Art & Artists

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It’s a beautiful day here!  Low 80s and sunny!  I got a great run in outside and came in for some yoga and moves on my ball.  Quitting the gym and streamlining my workouts was the best thing I’ve done in a long time.

Flowering bush

After running amongst the plants, I came in and ate some.

Collage picture of green salad with vegetablesDressed with Vegan Creamy Lemon & Herb Dressing

Vegan Creamy Lemon & Herb Dressing in bowl with spoon

Did you notice that salad collage picture?  That’s my idea of artwork. I made it using Lightroom 3.  Major thanks (again) to Kath’s post about how she created collages using Lightroom because I was able to create one, too.   I get excited about these things now.

Skylar made me some artwork, too.  I get more excited about her artwork than mine, though.

Young girls artwork with hand with feathers and a bird face

It’s a hummingbird using her handprint as the bird body.

Close up of artwork with hand print feathers and bird face

Some day I’m sure she will love to know her hand was this size at age 4.

Young girl smiling with hand reaching out

After I made my idea of artwork, and Skylar made hers, we snacked on some Microwave Chocolate Peanut Butter & Oat Snack Bars

Three Microwave Chocolate Peanut Butter & Oat Snack Bars on white plate

And if you’re still hungry, you can always make some Caramelized Cinnamon & Sugar Roasted Chickpea “Peanuts”

That’s the caramel that’s created in the cooking process.  Just wanting to eat that is perfectly okay.

Spoon holding Caramelized Cinnamon & Sugar Roasted Chickpea "Peanuts"
Finished Caramelized Cinnamon & Sugar Roasted Chickpea "Peanuts" on foil lined pan

From my last post about Awards, Tidbits, and Trivia, I’m glad you enjoy those types of posts every now and then and that it helps you get to know the blog author a bit better.

And thanks for sharing all your tidbits and trivia.  And feel free to claim and post those awards on your own blogs!

Questions:

1. Did your parents save your childhood artwork?  Do you still have any of it?

My mom saved tons of what I made.  And I do have a couple boxes full of childhood art projects that are in storage in my garage.  I’ve moved them around the country with me for the last 15 years or so, and am glad I have.

2. Do you consider yourself an artist?  What is your artistic medium?

Artists do not just come in the form of people who can draw or paint.  To me, there is artistry in so many different realms and I think that everyone has artistic talents not confined to “pencil and paper” art.

People who are great cooks, writers, piano players, dancers, musicians, graphic designers, public speakers, yogis, actors, sculptors, photographers, athletes, seamstresses, and so many more mediums, are all great artists.

When one is very skilled at their craft, and does it well, whatever that craft may be, it is art.

For example, being a good public speaker is an art.  It may not be drawing or painting, but it is an art.  Try it and see how smooth you are in front of 200 people. To be smooth is an art.

Just as being able to be a great cook is an art.  Even if you don’t like the way someone prepares food for your own personal taste, being able to respect food, flavor combinations, and the skillful way in which they were combined to create a great dish is artistry at its finest.

One thing that I have loved about my blog is that it’s helped me develop skills I knew I had such as writing and cooking, but it has made me much better and more creative.  And by no means do I consider my writing or my recipes to be high forms of art or anything, but they are skills I am honing.

And my blog has also opened the door to photography, which I will be forever grateful!

There are so many ways to express ourselves!

What is your art?  How do you like to express yourself?

3. Any forms of artistry you wish you were better at or would like to learn?

I want to continue to grow as a cook, writer, photographer, yogi.

I want to become a better scuba diver and maybe learn underwater photography.

And I would love to be a Cirque du Soleil performer.  Not sure that will happen in this lifetime, but it sure would be fun!

About the Author

Welcome to AverieCooks! Here you’ll find fast and easy recipes that taste amazing and are geared for real life. Nothing fussy or complicated, just awesome tasting dishes everyone loves!

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Comments

  1. Nice, sounds like our weather! Like the photo art. :-) The chickpeas sound great, I still need to try those.

    1. Some of it, not all of it and my mom still has some.
    2. I guess, I used to be really artistic in high school and college taking lots of art classes with nude models. :-) I’m starting to get back into it mainly through photo editing and freelance graphics.
    3. Photo editing and video editing.

    1. they didnt have classes like that when i was in h.s. or i was clueless. but in my early 20s, i was a model for those types of classes. Got paid to lay there and drink wine. It was perfect!

  2. My parents saved a lot of my artwork, and I saved a lot too. I use my old artwork from grade 7/8 as examples for art projects that I now give to my students :-)

  3. I don’t think my mom saved any of my artwork. I have definitely saved some of my boys’ artwork from when they were much younger and it is so fun to go back and look at it and to show them as well. They get a kick out of it, too! :-)

    I am a musical artist. I studied classical piano from the age of 4 through college and then studied private voice for 5 years in college and went on to pursue musical theater. I sang and performed in many different musicals and various shows. In fact, to this day, it is one of the great joys of my life. I absolutely love to sing.

  4. I love both your art work! I can’t wait to get lightroom tomorrow! I so want to stream line my uploads and prep work.

    I don’t really consider myself artistic, but when I get in the kitchen and create meals and treats, that’s where my artistic side comes out. My husband is a graphic artist and does some amazing work. I with I had his touch, but everyone has their own talent.

  5. My mom has “save boxes” in our basement that has artwork, writing, certificates, etc for me and my brothers from ages 0-18. I looked through them a couple of times, and it was definitely fun to see what I had made and written when I was 3 years old vs 10 years old and whatnot. There truly is so much of ourselves expressed in our art, whether drawing, writing, or whatever it might be.

    I do consider myself creative. I’ve always loved the arts & crafts sort of things and used to choose to watch Martha Stewart instead of Sesame Street when I was little (seriously). I love design, whether in fashion, colors, patterns, or interior design. I’m also SUCH a writer and always have been. I think there are so many outlets to express our creativity and that’s what makes each person’s expression so unique!

  6. aw so cute! I love Skylar’s art! My parents saved a bunch of my childhood stuff although I have no idea where it is now. I think its at their place. Would be fun to sit and go through sometime! Its funny cause my profession is actually a digital artist as I work in VFX…but I dont really consider it my art. I feel like my art is more personal and comes out through my cooking and just life in general. (sorry if that sounds cheesy..) I wish I were more of a writer though! That is a skill i wish I could tune into more. Have a wonderful day!

    (Did you ever receive my emails? my email account has been funky lately so wasnt sure..)

  7. The weather there sounds absolutely amazing!
    My mom has a drawer in her dresser with all my brother and my artwork!

  8. We have a whole bunch of stuff that my mom saved from us when we were little. I actually have a handprint from when I was 4 too!

    Writing is my “art form”. I have never been traditionally artistic, but writing is my forte!

  9. I definitely think of my writing (poetry, prose, essays, and even blogging) as an art form! The thing I love about blogging (well, one of the things, lol), is that it encourages me to be creative — to write in new ways, take pictures, etc. So much fun!

  10. Loving your photographs! Congrats on really going for all of it, the good camera, learning to use all of those programs!! You will forever have those memories!

  11. hahaha i love skylar’s art work! it totally reminds me of the hand turkey we used to make in elementary school for thanksgiving! i’m pretty sure deej still has some of them haha

  12. I’m finally de-lurking!

    I still make artwork for my mom, and I’m in college! Though it does take a little more to impress her now than it use to. I’ve been dancing since before I can remember and I’m currently studying graphic design; I think participating in some form of art is a really important thing to have in your life, it makes for a great stress reliever and emotional outlet. I do wish I was better at public speaking though, I am seriously lacking in that artistic department.

    I made you Microwave Chocolate Peanut Butter & Oat Snack Bars the other day and they were delicious! I live in a college dorm, so your no-back recipes are right up my alley.

    1. thanks for delurking and glad the bars are right up your alley! new recipe to be unveiled soon that is delish and micro only, too :)

  13. Ah, this was fun to look at. One of my many hats that I wear is kid’s art teacher, it’s such a rewarding profession.

    I’m an artist — I draw and paint maps, mostly imaginary ones. You can see them at https://silentlanguages.etsy.com

    I think cooking and blogging is an art form, too. I feel the same way about the dance and yoga that I practice, about making lesson plans for teaching. So many things are an artform. I guess I have a wide definition of it.

  14. Skylar’s hair is getting so long!
    I’ve always loved art. My mom has massive binders full of stuff I made as a kid and her house is still decorated with my drawings, paintings, sculptures, collages, pottery, scratchboards, etc. I minored in art in college and now I feel like it’s time to get back into it. My new apartment even has an extra bedroom so I can have a studio!
    My favorite mediums are acyrilics or oils and collage. I’d love to do more with encaustics, linocut and bookmaking, but those require a lot more equipments. I’m not even sure where to buy encaustics. Someday.