime

350g/12oz raspberries (or strawberries or bananas)

Make the base by combining the melted butter and the crushed biscuits and pressing them into a greased 8-inch dish (ideally with a removable bottom). Chill for 30 minutes.

For the filling, whip the cream in a bowl until firm but not stiff. Then add the mascarpone, beating it into the cream to a smooth texture.

Fold in the honey and lime juice and most of the fruit, reserving a few for decoration.

Spoon the mixture onto the base and spread with a knife.

Chill for at least three hours. Decorate with remaining fruit before serving.

Recipe from a BBC Cooking magazine in the 1990’s

*A word about double cream. This is a thick cream that is not the same as heavy whipping cream found in American supermarket. In the past I have tried to substitute whipping cream for double cream in other cheesecake recipes and it has not worked for me. It may be that whipping cream does not have the fat content to hold itself in this kind of situation. But you are welcome to try and hopefully you will have better luck than I did.

I buy my double cream from a British shop in southern California. When I lived in Arizona I found it at a gourmet supermarket called AJ Fine Foods. It costs around $6. Although it needs to be kept refrigerated, unopened it does have around a six month sell by date. The glass jar I buy is 170g/60z and is enough for this recipe.

Doodle Cards

In between painting sessions, I have been having some fun with some little doodles I did a few months ago.

I always have paper and a pen or pencil and if not actually drawing something, from a photograph or something I can see around me, I will be doodling. Sometimes these doodles will be flowers, sometimes squiggles.

Usually they get forgotten until I come across them when looking for something else. Sometimes I do something that I think has potential and put it aside until I have time to pursue it later.

One of those doodle ideas were some little cartoon characters I created during a meeting*. Two weeks ago I decided to create some cards with those doodle figures and put them together with some phrases I came up with several years ago (as well as making up some new ones).

My 'Doodle Days' cards are now in the San Clemente Art Gallery (100 N Calle Seville, San Clemente, CA 92675), where I am showing some of my work, and have already started selling. Every card is hand drawn and costs $3.

Here are some of the designs I have created so far (please excuse the picture quality - I forgot to photograph them before I had packaged them for sale).

*Studies have shown that people who doodle during meetings generally retain more of the information presented than those who do not.

Beach Art

I have just received word that I have been accepted into the 2012 'Art That's Small at City Hall' Show being held at the Laguna Beach City Hall.
More details soon...

New Exhibition

I am in currently exhibiting two paintings at the San Clemente Art Gallery in the gallery's Spring Show.
There is a reception on Saturday 18th February from 3-4pm, which I will be attending, if anyone in the area would like to come along.
This is one of the paintings I have on show.

Bathed in Sunshine 16" x 20" Acrylic on Canvas.

The show runs from 11th February to 29th March at:
San Clemente Art Gallery, 100 N. Calle Seville, San Clemente, CA 92672.
(The gallery is on the corner of Del Mar and Calle Seville.)
Weekdays: Noon - 4pm. Sat & Sun: 10am - 4pm.

New Painting

'Landscape Study in Blue and Green' 6" x 6" acrylic on board.
This is a painting I have had partly started for several weeks. Other paintings took priority but it has been nagging at me because I love the colours I choose for it.

New Painting

Daisy, Daisy. 8" x 8"Acrylic on Canvas.