Let's just say that this is the longest I have been able to stick with doing P90X so far!
It is a very intimidating workout regimen, but what really pushed me to try it again was the fact that my sister and her boyfriend are starting it. I love being able to chat with her for support and we are holding each other accountable.
I had a really nice visit with her and her new boyfriend down here in Baltimore this past weekend. He had never been here so we did some touristy/sights-seeing type stuff that my husband and I don't normally do because we have been living here for so long.
We ate out for some meals and eating out as a a vegan is much harder than eating out as a vegetarian. Some places were easier than other-- obviously our local Thai restaurant was easier than at Ale Mary's- a place very close to our house that has a fabulous (and meat and dairy heavy) brunch.
But I made it!
In other news, I have been applying to a bunch of plein air painting festivals and other competitions while staying busy working on some large urban-industrial landscapes among other things. Fingers crossed because I would really like the chance to meet and paint amongst other artists with similar artistic interests.
My proposal for a solo show at Pinebox Art Center was rejected but I'm not going to let that discourage me. It's not the first rejection and I know it won't be the last. All I can do is keep on keepin' on.
A starving artist's blog about vegetarian fitness, art and life.
Tuesday, February 26, 2013
Tuesday, February 19, 2013
Deep Thoughts- Fake Meat
It's hard to believe that it was a week ago today-- Mardi Gras-- that I was gorging myself on cheese and yogurt because the following day I was to give up eating all animal products. As I've talked about before, I've been a vegetarian for a few consecutive years now. I've tried going vegan once before. It was, what I called at the time, a week of joyless eating. I tried to give up not only animal products but vegan products that were analogous to their meat or dairy counterparts. This time I am allowing myself the occasional luxury of indulging in things like vegan sausage, chicken and cheese.
I really had to do a lot of thinking about why I was going vegan-- part of it had to do with the sacrifice for Lent. Although I am no longer a practicing Catholic, I think that the spirit of some traditions are universal and some really important lessons can be learned through them. By doing without you can learn a lot about one's basic needs and meditate on positive things like gratitude and thanksgiving.
But back to the topic of fake meat. I have a friend who is absolutely appalled by the idea of vegetarian versions of meat products. He would say, "If you want to eat meat, eat MEAT!" For a while I was in agreement. That makes sense, right? I knew that eating meat wasn't for me-- I'm disgusted by industrial farming practices and I am hopeful that dedication to a plant-based diet can prevent illness and disease. With heart disease, diabetes, Alzheimer's and cancer in my family medical history, I'll take all the help I can get! But based on what my meat-eating friend said and how vehemently he said it, I still avoided a lot of vegetarian and vegan products that were plant-based meat rip-offs. Looking back I realize that is just silly. It's smart to eat them in moderation because they are of course still processed foods, but if eating fake sausage can bring some joy to my otherwise joyless eating, why the hell not?!
I started thinking about all this yesterday after grabbing a quick pre-fab lunch from the salad bar at Whole Foods. I had been assisting a glass artist down at the American Craft Council show at the Baltimore Convention Center- I had to get up early and by the time I finished I was famished. Whole Foods in Harbor East is not too far from the Convention CEnter which is in the Inner Harbor so I hoofed it over there to grab some grub while my husband came to meet me. I was kind of in a hurry because I knew he would be there soon and there was a sense of panic and pandemonium in the air because most of Harbor East was in the midst of a power outage- the supermarket had actually just lost and regained power so I totally had that "get in, get out" mentality, too. I just too a scoop or two of some of each of the prepared foods that was labeled "vegan". I definitely made sure to double check that each item was without a doubt labeled "vegan" before I took some.
When I got home I was delighted by a dish called Vegan Curry Chicken Salad. It was great-- creamy texture, soft penne, raisins or currants and chicken. "Chicken". At first I was totally sure it was fake chicken. But the more I ate the less sure I became. The flavor and texture was so chicken-like. I found myself dissecting it. I convinced myself that it was some kind of really amazing fake meat. Then I psyched myself out and panicked because it was just so real tasting. I had to kind of do a self-evaluation because after having been a vegetarian for as long as I have been you can kind of tell when you have just unknowingly eaten a small bit of meat. I didn't have any of that "heavy" feeling... I still couldn't stomach the last two bites, though.
I had to get to the bottom of that amazing mock meat. I did a bunch of research online and found that it was most likely a product called "Beyond Meat". Other vegan bloggers had evidently had the same experience as me. Either that or they had been privy to the rumors of market testing in Southern California and trekked from Whole Foods to Whole Foods in the hopes of finding Beyond Meat in their prepared Vegan Curry Chicken Salad.
A follow-up visit to Whole Foods today confirmed that the "chicken" in my curry salad was in fact the "Beyond Meat" product. I'm sure I will be enjoying it again in the future! I have found couple of copy-cat recipes written by bloggers because as far as I could tell, Whole Foods is not being forthcoming with divulging their Vegan Curry Chicken Salad recipe because at almost $10/lb. that stuff is solid gold I'm sure!
I really had to do a lot of thinking about why I was going vegan-- part of it had to do with the sacrifice for Lent. Although I am no longer a practicing Catholic, I think that the spirit of some traditions are universal and some really important lessons can be learned through them. By doing without you can learn a lot about one's basic needs and meditate on positive things like gratitude and thanksgiving.
But back to the topic of fake meat. I have a friend who is absolutely appalled by the idea of vegetarian versions of meat products. He would say, "If you want to eat meat, eat MEAT!" For a while I was in agreement. That makes sense, right? I knew that eating meat wasn't for me-- I'm disgusted by industrial farming practices and I am hopeful that dedication to a plant-based diet can prevent illness and disease. With heart disease, diabetes, Alzheimer's and cancer in my family medical history, I'll take all the help I can get! But based on what my meat-eating friend said and how vehemently he said it, I still avoided a lot of vegetarian and vegan products that were plant-based meat rip-offs. Looking back I realize that is just silly. It's smart to eat them in moderation because they are of course still processed foods, but if eating fake sausage can bring some joy to my otherwise joyless eating, why the hell not?!
I started thinking about all this yesterday after grabbing a quick pre-fab lunch from the salad bar at Whole Foods. I had been assisting a glass artist down at the American Craft Council show at the Baltimore Convention Center- I had to get up early and by the time I finished I was famished. Whole Foods in Harbor East is not too far from the Convention CEnter which is in the Inner Harbor so I hoofed it over there to grab some grub while my husband came to meet me. I was kind of in a hurry because I knew he would be there soon and there was a sense of panic and pandemonium in the air because most of Harbor East was in the midst of a power outage- the supermarket had actually just lost and regained power so I totally had that "get in, get out" mentality, too. I just too a scoop or two of some of each of the prepared foods that was labeled "vegan". I definitely made sure to double check that each item was without a doubt labeled "vegan" before I took some.
When I got home I was delighted by a dish called Vegan Curry Chicken Salad. It was great-- creamy texture, soft penne, raisins or currants and chicken. "Chicken". At first I was totally sure it was fake chicken. But the more I ate the less sure I became. The flavor and texture was so chicken-like. I found myself dissecting it. I convinced myself that it was some kind of really amazing fake meat. Then I psyched myself out and panicked because it was just so real tasting. I had to kind of do a self-evaluation because after having been a vegetarian for as long as I have been you can kind of tell when you have just unknowingly eaten a small bit of meat. I didn't have any of that "heavy" feeling... I still couldn't stomach the last two bites, though.
I had to get to the bottom of that amazing mock meat. I did a bunch of research online and found that it was most likely a product called "Beyond Meat". Other vegan bloggers had evidently had the same experience as me. Either that or they had been privy to the rumors of market testing in Southern California and trekked from Whole Foods to Whole Foods in the hopes of finding Beyond Meat in their prepared Vegan Curry Chicken Salad.
A follow-up visit to Whole Foods today confirmed that the "chicken" in my curry salad was in fact the "Beyond Meat" product. I'm sure I will be enjoying it again in the future! I have found couple of copy-cat recipes written by bloggers because as far as I could tell, Whole Foods is not being forthcoming with divulging their Vegan Curry Chicken Salad recipe because at almost $10/lb. that stuff is solid gold I'm sure!
Monday, February 11, 2013
CENTERSTAGE Online Auction - Bidding For Good
In addition to being an artist and amateur fitness enthusiast, one of my other passions if for drink... I love to make drinks and learn about different beers, wines and spirits. Tending bar in Baltimore has lead me to the wonderful world of food and beverage service at a regional theater called Centerstage. It really is a world class theater and is a cultural hub in the city. It is the largest non-profit theater in Maryland and every year they have an online auction fund raiser to meet yearly financial goals. For the past 3 years I have had the privilege of donating a piece of art or two to this wonderful cause.
Saturday, February 9, 2013
Art Bazaar
I went down to Pinebox Art Center today to check out the show that my work is a part of. It is a non-juried show open to anyone willing to pay the entrance fee so I wasn't sure what to expect-- I think in my head I was imagining two extremes... a bunch of really amateur art and an empty gallery or, best case scenario, the art would all be show-stopping and I'd get there and every one of my pieces would already have a red dot. Ok, that second scenario takes place in the realm of my fantasies... but... I was ultimately satisfied with how the show looked and with the turnout for the first official day of the event.
The space is medium-sized. I would guess it is about 40' x 40' with some cool industrial architectural elements-- exposed duct-work and polished cement floors with gallery-typical white walls. The most incredible asset of the gallery is the fact that there is a parking lot out front. That is a pretty hot commodity in the city!
When I walked in the door I was happy to see that there was probably a dozen or so folks mingling and contemplating the art on the walls. There was a table set up with what I would guess were two interns counting heads, answering questions and keeping track of a binder of price lists.
Naturally my work was the first I was drawn to! I'm sure that I was subliminally seeking it out to see how it looked. We painters are a bit narcissistic in that way... The first thing that I noticed just looking at my work was that the pieces were crooked! I was a little disappointed with their method of hanging the pieces which involved a rail and hook system. I understand that the hook and rail system (monofilament or fishing-line-type material hanging from strips of metal at the very tops of the walls) is a money saver for the gallery because they don't have to invest in the labor and materials to patch, repair and paint the walls between shows. However, the fact that a bunch of the pieces on the wall are all cattywampus lacks professionalism.
The space is medium-sized. I would guess it is about 40' x 40' with some cool industrial architectural elements-- exposed duct-work and polished cement floors with gallery-typical white walls. The most incredible asset of the gallery is the fact that there is a parking lot out front. That is a pretty hot commodity in the city!
When I walked in the door I was happy to see that there was probably a dozen or so folks mingling and contemplating the art on the walls. There was a table set up with what I would guess were two interns counting heads, answering questions and keeping track of a binder of price lists.
Naturally my work was the first I was drawn to! I'm sure that I was subliminally seeking it out to see how it looked. We painters are a bit narcissistic in that way... The first thing that I noticed just looking at my work was that the pieces were crooked! I was a little disappointed with their method of hanging the pieces which involved a rail and hook system. I understand that the hook and rail system (monofilament or fishing-line-type material hanging from strips of metal at the very tops of the walls) is a money saver for the gallery because they don't have to invest in the labor and materials to patch, repair and paint the walls between shows. However, the fact that a bunch of the pieces on the wall are all cattywampus lacks professionalism.
My Paintings at the Pinebox Art Center Art Bazaar
The art was also very clustered and claustrophobic. I think that all of the artists pieces were stylistically different enough that there wouldn't be any confusion as to which artist did which works so why not give the art some breathing room?
I did an initial sweep of the room to get an overall impression of the work and then came back to hone in on each individual artist. I was most impressed with the poppy work of an artist named Bill Watson. I was inspecting a lovely spray-painted female figure à lá Banksy when I realized that someone who could only be the artist was hovering over my shoulder and struck up a conversation. We had a really nice chat about the other artists represented in the show, trying to "make it" and exploring new themes and ideas and even styles to invigorate one's work. Before I parted he gave me his card. His website can be found here. I think it is worth a peek!
I'm not sure if anything will come of this particular show, but as my mom told me... it should at least be some exposure. I have also submitted a very fanciful proposal for an early summer solo show that would involve some yet-to-be-completed very large paintings, some found-object sculpture and a mural-- if I have my way!
All-in-all, Pinebox Art Center is a wonderful new addition to the Highlandtown Arts community and I really hope to see them thrive.
In other news, I had a very exciting fitness milestone today. I was able to do 8 push-ups in a row! That is a huge deal for me. I love that I am getting stronger. I am also knocking on the door of re-achieving having lost 80 lbs. since my heaviest recorded weight. I was about there around the time of my wedding but since then I had gained back about 10 of those pounds. I'm really trying to make healthy lifestyle choices for the sake of LONG TERM goals, not just quickly losing some weight.
On that note- I am making some delicious vegan Pad Thai tonight. After recently experimenting with some spaghetti squash I had the *brilliant* idea of using it as a substitute for rice noodles in one of my favorite Asian dishes. Turns out it has been done before. So this is not a totally new and unique idea. I will let you know how it turns out. I am adapting the About.com recipe that I've posted before. Yum!
Tuesday, February 5, 2013
Pinebox Art Center Art Bazaar and Market
A Walk in the Woods 18"x24" oil on canvas 2012
I'm going to be showing some work at Pinebox Art Center during the month of February!
Come check it out!
Sunday, February 3, 2013
Happy Groundhogs Day
So the little guy saw his shadow so I'm pretty sure that means the Ravens are going to win the Super Bowl!...
Taking a cue from a dear friend, my husband and I roll Christmas and Valentine's Day into one glorious evening celebrated on whatever day Groundhog's Day falls on. It's brilliant really. There is non of the stress of Christmas or the pressure of Valentine's Day. We always go to our favorite restaurant which, to us, is like having dinner at a dear friend's house.
That favorite restaurant of ours is a Nepalese place is Mount Vernon in Baltimore called Kumari. The service is extremely friendly, the food is scrumptious and the atmosphere is cozy and exotic.
They have some wonderful art on the wall representing Nepal and Buddhist culture and for years my husband has been urging me to do a painting to give to them for their collection.
I love painting landscapes and thought that a mountain scene would go wonderfully with the other art in their collection.
The mountains are part of the Annapurna- a section of the Himalayas in Nepal. "Annapurna" is a Sanskrit name which literally means "full of food" but is typically translated to mean "Goddess of the Harvests" and has an association with Lakshmi- the Hindu goddess of Wealth. Of course I thought this an appropriate depiction for a restaurant and deserving of a lovely gilt frame.
This is what I came up with. It is an oil on canvas based on an image I found on the internet. I really loved the color harmonies and the inclusion of some buildings. They were pretty ecstatic! What a wonderful way to celebrate Groundhog's Day.
Taking a cue from a dear friend, my husband and I roll Christmas and Valentine's Day into one glorious evening celebrated on whatever day Groundhog's Day falls on. It's brilliant really. There is non of the stress of Christmas or the pressure of Valentine's Day. We always go to our favorite restaurant which, to us, is like having dinner at a dear friend's house.
That favorite restaurant of ours is a Nepalese place is Mount Vernon in Baltimore called Kumari. The service is extremely friendly, the food is scrumptious and the atmosphere is cozy and exotic.
They have some wonderful art on the wall representing Nepal and Buddhist culture and for years my husband has been urging me to do a painting to give to them for their collection.
I love painting landscapes and thought that a mountain scene would go wonderfully with the other art in their collection.
The mountains are part of the Annapurna- a section of the Himalayas in Nepal. "Annapurna" is a Sanskrit name which literally means "full of food" but is typically translated to mean "Goddess of the Harvests" and has an association with Lakshmi- the Hindu goddess of Wealth. Of course I thought this an appropriate depiction for a restaurant and deserving of a lovely gilt frame.
This is what I came up with. It is an oil on canvas based on an image I found on the internet. I really loved the color harmonies and the inclusion of some buildings. They were pretty ecstatic! What a wonderful way to celebrate Groundhog's Day.
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