Path 2001, oil on canvas, 72 x 54 inches

In the last seven weeks four artists have come to stay with us and make prints at Shark’s Ink.  I wrote about Fred Stonehouse in my last post.  Claire Sherman arrived after Fred and made a lovely, large lithograph using  broad brushstrokes – a multilayered landscape, green and mysterious.  She had time to complete a second, small, exquisite image of a waterfall, again, abstracted with her painterly marks.

I had been struggling with severe carpal tunnel pain in my right hand, so by the time the next artist, Amy Ellingson, arrived, I was ready for surgery.  Amy and Bud worked on her first prints at Shark’s, two large lithos made from digital files and printed in many colors,  creating a labyrinth, a lattice, a map, with tunnels and windows of color. (This is a studio shot of one of the prints.)

And I learned to cook using my left hand.  Not so hard if you must do it.  The doc said to  keep the dressing dry and clean and I tried but it’s not a pretty sight after a week in the kitchen.  Amy was most accommodating and helpful and I thoroughly enjoyed getting to know her over coffee and granola, drinking delicious wine at dinner on the porch, and talking of our lives.

Over the seven weeks, we had dinner parties, inviting friends to join us.  For several I made a simple starter, a cold cantaloupe soup.  Truly more than the sum of its parts, I devised the recipe after having had a similar soup years ago in Barcelona.

For four to six small servings, sauté half a medium sized onion, chopped, in two tablespoons of olive oil until tender and golden.

Meanwhile, cut up a two pound cantaloupe and toss into the blender. Add the onion and whizz until perfectly smooth.

Add salt to taste.  Chill well (I made this the day before) and serve in small cups with a drizzle of olive oil and something salty and crisp alongside – a hunk of focaccia or a home made cracker.  (Check out the new Search button in the side bar to find recipes in previous posts).

Enrique Chagoya is here this week and as it’s been very hot, we have had salads for lunch.  I read about a new salad dressing and had tried it out on Amy (we liked it) – made with feta and buttermilk.

Mash 2-4 ounces of feta, the kind that comes in a water bath.  Add 1/3 cup buttermilk, a minced, mashed clove of garlic, a couple tablespoons chopped Italian parsley, the zest of a small lemon and juice from half of it, and, if you like, some olive oil to thin the mix.

Most of my salads don’t need a recipe but rely on what’s in the fridge. I depend on a stock of wonderful vegetables from Zweck’s farm and tidbits leftover from dinner.  Today’s salad featured smoked trout accompanied by green beans, tomatoes, avocado, black beans dressed with olive oil, cumin, chile flakes, mint, and a few slices of a delicious Colorado peach.