It's More Than a Painting of a Tea Cup

Sunday was a very special day as my husband and I were the invited guests for a lovely brunch prepared by some dear friends that we have known for many years.  As we entered the front door it was obvious that much care had been taken in preparation of our visit.  The table was spread out in formal fashion with gold tablecloth, placemats and napkins topped with beautiful China and sparkling silver.

My dear friend and co-worker of many years has also recently become collector of my art by having commissioned a piece from me and the purpose for our invitation was to show me where she had hung my painting that I had created for her.  This particular painting that I called "Tea Time" included a number of sentimental items that all reminded her of her mother who was also an artist.

The China tea cup and silver spoon were both painted to resemble her mother's own set that she has recently inherited.  It was that very China that lay on the table in front of us.  Her mother's favorite flowers, roses and hydrangeas fill the glass vase and are the focal point of the piece.  I finished off the composition as she requested with a small bowl of berries.

What an honor it is for me to be able to create a piece of art that not only is pleasing to look at hung there in the center of their room but one that is so full of meaning and sentimental memories.  This experience makes every minute I have spent for the past 5 years painting and improving my skills worth it.  I love the rewards that come from having my art connect with someone at the heart level and to know that I have created something that is treasured and a blessing for a deserving friend.

The day that I presented my friend with her commissioned piece, "Tea Time"

Cobbler On My Mind

Yesterday was a one of those days that I just couldn't seem to get warm.  I spent most of the day walking around the house with my jacket on and never really warmed up enough to want to even go into the studio.  It was the perfect day for a double dose of comfort food. First, I made a crock-pot full of our favorite Chicken Tortilla Soup and for dessert I made my Granny Diveley's blackberry cobbler.  Well actually, I'm not sure my Granny used blackberries in this cobbler but my mom sure did. We picked buckets of blackberries in the summer that grew wild around our home in Central Missouri.  This cobbler was made often during that season along with bowls of blackberries and cream for breakfast and homemade blackberry jam on warm biscuits. To this day, blackberry jam is my favorite but what you buy in the store doesn't hold a candle to the jars my mom would make when the berries were ripe.

This recipe is exactly what her cobbler was like and so when I received the actual hand written recipe card that said "Granny's Lazy Man's Peach Pie" I knew it was one and the same.  

Granny Diveley's Lazy Man's Peach Pie Blackberry Cobbler1 c Butter1 1/2 c Milk
2 T Baking Powder
1 t Salt2 c Sugar2 c Flour3 lbs frozen blackberries (I actually use a back of triple berry mix that I buy from Sam's Club)Melt butter in a large casserole dish.  Spread the frozen berries in the dish over the melted butter.  Combine the remaining ingredients in a bowl and mix until smooth.  Pour the mixture evenly over the berries and then bake @ 350 degrees for 40-45 minutes, until golden brown.  This stuff is pure heaven in a bowl if served warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

"Morning Reflections"- 16 x 20 Original Acrylic

Of course this is an art blog and not a cooking blog so I have to share some of my artwork too.  This is a recent painting that I did that includes some of my favorite things that remind me of my childhood.  Blackberries, Lilacs, Peonies and Tea.   I hope you let me know if you tried the cobbler and how you liked it. This painting original is for sale and can be view on my website gallery along with all my other works at Julie Townsend Studios