Tuesday, November 29, 2011

Seattle Culinary Coma

I am in love with Seattle's Wild Ginger Asian Restaurant & Satay Bar.
There is a reason they have had the honor of holding the title of # 1 Most Popular Restaurant in the Pacific Northwest Region for 11 consecutive years. An elegant balance of Chinese and Southeast Asian food cultures, Wild Ginger is a world unto itself. We started with a Mango Daiquiri, yum, and an appetizer of Nam's Prawns...you can spot them in the upper right-hand corner of the photo below. The giant prawns are marinated and grilled, then served with a spicy Cambodian dipping sauce.
For the main course, I just had to order duck, because who ever cooks a duck at home? Besides, it is the house specialty so you know it has to be wonderful. The Wild Ginger Fragrant Duck lived up to its name. Succulent, fragrant, spiced with cinnamon and star anise and served with the most amazing steamed buns. They were like little pillows, into which you stuffed the duck drizzled with Sichuan peppercorn salt and sweet plum sauce. Everything is served with their Jasmine rice which was fine by me! Okay, now I'll be having visions of plum sauce dancing in my head all day...
Dessert was a tough decision; ginger ice cream, mango sorbet, coconut gelato? In the end, the dense flour-less Belgian Chocolate Torte won hands-down. Wish the photo was a bit better so you could see how lovely the crushed toffee looks crumbled all over the Chantilly cream!!! The four of us shared, now that was tough.
I promise I did not order a second dessert, but the waitperson, a lovely woman with a great sense of humor, decided we just had to try the Coconut Gelato. Welllllll, I travel to Italy regularly and I have had gelato from some of the best gelaterias in the world, but this creamy bowl of perfection could knock them all to the floor and have them crying "uncle". Simply divine... Thanks, super, wonderful waitperson, who knows her job, which is to make sure her guests have a fun, happy, memorable evening filled with great food, great conversation and gelato!

Sunday, November 27, 2011

Thanksgiving ~ Seattle-style

Coconut Gelato to die for at Wild Ginger in Seattle

Besides enjoying the wonderful Thanksgiving feast prepared by my darling son and daughter-in-law, I managed, to my culinary delight, to make it to two of my favorite restaurants in the U.S. and discovered a third contender! If you are not familiar with restaurateur and chef Tom Douglas, you must put one or more of his many fabulous restaurants on your bucket list.

First Stop: The Dahlia Lounge! I fell in love with this restaurant in the late 90's when our good friend Susan de Latorre first introduced us and I often dream of Tom Douglas' famous Triple Coconut Cream Pie...see pic below. I plan to bake and blog this heavenly desert as I now have the recipe. But first....the main course...


Coho salmon smoked potato dumplings, savoy cabbage, chiogga beets, sour cream, dill. Proof positive I am learning to love beets (hear that brother Norman)! The smoked potato dumplings were divine, salmon, perfection!


My hubby Michael had the Cheeseburger pickled green tomato, house-made bun, special sauce, with hand cut fries. The pickled green tomatoes add a lively surprise. This burger is one of the best you'll ever have the pleasure of eating.

The infamous Triple Coconut Cream pie,  with white chocolate, and toasted coconut. I have been known to get a bit weepy while eating this coconut cloud of pure bliss...really.
 Thanks to our dear friends Susanne and Stanley for treating us! Tomorrow, Wild Ginger and a new Tom Douglas discovery! Have a great Sunday! Oh, btw, it is good to be back :)

Friday, November 18, 2011

Greetings From Pier 91-Seattle, WA

We arrived in a rainstorm but Seattle is always beautiful rain or shine! My husband Michael is showing his artwork at "The Best of the Northwest Fine Art and Craft Show" all weekend. This is our first booth ever. The other artists are calling us virgins...with affection of course!

Wednesday, November 16, 2011

Weekend Bonus ~ Santa Fe Farmer's Market


If you've been reading along this week, you know last weekend was all about the Santa Fe Recycle show. The venue was situated by the recently renewed railroad yard, (made pretty for the new Rail Runner train service from Albuquerque just next to Site Santa Fe) which also happens to be, lucky me, the location for the Sunday Farmer's Market. There is something about tables piled high with fresh vegetables, the bright colors, the innovative bins and barrels and stacking of produce...that makes me go "ahhhh". Enjoy!





 OMG Farm Santa Fe ~ Owner Serafina Lombardi

 Market Sweets




 I love that you can bring your own coffee cup. Great burritos!



 All the beautiful peppers from Wagner Farms, Corrales, NM


 The apples were amazing! "Red Delicious" apples with real flavor.

 

Tuesday, November 15, 2011

"Saturday Morning Cartoons" and more...at Recycle Art Santa Fe

Some of the best of last weekend's Recycle Santa Fe Art Festival. The following sculptors were part of a very inspiring recycle art exhibit. I especially appreciate the innovative use materials that might otherwise be found buried in a land fill.

 "Saturday Morning Cartoons" by Don Kennelly, Santa Fe ~ stuffed toys and steel

 Wall Piece by Linda Oldham, Abiquiu ~ Found all over ceramic glass, wood


Detail: Wall piece by Lina Oldham




 "Shipwrecked" by Esteban Bojorqueez, Santa Fe ~ wheelbarrow, planter, car hood, ski bindings, faucet handles...and soooooooo much more!! The children at the show loved this sculpture!

Detail: "Shipwrecked"


 "Ohio River Blues Aquarium" by Caroline Waite, Dallas, TX ~ River debris, cigarette lighters, doll arms, pizza boxes, newspaper
I love this! It was the size of a real aquarium.

Detail: Ohio River Blues Aquarium

Do you have a favorite?

Saturday, November 12, 2011

Live From Recycle Santa Fe!

Blogging live from Recycle Santa Fe! Happening today until 5:00 pm and tomorrow, 10:00am to 5:00pm. Too much fun!!

The following photos are from "Karin's Kitsch" a rockin' fun booth I thoroughly enjoyed at the Recycle Santa Fe today. Check out these great totes and bags reinvented and "up-cycled" by Karin Platt from found and scavenged vintage, retro, recovered and reclaimed album covers and used story books. Karin recycles men's ties as the handles. Very nostalgic and totally groovy! You can find Karin and more of her great creations here and here! Thanks Karin! Enjoy!

Thursday, November 10, 2011

Hip, Eco-Conscious Art Festival

This weekend!! Check out the hippest, eco-conscious weekend long Juried art market. Best place in town to buy your holiday eco-gifts!

Friday 5pm to 9pm
Saturday 9am to 5pm
Sunday 10am to 5pm
Admission to the Art Market is $5 on Friday night and $10 to both the Art Market and Trash Fashion Show. The Market is free on Saturday and Sunday. There will be a free overflow viewing area for the Friday night Trash Fashion Show (still must pay $5 general admission fee). General admission for kids under 12 is free all weekend. Parking in the underground city parking lot behind REI is $1 for all day on Saturday and Sunday. For more information, check out their website here.


Lane Patterson's fabulous lamps.


The Wired Glass booth hosted by artist Mitch Berg. Photo by Bob Easton.




A sampling of the 2007 Trash Fashion & Costume Contest participants. Photo by Bob Easton.


 Pique Assiette Mosaic bowl by Victoria Copeland

Come out and have some fun, this is crazy, innovative, fun show.
I'LL SEE YOU THERE!! 

Wednesday, November 9, 2011

Recycle Santa Fe Art Festival ~ Sneak Peek


Rushing around to get ready for a show is both exhilarating and exhausting. I am excited to be at this show with tons of creative and like-minded artists, but I am also a bit terrified to have my work "picked apart". It has been a while since I was on that end of a critique! So, to ease myself into it, I am posting a few more pieces for the show in hopes that my Blog readers will be gentle :) Enjoy!

 Mexican bird bowl


Bee bowl (can you spot him there on the left)


Blanca Bowl

The names are not official, so if an inspired name pops into your head I would love to know!! Oh and if you need show info, click here.
Cheers! Victoria

Tuesday, November 8, 2011

"Stolen From Plates" ~ Pique Assiette Mosaic


I have been painting with broken stuff; all those pretty pieces of cracked vintage ceramics, dishes that slipped through soapy fingers and mugs that slipped through butter fingers; abandon strands of pearls, mismatched earrings and busted bowls. I cannot recall the exact moment I decided to teach myself to mosaic, I think the medium has always appealed to to my pragmatic side but when it began to appeal to me creatively I was hooked. Add to that the whole "green" aspect of recycling all those broken beauties and discarded dishes and I became obsessed with finding a way to create something beautiful out of junk. So obsessed, I created a pique assiette mosaic for my powder room wall, as one of my first projects, nothing like starting small (more on that later). Since then I have done commissions and I have gifted pieces to family, but it is time for the next step. Time to go public! Enjoy!


 I create color stories, the ceramic shards are like paints in a paintbox.

 I usually choose a focal point...lately, I'm all about birds...then begin "painting" with tiles


 I mosaic like I paint; I love surface ornamentation, bold shapes, repetition and...I am loving this wee bird!


...choosing a playful approach. Recognize the Matisse influence?


Ready to grout!


 The hardest part, covering all my hard work with mud! I choose not to reveal every square inch of surface because I like...


...the shapes and colors to emerge like buried treasure! Wee birdie bowl complete!


This weekend I will be at Recycle Santa Fe Art Festival with my work. I am sharing a booth with my good friend Galen Wales and her wonderful "UBz" creations, see some of them here . The  festival will be held at the El Museo Cultural  November 11-13, Friday, 5pm-9pm, Saturday 9am-5pm and Sunday 9am to 5pm (unfortunately I will not be there for the Sunday show). If you are in town, or around, come by, Galen and I would love to see you!

Monday, November 7, 2011

Inspiration



When I was twelve years old my grandmother took me to the Detroit Metropolitan Museum of Art. My parents were skeptical, what could possibly interest a twelve year old at an exhibit of paper cutout paintings done by a French painter? My grandmother always seemed to know what I loved even before I did. At five years old she observed my tinkering on the piano, sat me down and taught me all the notes and how to read music. I stunned my parents one afternoon at her house, by playing a Rachmaninoff tune..."The Hobby Horse" I believe. My parents went out an bought me a piano the next day. She was like that. She was a walking encyclopedia (I am giving away my age here).  I knew I was in for an extraordinary experience if she was willing to take me all the way downtown, this was going to be good.


Our afternoon at the museum was life changing. A world class exhibit of Henri Matisse's paper cutouts. His gouaches découpés" or, "painting with scissors";  hung over this twelve-year-old's head like ripe grapes in an arbor. It was a playground of color and shape, so simple yet so powerful. Even at twelve I could feel the strength of the designs and delight in the utter simplicity and power of the work. I remember wishing I could take every painting home with me. My love affair with art had begun.

My experience that day set the tone for the work I would gravitate toward the rest of my life. Color, shape, collàge, surface ornamentation, even a love of illustration and graphic design. When I am painting or sculpting I choose to work in large strong shapes, in jewelry-making, my work is illustrative, and in my latest work with mosaics, it is about everything I saw that day at the Matisse exhibit; color, playful application of shapes, objects of interest...candy for the eye.


          "The Sorrows of the King" 1952 Henri Matisse



Over the years my artwork has been influenced by many things, but I will be eternally grateful to my "knowing" grandmother and her loving desire to enrich my life and broaden my world.

Tomorrow: a peek at my latest work, "pique assiette" heading this weekend for the Recycle Santa Fe Art Show in Sante Fe, New Mexico.
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