Get Well, Cat!

Cat has been sick since her return from visiting her daughter. Our thoughts have been with her these past few days, hoping she doesn't have H1N1. We miss you Cat......

Happy Thanksgiving from the IndyGoGirls

As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the

highest appreciation is not to utter words,

but to live by them.
John Fitzgerald Kennedy

Broad Ripple Village

The Indianapolis Art Center

El Dia de los Muertos means The Day of the Dead.

It is a custom with roots in the Mexican community. The name is a bit of a misnomer as it is actually, in part, a celebration of the circle of life. The Indianapolis Art Center is hosting the community-based

exhibit as it has every year since 2000.

The color and festivity of this exhibit is evident upon entering the

front portico of the center.

The colorful banners, tissue-paper decorations called

estampas or papel picado, hang from the ceiling.

The focus of the main gallery centers on the tradition of the altar to honor the deceased. Each unique altar is a personal remembrance of a departed loved one.

According to Wikipedia: "People go to cemeteries to communicate with the souls of the departed, and build private altars, containing the favorite foods and beverages, as well as photos and memorabilia, of the departed. The intent is to encourage visits by the souls, so that the souls will hear the prayers and the comments of the living directed to them. Celebrations can take a humorous tone, as celebrants remember funny events and anecdotes about the departed."

Outside, in the center's ARTSPARK, you can walk the leaf-filled grounds, overlooking the White River, and view a display of smaller altars.

The Indianapolis Art Center holds various exhibitions throughout the year and has a wide range of art classes which are offered to the public. While visiting the center you can walk past the working studios and watch artists creating their works. You can also view their completed works and purchase items in the center's Basile Studio Shop.

Visit their website: http://www.indplsartcenter.org/.

In keeping with the Mexican theme of the Art Center's exhibit,

we had lunch a few blocks away at La Piedad.

The Mexican food was very good, the service was great and the atmosphere was perfect--a little noisy to drown out The Girls as we laughed and talked our way through lunch.

Photo Credit: The San Felipe Animal Rescue website

Artist: Andrena Joyce

"The boundaries which divide Life from Death are at best shadowy and vague. Who shall say where the one ends, and where the other begins?"

Edgar Allan Poe

Happy Halloween

Happy Halloween from the IndyGoGirls!

Bobby Flamingo

Indy as Elvis the Hound Dog


Phoenix knows the best part of Halloween are the treats

Williams-Sonoma

Thanksgiving Hors d'Oeuvres
at

Williams-Sonoma

Imagine a day where everything that could go wrong, did go wrong--including a power outtage. Further imagine that you have 50 people coming over for Thanksgiving. What would you do?

That is precisely the kind of day Karly, the food presenter at Williams-Sonoma, faced on a Sunday afternoon in October. With apologies and aplomb, Karly plunged forward and presented an interesting and entertaining Technique Class.

The class began with some Classic French Gougere Mix, plus water, butter, sea salt, cayenne pepper, paprika, eggs, milk and finishing with lots of Gruyere and Parmigiano-Reggiano cheeses.

The result, after baking, were light, cheesy puffs that were quick and easy to make.

Next on the menu were Rosemary-Parmesan Icebox Crackers. Yes, you can make crackers at home, yourself, yes, you can do it!

In a food processor, combine flour, salt, pepper and rosemary. Pulse to mix. Add butter and pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add the Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese and pulse to combine. Pour in cream and process until dough forms a single mass.

Here's what they looked like after mixing the ingredients, rolling the dough, cutting into cute shapes and baking.



These were so, so easy and delicious!

Not confident about your baking ability? Not to worry. Here are some things that can be done by simply cutting and assembling.

Using a food mandoline, slice some zucchini, jicama and peppers. Add some blanched sugar snap peas. Serve with some dipping sauce.

Even easier were these, sliced cucumbers topped with Williams-Sonoma's wichcraft spread, a tomato relish.

Photo courtesy of Williams-Sonoma's website

Goat Cheese, Tomato Relish & Shallot Toasts

Karly was passionate about food and about sharing ideas for

making simple, tasty appetizers.

Interesting products found at Williams-Sonoma:

A kevlar glove to wear while using a knife to prevent cutting yourself.

Lots of ready-made spreads, sauces, pastas, etc.

Beautiful cookware, bakeware and serving ware.

Visit williams-sonoma.com for more recipes and entertaining ideas.



Photo credit: art.com

Great Pear by Carmen Dolce

"You don't have to cook fancy or complicated

masterpieces--just good food from fresh ingredients."

Julia Child

I Missed You

The great thing about dogs is that they're thrilled to see you come home after you've been gone. Here's Bobby letting Cinda know he missed her while she was traveling the back roads.

Seen Along the Way

Carmel, Indiana has made a huge commitment to the arts. Several sculptures by J. Seward Johnson, Jr. now live along the streets of Carmel. Here are two of them:

"First Ride"

"There, Now You Grow"

"That's nice, but what's the point?" you're probably thinking. Well, while sitting outside the Ferrer Gallery in Nashville, we happened to see this couple. We struck up a conversation and I told them they looked just like the sculptures in Carmel. Small world.....they live in Carmel! I asked them if I could take a photo of them for this blog.

I appreciated their kindness and willingness to have their photo posted on our little blog. However, I forgot to get their names to properly identify them. We had given them our blog address. If they happen to see this blog, I hope they leave a comment with their first names so we can put the faces to the names.

Here are additional photos taken during our trip to Brown County:

"Keep your love of nature, for that is the true way

to understand art more and more."
Vincent van Gogh

The Back Roads of Brown County

The fall leaves are calling all IndyGoGirls to Brown County.
From the backseat of the car, get comfy and watch the scenery pass.
The potters and painters are opening their studios of bounty:
Clay sculptures, folk art, painted gourds and stained glass.

On the back roads we will go
Laughs will be shared as we carry out our mission.
What will happen is uncertain, but one thing we know:
Stopping for lunch is an IndyGoGirls tradition.

Logo used courtesy of Brown County Studio Tours, Inc.

When you plan an activity, you really have no idea how it will turn out. So often, I read about a destination and it sounds like it will be so much fun, it’ll be unique and interesting, and there will be too much to do once there. Then, you get there and think, “Is this all it is?” The disappointment almost keeps you from trying anything new without getting some kind of verification that it will be worth visiting.

I’m happy to say that today wasn’t one of those days. We took the 8th Annual Driving Tour of Artists’ and Craftsmen’s Studios, The Back Roads of Brown County. There were 16 artists participating in this year’s event. During the drive, while enjoying bagels from Einstein’s and coffee provided by one of The Girls, we looked through the Brown County Studio Tours, Inc.'s brochure to select the studios we wanted to visit. After overcoming some map reading challenges (We wouldn’t be us, if we didn’t get lost along the way on our adventures!), we arrived at the first destination—Sarah Noggle’s studio.

Sarah's weaving studio, on Clay Lick Road, has a spectacular view of a tree-filled ravine. You get the feeling that the view is only the beginning of the story as you look around the inside of Sarah's studio. Every nook and cranny is filled with interesting objects—that have either a functional or an inspirational meaning for her. Her great-great-great grandmother’s spinning wheel, piles of recycled materials to be broken down to its raw element for weaving, numerous looms and examples of the diversity of work such as her beautiful rugs, which can also be found at the Artist’s Colony Inn, her three-dimensional work—the puppets she has a hard time parting with and the playful sculptures—and her beautiful and functional purses and eyeglass cases.

Sarah showed us works in progress on two of her four looms. When asked how long something has taken to weave, Sarah will tell you it took, for example, two Books on Tape. Yes, Sarah measures the work she puts into her creations by the number of Books on Tape she listens to while she weaves!

We also learned that it takes far longer to set up the loom than it does to actually weave.

Read more about Sarah here:

http://www.browncountystudiotour.com/nogglefall.htm

Our second stop was at Anne Ryan Miller’s Glass Studio. While her studio is just minutes from downtown Nashville, it feels worlds away from town as it's tucked back in the hills reachable only by black-top roads. Once again, we were awed by the fall scenery all around us.

Anne's studio is divided into two parts. The first part has an enormous island where she works and the second part is set up as a gallery where she displays stunningly beautiful stained glass pieces.

Anne begins her work with a line drawing. She then uses metal overlay on some pieces which creates a depth to her work. This technique was developed by Anne. It’s not surprising, given her surroundings, that Anne Ryan Miller’s art is nature-themed. Here are some photos from her website:

Songbird Sing

Hummingbird & Morning Glories

Flower Petal Lamp

Anne says this about the medium she's chosen to work with: “There is a mystical quality to glass. It is a frozen liquid that acts like a solid. It transmits light. The mood of each piece changes as the sun and seasons change the natural light. Sometimes it is very active, at other times seemingly reflective and passive. You might never tire of a piece of glass hung in natural light. It will appear different each time you see it. It will change as the seasons change, constantly offering you a new view.”

Visit Anne Ryan Miller's website:

http://www.anneryanmillerglassstudio.com/index.html

Since we were so close to downtown Nashville, we stopped off at the Muddy Boots Café for lunch. The café is located on the main drag and is charming and homey inside. Sitting at a table that was reminiscent of grandma’s, we ordered the house specialties: “made from scratch foods, hand crafted from only the finest ingredients.”

Both of the artists we visited told us their work was displayed at the Ferrer Gallery. It was only natural that the gallery would be our next stop. We were so glad we did! We were fortunate enough to meet gallery owner, Dixie Ferrer. She’s a bundle of sparkling energy and must have been born to her vocation. I don’t think you’ll find a bigger promoter of the arts, and Brown County artists in particular, than Dixie.

The work of more than 40 artists is on display at the gallery. It was a feast for the eyes as well as the soul. The space was ideal and flowed naturally from one space to the next. There, straight back from the front door was Anne Ryan Miller’s stained glass creations hanging in sun-filled windows. Nearby was a hat-rack displaying the intricately-woven purses made by Sarah Noggle. We also enjoyed viewing Dixie’s multi-media collages and hearing about the classes, Dixie has termed “art therapy”, for the public.

(The photos below are from Dixie's website and are used with her generous permission.)

Dinner for One

Dinner by Candlelight

Sisterhood

Visit Ferrer Gallery online at:

http://www.ferrergallery.com/

Women in Hats

Laura L. Trevey

http://www.lauratrevey.blogspot.com/

All true artists, whether they know it or not,

create from a place of no-mind, from inner stillness.

Eckhart Tolle