project

the reception for my regina show was saturday night. thanks to everyone who came down to see my drawings. this was my first time doing a show away from where i live, so i wasn’t sure anyone would show up. but there were more people there than i expected.

the art project gallery was opened a few years ago by regina artist rob bos (that’s him on the left with glasses). it’s been home to all sorts of interesting art projects over the years. rob was playing a video slideshow of the previous shows on a tv. i noticed some familiar faces from saskatoon, like jon vaughn and carrie gates. very cool. unfortunately, the gallery will be closing at the end of september, after the “rooms for change” group show.

the photo above was taken around midnight, as i was starting to take down my drawings (it was a closing reception). i brought my portfolio in and people started looking through it to see the drawings i didn’t put up in this show.

later that night, paul and i stopped by the freehouse at the cathedral village in regina to see brendan schick’s drawings. he does very detailed pencil drawings. i liked them all. i knew where to find his work because i met him at the reception and we had an interesting talk.

the reception was fun but a bit tiring. i have a hard time talking about art. i just love drawing.

cafe at home - to turn my apartment kitchen into my own cafe is one of my on-going project called “turn everything around you cute and fun” project. i love cafe-life, why not making it at home? i used to go to cafe a lot in japan. “cafe culture” in kyoto is lovely. there are hundreds of cafes in kyoto alone - from nostalgic to contemporary ones.　　my favorite was cafe soiree. founded in 1948, cafe soiree resides humbly by the river takase. the cafe is lit only with blue lights. there’s no music playing, just blue lights and fragrance of roasted coffee. quiet. that’s one of the places i like to stay forever. i wanted to create the atmosphere in my apartment.

at our cafe at home, i cook and paul chooses music.

i like dining out at restaurants but after the easy consumption, sometimes i’m left with vanity. by creating something together at home, everyday life becomes much more fun.

recipe: quinoa pilaf with cranberries

• 1 cup quinoa, rince well and remove any debris
• 1 3/4 cup water
• 1 TB margarine
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 tsp lemon zest
• 2 TB fresh parsley, minced
• 1/2 TB dried thyme
• 2 TB green onion, sliced
• 1 cup dried cranberries
• 1/4 cup pumpkin seeds
• s + p
• dash soy sauce
• dash olive oil

1. place rinsed quinoa in a large non-stick saucepan and toast, until it darkens slightly.
2. add to boiling water, cover, reduce the heat and simmer about 20 mins.
3. in another skillet, heat olive oil; add onion and garlic; and cook until tender. add cranberries.
4. stir in cooked quinoa, lemon zest, thyme, parsley, pumpkinseeds; add margarine, soy sauce, salt and pepper to taste.