This Week

This week I spent time creating 20, 5 x 7 in. drawings for a client.  Here are 3 of the 20.

The Best Chocolate Chip Cookie

My friends Mark and Beth helped to organize a show of sorts last Friday. (photo 1)  I did a performance entitled "The Best Chocolate Chip Cookie".  I have been baking choc chip cookies since I was a little girl.  This past summer the New York Times featured a story about the best chocolate cookie which included a recipe.  Well, I tried it and it was GOOD -  even better than my old recipe.  So, for Friday's show I baked a batch of both cookies, made parchment paper sleeves that contained one of each cookie and set up a voting station. (photo 2)  I gave a short, silly performance explaining the history and asked everyone there to test the cookies themselves and vote for the cookie they liked the best.  As a thank you for helping me, each voter was allowed to take a saying from the Rountree-Couch Dispenser ( part of the "book" from my last post).  The Explainer was there for any splainin' that was needed. (photo 3)  Over 40 votes later, The New York Times cookie was the winner. (photo 4)   The difference: unsalted butter, making the dough 24 -36 hours in advance, bittersweet chips and sprinkling course salt on the cookie just before baking.  

Keep It In The Road

The past 2 weeks I have been working on a new artist book.  It is titled Keep It In The Road- words to keep your life on track.  (Photo 1)   One side of the first car carries the title, the other side reads Roundtree-Couch patented dispenser of aphorisms, faux wisdom and vague prophecy.  (photo 2)  On top of this car is an old metal tape dispenser.  From the dispenser you can take one of 28 numbered sayings- as you would a piece of tape.  The second car holds the Explainer.  The back side reads the Explainer for elucidation and interpretation according to Kitty Rountree and Coochie Couch.  Open this car and you will find the Explainer, extra rolls for the dispenser and a mirror for reflection. (photo 3)  The Explainer contains the numbered aphorisms with etymology (Kitty or Coochie), definition, and cross reference to other aphorisms within the Explainer.  All the sayings are from my parents- phrases my 3 sisters and I grew up hearing.  For example:  #5. Whatever blows your skirt up.  (Coochie)  1. whatever makes you happy  2. whatever excites you  3. whatever 

This book is for a group show at Blue Spiral 1 Gallery in Asheville, NC opening April 30.