Thursday, August 29, 2013

WEATHER REPORT 
from
BROOKLYN
 
 of 
 August
 
The last weekend of August my neighborhood shows off its finest. It begins the week before Labor Day, which is always the first Monday of September, and ends with the West Indian Day Parade down Eastern Parkway on Labor Day itself. It’s the Caribbean Carnival, complete with costumes, floats, steel bands, huge trucks with giant speakers blasting soca and reggae and scantily clad women madly dancing, food, drink, politicians, including the mayor, etc. Oh, I almost forgot the participants and the million + spectators.

This week people are out every night checking out the “Mas Camps” where the costumes are displayed. It’s a party on almost every block in Flatbush. You chose which camp to join, buy your costume from them and travel with or on their float. As the week progresses, the customers hang out later and later, the music gets louder and louder, until finally it’s “J'Ouvert”, the parade before the parade. J'Ouvert starts at midnight Monday, with the costumes and makeup put on, the party begins. 


Thousands of people, dressed as spirits and animals and insects, with masks, glitter, and very little clothing, revel in the streets winding their way toward the official parade site, dancing and drinking until they slowly reach Eastern Parkway, where the “real” parade starts at noon.

If you haven't been to this parade, it's not like any other
the music is loud, the dancing infectious, the costumes sparkley
it's a total blast and don't forget the

FOOD
FISH and FESTIVAL, JERK CHICKEN, ACKEE and SALTFISH, DUMPLINGS, ESCOVITCH FISH, CALLALOO, OXTAIL, ROTI, PATTIES and CURRIED GOAT
 it's all home cooked and amazing 

Since it's impossible to drive out, or drive into this neighborhood, and impossible to sleep, it's a given that you either leave town on Friday, or join in.
I'm getting out of DODGE
and
shuffling off to BUFFALO, to visit friends and celebrate our birthdays, and the end of a long
hot summer

to keep the whiff of SEA and FARM in the air..... 
MUSSELS with Tomatoes and Garlic

Melt a whole lot of butter in a large stainless steel pot 
add 2-4 large shallots chopped
2-3 large garlic cloves minced
saute until soft
add sprigs of fresh thyme, basil, oregano...whatever you like
add lots of chopped fresh tomatoes
all kinds......
purple cherokee, sungolds, jerseys,yellow brandywine, amish paste, juliets, raves
toss in some Vya dry vermouth or some white wine
let simmer until the tomatoes are soft


while it's cooking down
rinse and debeard the mussels and throw in (approx 1 pound per person)
(add water if the mixture gets too thick)
cook until the mussels open, about 5 minutes 

serve with hot french bread

see you in
September 
when
you can see my work at Proteus Gowanus
the WATER Show
Opening Sunday September 15th  6-9 pm
+
Tugboat Cafe: Just MOI
Weather Report from...
September 14th- mid October
opening TBD
Yoga City Illustration
and a very happy birthday to
OLIVIA! KATHLEEN! JOHN! FELICIA! MARK! GREG! BILL! NANCY! RICH! STREICKER!
NAZMIN! 

Tuesday, August 6, 2013

WEATHER REPORT
from the
FISH STAND

EXPLOSIVE---*

TAKING ONE FOR THE TEAM
They come religiously, every week, the WMDS (WOMEN of mass destruction)...... seemingly sweet and innocent and all the while totally DANGEROUS!  Who knew these citizens of Manhattan, little old ladies, shopping carts in tow could wield such power, create such fear, demanding their 1/3, or 2 oz, or white only pieces of flounder (NOT fluke)....
sending all fish mongers ducking for cover

 *
I recently saw Claes Oldenburg's show at MoMA
and
 was totally smitten with his RAY GUNS wishing I had a few stashed at the fish stand for those special moments.....
I borrowed these photos from Barbara Ellman's blog (click on her name to visit it)



 *

For those of you who only know me in certain contexts, here's an bit of my printmaking history
Working on my senior thesis in the RISD litho studio  1976  photo by Lynne Weinerman
I started off as an illustration major at RISD, but in my junior year switched to printmaking, concentrating on etchings and lithographs
 
After graduating, I went to Paris and studied etching with Stanley William Hayter at Atelier
 17, and did lithography with Georges Dayez and Abraham Hadad at École nationale supérieure des Beaux-Arts
S.W Hayter



Atelier 17, Rue Daguerre, Paris
Georges Dayez
Hadad in his studio

Returning to NYC, I printed my etchings at Bob Blackburn's Printmaking Workshop which was just down the block from my loft on West 17th St, where I lived with Husband #1, painted, drew and did illustrations. I met Kathy Caraccio at Blackburn's and my life as a professional etching printer began.  
Kathy Caraccio

She taught me the ropes in her fantastic studio on the top floor (20th?) of a commercial building on West 30th and 8th Ave. It had a wrap around parapet with amazing 360 views of all of Manhattan (buildings weren't blocking every sight line) which we accessed by climbing out the window.
Next I apprenticed with Deli Sacilotto author of " Printmaking History and Process" and expert on photogravure. His studio was in the Ad Press building down on Hudson and Duane street.  I assisted on Jim Dine's flower photogravures, and new editions of Edward Curtis photogravures.  Then he rented me his studio and I printed editions for Donald Saff.
I would wind down at Barnabus Rex on Duane St (gone but not forgotten)

 *
Jim Dine
Jim Dine "Temple of Flora"

When Deli moved his shop to Washington St and started concentrating on photogravure and steelfacing, I went to work for Pat Branstead at Aeropress.  It was on the corner of Spring and Lafayette.  We worked with a lot of artists, famous and not so famous, print publishers and galleries.
We spent a lot of lunch hours playing asteroids at the Spring Lounge (still there and also known as Shark Bar) and then a lot of hours after work drinking off the fatigue and solvents.  Youth 

Aeropress is where I met and printed for Claes Oldenburg


Claes at Aeropress working on proofs of the Screwarch Bridge aquatint and etching




 "Screwarch Bridge" 1980 State 2
I printed this with11 different shades of black ink, all with varying degrees of transparencies on 5 different plates that had to be registered perfectly!

I worked with many artists and print publishers at Aeropress, Branstead Studio on Walker St and in my shop on West 25th St. 

When the landlord tripled the rent, I moved to Brooklyn, put my press in storage, and eventually, sold it. My master printer days came to an end. 
*

Some favorites that I printed

John Baldessari
"Large Door" from "Hegel's Cellar" a portfolio of 10 images 1986
"Two Hands (With Distant Figure)" from a portfolio of 7 images 1989-90
*
Nicolas Africano


"The Shadow" a portfolio of 4 etchings 1979

Diane Villani of Villani Editions (name sound familiar??) published the Africano editions and we worked together on several other print projects 
(click here on Villani Editions to go to her web site)

 
A blurry photo of my 25th St Studio with my French American Tool Etching Press and a proof of one of Nick Africano's "Shadow" prints on the wall
*
 Richard Artschwager
"Horizon"  1989

"The Rights of Man" 1990 for Amnesty International
*
Neelon Crawford
"Hawker Sea Fury"  Photogravure
"B-25"  Photogravure
Neelon Crawford  (click his name to see more of his work)
*
 Claes Oldenburg
"Thoughts of the French Revolution while Eating a Shrimp Salad"  1989  for Amnesty International
*
Which leads me back to the fish stand and a dinner recommendation:

BLACKENED TRIGGER FISH 
(only your mouth will explode) 

   Mix together:
  • 4 tablespoons paprika
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons cayenne
  • 2 1/2 tablespoons black pepper
  • 3 tablespoons garlic powder
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons onion powder
  • 3 tablespoons salt
  • 1 1/4 tablespoons dried oregano
  • 1 1/4 tablespoons dried thyme
(or if you're lazy just get some cajun spice mix at the store) 
Rinse off the triggerfish fillets, coat both sides of the fillets well with the mix.
Sauté 2 thinly sliced cloves of garlic in olive oil, stirring, until it is golden brown, then discard the garlic. 
Add a tablespoon (or more!) of butter, heat until the foam subsides, and add the fish. 
Sauté about 4 minutes on each side, or until it is cooked through.

and

SQUID SALAD

Get some cleaned squid, rinse it off and pat it dry between paper towels. 
cut the tentacles in 1/2 and the bodies into 1/3-inch-wide rings.

Cook squid in a pot of boiling salted water, uncovered, until just opaque, 40 to 60 seconds. Drain in a colander and immediately transfer to a bowl of ice and cold water to stop cooking. 
When squid is cool, drain and pat dry.


Whisk together 
juice of a lime, 1/3 cup of olive oil, 
1 large crushed garlic clove, a few sprigs of fresh thyme, 
1 small chopped red onion and salt and pepper to taste.

Mix together
arugula, diced fennel
 fresh sun gold tomatoes
fresh parsley
squid
Toss with the dressing
eat with your trigger fish 
*
Here's dessert
click here: Diane Magazine

to see the rest of my illustrations in the August issue