Website Launch and New Collectors Photos for a Year

The NEW website!

Cooking From The Garden and Farm

I've been cooking every weekend, mostly because I have no money and need food and getting it from the garden where it grows for free is the only way to eat, but I love cooking so it's been a fun time. I stopped by the garden last weekend and found turnips, chard, over-grown scallions, chives, fennel and the usual herbs and a few leaves of collards that were not hole-city. Oh, and a few red tomatoes!

I got them home and wanted to capture my harvest so I started taking pictures on the counter, which turned out to be a great backround for green veggies. I'm just so proud I can grow a vegetable. They may not be gorgeous, but they're mine!

I cooked up some Middle Eastern Stew, then muffins, first with banana, barley, oat, then with pumpkin from the Halloween pumpkin and pumpkin seeds.

Washing Greens

Cutting the Chard

This weekend I cooked up similar but better stew, Yam and Chard Stew.

1 large yam

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 turnip (I used three small ones)

1/2 yellow onion

10 large chard leaves

1/2 cup rice (I mixed basmati and arborio)

3/4 cup red lentils (I got them from Margerum's Herbs)

1/2 tablespoon curry

1/2 tablespoon cumin

salt and pepper

I'm working on my food photography in hopes of getting some cookbook or local farm/food vendor advertising work. If you know anyone, let them know I'll do it for free to get some experience!

I convinced my family to fork over $4.50 a lb. for a bird from a local farm in Lancaster and despite all of the complaining about the price of turkeys at ShopRite, it was beautiful and tasty. We joked about having no idea how to cook a turkey without a pop-up button or wrapped in plastic, and it did take an hour longer than we thought it would, but it was super good.

I brought over beets and Peruvian Purple potatoes from the garden (further convincing my family I was crazy), but my mom loved the potatoes and you barely need butter they're so smooth. My mom has a funny masher that makes everything look like fat noodles.

Walk Into The Woods Opening Night

Walk into the Woods Opening is Tonight

The show opens tonight at Wellpoint and I'm very excited. The images include waterfalls, creeks, trails, and rocks from Bushkill, Dingmans Ferry, the Wissahickon, the Adirondacks and Ithaca. If you know any hikers, campers, outdoors folks, environmentalists, geologists, biologists, bring them along!

I think my work appeals to a particular crowd of folks who can see the beauty in some lichen on a rock surface and the peacefullness of water in a creek.


The show opens at 6 pm and runs until 8:30 at Wellpoint Oriental Medicine, 2014 Fairmount Ave. in Philly and there will be food, wine, hot cider, and I'm raffling off a prize of an original 11 x 14 photograph. You get a raffle ticket just for coming. There will be music and free acupuncture and massage demos throughout the night. Should be lots of fun!

Sneek Peek and Neighbor Thanks

Upcoming Show: Space Planning

I'm currently showing work at Wellpoint Oriental Medicine in Fairmount in Philadelphia (2014 Fairmount Ave.) in an evolving show over the month. I had to move some work in to keep the walls from being empty as another artist moved out, but I only had the work sitting around my house to put up on short notice.

Starting next month, date TBA, I'll hang work in the waiting area, hallway and a second room that doors treatment doors open up to face. The space appealed to me because the eastern medicine, acupuncture and massage connects well with my nature photography and environmental conservation interest. It led me to start thinking about Feng Shui when I was hanging the nine pieces currently in the waiting room (the flowing water photo should flow into the building, not send energy out).

I wish I had more training in wall placement and creative show hanging. It's always a struggle to hang shows myself and feel like I did something to make the work more dynamic and not just static dots on the wall. Anyone teach a class in show hanging?

Come check out the results as they change from what I already hung in the space to the new pieces that go up in early November!

Bushkill and Dingman's Falls

Bushkill Falls in the Pocono region of Pennsylvania is about a 2 hour drive north of Philadelphia and has some beautiful hiking trails and waterways to explore, including more waterfalls than you can count. Bushkill trails include many, many stairs and the red and blue routes are fairly challenging, like a hour on the stairmaster. You'll feel the burn. These pictures are from both Bushkill Falls (a series of falls along a 4 mile trail) and Dingman's Falls (two falls) only about a 20 minute ride apart from each other on route 209. If you keep traveling north on 209 you'll pass many other falls and lakes as you drive along the Delaware river. Bushkill is a tourist magnet, so get there early to avoid the crowds. They also have animal talks where you can see and learn about rescued animals from the region including owls, skunks, frogs, turtles, possums and more.

Photos that Got Skipped the First Time Around

I went through my photo files looking for photos that I might have missed the first time around and I found some that I like:
Clouds over the Parking lot

Plantation home in Charleston, SC

Cabbages, Chicago Botanical Gardens

Cherry Blossoms, Philadelphia

Spring Gardens House, Philadelphia

Green Glob Tree, Philadelphia

Friendly's, Conshohocken, PA

Hanging Basket, New Hope, PA

Cherry Blossoms on the Parkway, Philadelphia

Alley, Philadelphia

Parking Garage Construction Site, Philadelphia

Sale This Saturday at East Falls Inn Yard Park, 10-5

I'm getting ready for a sale next weekend and I ordered prints and I'm really excited by the variety of images from all my recent trips to wildlife refuges, woods, parks, etc. I forgot completely about the sunset images I took in New Hope and I haven't thought about the Adirondacks pictures in a month, then I added Ocean City pictures from this year and the tree walk (see below) and waterfalls from Ithaca, NY and then some pictures from my trip to Awbury Arboretum on Friday!

Persimmon tree in Secret Garden

Fungus Layers

Magnolia Leaves

First tree to turn

Come join me! I'll be selling cards, magnets, matted and framed photos! Oh, and I'm selling recycled notebooks with tree photos on the covers!

20% off all items in both stores

This Weekend Only!

http://www.allisonostertag.etsy.com/

http://www.allisonspaintings.etsy.com/

Flag Fest at the Betsy Ross House This Weekend!

Flag Fest
at the Betsy Ross House
Saturday, June 13th 10-7
Sunday June 14th 10-5
239 Arch Street

I will be selling Philadelphia Landmark photographs and cards including Christ Church, Independence Hall, Second Bank, City Hall, Philadelphia Zoo, the Art Museum, Reading Terminal Market, Italian Market, Eastern State Penitentiary, Murals, Franklin Fountain and more!

This event should be lots of fun with all day traditional craft demonstrations, people in Victorian costume, food, games, jugglers, magic shows, Punch and Judy plays, ragtime music, Vaudeville performances, dancers, big-wheeled bicycles, fortune-tellers and prizes.

http://www.betsyrosshouse.org/prog_flag_festival/