August 2012 – In the Vintage Kitchen: Where History Comes To Eat

Book List: Ms. Jeannie’s Top 10 Books About African Adventure

Published on August 30, 2012October 4, 2012 by In The Vintage KitchenLeave a comment

Ms. Jeannie is a collector of books on Africa. Mostly she loves those fish out of water stories, either fiction or non-fiction, about people that discover Africa through their own experience.

Having had the opportunity to visit both the Ivory Coast (west Africa) and Morocco when she was young, Ms. Jeannie can appreciate that Africa means different things to different people. Ms. Jeannie’s experience was full of pink buildings and dusty red roads, sugar sweet pineapple (the best she has ever eaten in her life), black black faces and bright white smiles, medicine men and open air markets, belly dancers and mosaic tiles.

In Morocco, she woke up every day to the sounds of street sweepers sweeping the streets with palm fronds, a soft scratchy whoohsing sound that was exotic and comforting all in one. She learned how to play squash and how to belly dance. She saw a snake charmer in the marketplace and watched the vendors sell, nap and chase customers and the children tag along behind hunting chiclets gum.

The following books represent many different viewpoints on Africa spread out over a century. There is politics, family, romance, nature, friendship, death, disease, prejudice… but one universal theme exists between them all… that Africa is wild. It’s what Ms. Jeannie felt the entire time, she was there. No exceptions. No airs. No rationalizations. Just nature in all its grandeur and brutality….

1. I Married Adventure by Osa Johnson. Originally published in 1940.

Imarriedadventure3 — I Married Adventure – available from EverUpwardNY

Ms. Jeannie first came upon this book while antique shopping on her honeymoon. Funny, this is how she felt marrying Mr. Jeannie Ology:) Detailing the lives of adventuring filmmakers, Martin & Osa Johnson, I Married Adventure portrays Africa from two interesting perspectives – newlyweds and artists.

2.Don’t Let’s Go to The Dogs Tonight – Alexandra Fuller. Originally published in 2001.

A book about growing up in Africa certainly, but most intersting, a book about family. Told from Bobo’s (Alexandra Fuller) fresh perspective as a child of politically charged bohemian parents, Bobo’s childhood was anything but ordianry. She captures the relationship between her and her sister with such relateability that Ms. Jeannie laughed out loud and then called her own sister to recommend it.

3. West With the Night – Beryl Markham. Originally published in 1942.

WestwithNight — West With the Night by Beryl Markham

Full of graceful, beautiful writing from a woman who became the first female pilot to fly solo across the Atlantic, this book pulls you in from page one. An excerpt from the opening paragraphs gives you a glimpse into her writing style: “After all, I am no weaver. Weavers create. This is remembrance – re visitation; and names are keys that open corridors no longer fresh in the mind, but nonetheless familiar in the heart.”

As a sidenote: Ms. Jeannie first discovered this book in her junior year of college. Needing a monologue to recite for speech class her father suggested something from West With The Night. Ms. Jeannie read it cover to cover in two days and recited a four page passage about the feeling of flying. Her professor said it was too long but her classmates were intrigued:)

4. Woman in the Mists – Farley Mowat. Originally published in 1998.

If you’ve seen the movie Gorillas In The Mist, starring Sigourney Weaver then you’ll know the precipice of this biography. Dian Fossey was a woman all her own. Like Jane Goodall, she felt called to become an animal advocate. Shedding her contemporary lifestyle to study animals in their environment, she made it her life-long mission to bring attention to the lives of the mountain gorillas of Africa. It was a brave decision and her lifelong work intensive and noble to say the least, but purposefulness also came with a price and Farley Mowat delicately describes both the strengths and the weaknesses of one women’s attempt at tremendous action.

5. Out of Africa – Isak Dinesen. Originally published in 1937.

outofafrica2 — Out of Africa – 1952 edition – available from RetroHut

Romantic, nostologic, glamorous, adventurous – this true life story about Baroness Karen von Blixen who moves to Africa to start a coffee plantation, has it all. After you read it, be sure to watch the movie, Out of Africa, starring Meryl Streep and Robert Redford. Stunning on both accounts.

6. The Poisonwood Bible – Barbara Kingsolver. Originally published in 1998.

Like Don’t Let’s Go to the Dogs Tonight, this book is about family as much as it is about Africa. Although it is a novel, it reads like non-fiction, full of relatable characters and circumstances. Each chapter is written from the voice of one of the four Price daughters and their mother (with the the littlest one being Ms. Jeannie’s most favorite!), so you get a really well rounded sense of their lifestyle in the Belgian Congo as their father attempts to connect with the locals through his missionary work. This is not a book about religion, so don’t let the title dispel you.

7. The Making of The African Queen by Katharine Hepburn. Originally published in 1987.

Who can resist Katharine Hepburn’s viewpoint on anything?! Packed full of her usual charm and wit, The Making of is fun for movie buffs who like to learn about what goes on behind the camera. The movie, The African Queen, came out in 1951 and starred Kate, Humphrey Bogart and Robert Morley. It was directed by John Huston. Humphrey Bogart plays a riverboat captain and Katharine Hepburn, a prime and proper missionary. They are a hilarious pairing:)

8. Rules of the Wild – Francesca Marciano. Originally published in 1999.

Rules of the Wild centers around a group of fictitious expatriates living in Kenya. At the heart of the story is Esme, who gives us her perspective on life and love in the wilds of African culture. Like, West With The Night, it is beautifully poetic and Esme provides intimate details about life in Africa that you would have never considered. Here is the opening paragraph…

“In a way, everything here is always secondhand. You will inherit a car from someone who has decided to leave the country, which you will then sell to one of your friends. You will move into a new house where you have already been when someone else lived there and had great parties in which you got incredibly drunk, and someone you know will move in when you decide to move out. You will make love to someone who has slept with all your friends. There will never be anything brand new in your life.”

9. The Power of One – Bryce Courtenay. Originally published in 1989.

Ms. Jeannie got caught up in the energy and determination of the energetic main character Peekay. If you are looking for a book to inspire you or cheer you up – then this is the one! Ms. Jeannie won’t spoil any of the plot, but after you’ve read it be sure not to miss the movie of the same title – beautifully crafted – just like the book.

10. The Flame Trees of Thika – Elspeth Huxley, originally published in 1959

Ms. Jeannie is just at the start of this book – but already she loves it. This a true account of Elspeth’s childhood as she and her parents set up house in Kenya in the early part of the 1900’s. Ms. Jeannie is reading the illustrated 1987 edition which contains family photographs as well as beautifully rendered illustrations by Kenyan artist, Francesca Pelizzoli.

If you’ve read any of these, please share your thoughts with us! If not, happy reading:)

Surprise in the Fig Bush!

Published on August 29, 2012October 4, 2012 by In The Vintage Kitchen4 Comments

It’s fig season in Ms. Jeannie’s world! They have been coming in over the past week now in full force, which means picking every day.

With all that rain yesterday (over 1.25″ inches) from Hurricane Issac, Ms. Jeannie went out to pick today, prepared with a big bucket. Joining the mosquitoes, bees and butterflies, Ms. Jeannie set to task picking and pulling. As she got closer to the center of the bush, she discovered a surprise…

A stray grey cat! He turned out to be very sweet and quite a fig picking companion. Apparently he had quite a story to tell too – meowing the whole time…

Quite a handsome little thing, Ms. Jeannie is not sure where he came from, so she’ll call around to the neighbors and see if anyone is missing a sociable pal. In the meantime, he seems content to explore the yard here at Ms. Jeannie’s.

As for the figs…Ms. Jeannie’s bucket overflowed with over 5lbs! A friend is going to be giving her a jam lesson – so she’ll keep you posted on how it turns out.

Wednesday in the Kitchen – Simple Tomato Basil Tart

Published on August 23, 2012October 28, 2016 by In The Vintage Kitchen2 Comments

Ms. Jeannie is thoroughly lucky to have come from a family of cooking adventurers. Her parents, her sisters, her husband all love to cook and enjoy experimenting with new flavors and diverse ingredients.

When she was small, Ms. Jeannie’s mother taught her the “old-fashioned” way of baking, with recipes handed down from generation to generation. Which meant everything, always, was made by scratch. Cookies, cakes, pies, puddings, chocolate sauce, whipped cream, every decadent delight was made by our hands with real, whole ingredients.

william — Ms. Jeannie’s great grandfather, William Earle aka Grandpa Bumpy, was an excellent baker. It’s his pie recipes that we still use today in our family.

As Ms. Jeannie grew and started her own experimenting, this love of building creations from the mixing bowl up stemmed out into other aspects of the palatte: homemade tomato sauce, chicken broth, pasta, salad dressings, soups, breads…it was thrilling to know that she could indeed make anything she wanted.

One of her most favorite things to make is pie crust. There is something about lumping a few, simple ingredients together in a bowl, mixing it about and then rolling it out into a delightful sheet of smooth paper-like dough.

There are challenges still though – even after all these years… like that wonderful flip of the thumb that makes a beautiful scalloped edge around the rim of the pie crust.Ms. Jeannie cannot seem to master this for the life of her. Instead she opts for the more rustic, “provincial” style of folding over the extra dough, which creates a very humble look.

Gorgeous scalloped pie crust (not made by Ms. Jeannie!). You’ll see Ms. Jeannie’s rustic style further down the blog. Apple Pie photograph by Summer Owens.

Ms. Jeannie was consistently taught by her mother that using good ingredients was just as important as using good equipment. Which meant having a good set of mixing bowls, rolling pins , flour sifters and a pastry cloth. Necessities. Each and every one of them.

baking — Vintage Kitchen Tool Collection from JodysVintage

When Ms. Jeannie was off to college and on her own, she tried to cut a few corners in the equipment department. Using an empty wine bottle as a rolling pin, the wooden cutting board as a pastry cloth and a fork in place of a dough cutter, Ms. Jeannie was off and baking to somewhat satisfactory results. Sometimes the dough would be tough and difficult to work, flour would get all over everything (almost always on the floor!) and the dough never rolled out perfectly on the square cutting board – usually lopping off one side, making it thicker in that section then all the others.

For years she baked like this – improvising and substituting, working with what she had at hand instead of getting the proper tools. A pastry cloth – that is really what Ms. Jeannie desperately needed. But she always seemed to overlook this one neccessity when she was out shopping.

Until…two months ago! When she FINALLY she purchased a pastry cloth at the kitchen supply store. It cost $5.00. What are on earth was she waiting for all this time? It was indeed a jubilant and monumental day:)

best1 — Ms. Jeanne’s new kitchen darling!

Now, whatever Ms. Jeannie rolls out onto this magic carpet comes out lighter, flakier and more evenly consistent. It is completely marvelous! As it turns out – pastry cloths have been in use for over a century. Because they are made usually from unbleached cotton and/or oilcloth they provide a wonderful non-stick work environment. Seasoned with a little flour and carefully stored, pastry cloths can last for years. Marvelous, says Ms. Jeannie, since it took her years to acquire!

Here is Ms. Jeannie’s latest creation using her lovely kitchen helper… (note the rustic crust!)

tart1 — Ms. Jeannie’s Simple Tomato Basil Tart

Simple Tomato Basil Tart – Serves 4

1 cup flour

1/4 tsp. salt

6 tablespoons of vegetable shortening

1/4 cup ice cold water

1/2 lb. Farmer’s cheese

4 large handfuls of fresh basil, washed and torn in pieces

2 lbs. organic home-grown cherry tomatoes, washed and cut in half

3 tablespoons olive oil

Salt & Pepper to taste

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place the halved tomatoes in a medium size bowl and toss in 3/4 of the fresh basil. Add the olive oil, salt and pepper and mix to combine. Set bowl aside and let tomatoes marinate while you make the dough.

2. Now onto the dough. In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, salt and shortening. Using a dough cutter (or a fork – in Ms. Jeannie’s case) mash the shortening into the flour until it forms small crumb-like bits. Add the cold water and combine until dough forms. Knead it lightly into a ball with your hands. Just until it is no longer sticky. Be careful not to overwork the dough – then it will become tough.

3. Sprinkle a small handful of flour on your work surface (aka the pastry cloth!) and roll the dough out as thinly as possible. Place crust in a round cake pan and bake in oven just until the crust is firm but not brown. About 20-25 minutes.

4. Remove crust from oven, add the tomato/basil mixture. Take the farmers cheese and slice in thin chunks on top of the tomato mixture. Carefully mix cheese and tomatoes together with a spoon, making sure not to scrap a hole in the bottom crust. Top with the remaining 1/4 basil.

5. Return the tart to the oven and bake for 20 minutes. Broil for an additional 5-6 minutes until the cheese starts bubbling and turns golden brown.

6. Let rest for 10 minutes before serving.

Serve this with a simple side salad and a glass of white wine (Ms. Jeannie chose a Pinot Grigio) and you have a lovely, light, late-summer dinner!

The Runaway Bunny – The Curious Life & Legacy of Margaret Wise Brown

Published on August 20, 2012February 26, 2022 by In The Vintage Kitchen4 Comments

Behind every great childen’s story book is an equally fascinating adult narrative. Take these examples of just a few favorite children’s books…

J.M Barrie, the enigmatic writer that brought us Peter Pan, wound up adopting the five little boys who inspired the story of Peter Pan after both their parents died. He also donated all the rights to Peter Pan to the Great Ormand Street Hospital.

barrie1 — J.M. Barrie (186-1937). Peter Pan was his best known work.

Roald Dahl who made us all believe in Willy Wonka, was also a pilot and intelligence officer in the British Air Force, married an American actress, and suffered through the deaths of two of his five children as well as his wife’s debilitating illness.

roald1 — Roald Dahl (1916-1990) is credited with being one of the 50 greatest British writers sine 1945.

Kay Thompson delighted all with her Eloise series, who was partly based on her goddaughter Liza Minelli. She was also a successful singer, musician, composer and actress.

kay2 — Kay Thompson (1909-1998) was best known for Eloise.

And in keeping, Margaret Wise Brown gave us the classic story of the Runaway Bunny.

runaway1 — Available in Ms. Jeannie’s Etsy shop

If you are unfamiliar with the story – it is about a little bunny who dreams of running away and having his own independent adventures. Only his mom assures him that he can never get so far away that she won’t be able to find him. It is wonderfully illustrated by Clement Hurd.

runaway2 — “If you go flying on a flying trapeze,” said his mother, “I will be a tightrope walker, and I will walk across the air to you.”

Originally published in 1942, by Harper and Row, The Runaway Bunny has been continuously in-print, making it one of the most popular children’s books of all time, both in the states and abroad.

Many refer to Margaret Wise Brown as a genius of children’s fiction. Born in Greenpoint, Brooklyn in 1910, Margaret grew up in an unhappy household with parents who argued frequently. To cope with her environment she often escaped to the stories in her head, of which she said were always quite prolific.

marg1 — Margaret with her sister Roberta and furry friends. See the bunnies?! Photo courtesy of margaretwisebrown.com

After she graduated from college, Margaret spent many years studying children on a psychological level at the Bank Street Experimental School in New York City. There, she communicated with her young audience on a get-to-know-you-basis, where she thoughtfully observed their relationships with books, story patterns and issues that affected them in everyday life.

Trying to emulate that same level of sincerity in her writing, Margaret attempted to capture the real-life problems and concerns that children faced instead of focusing on the then-popular fantasy and fairy tales peppering the children’s book market. Perhaps this is why Margaret’s books have remained so well loved for more more than 70 years.

Known to be quite charming and captivating, Margaret was a lover of animals and adventure, a world traveler and a practical joker. Linked in early relationships to William Gaston and novelist Preston Schoyer , it was poet, actress and playwright Michael Strange also known as Blanche Oelrichs, who ultimately captured Margaret’s heart.

michaelstrange — Michael Strange, aka Blanche Oelrichs (1890-1950), poet and actress

Margaret maintained residences in both New York City and Maine. Her seaside cottage house in Vinalhaven, Maine affectionately called Only House, was a source of inspiration and entertainment. There, she wrote, spoiled guests and explored the wilds of the Maine coast.

marg3maine — View from Only House. Photo courtesy of margaretwisebrown.com

The Velvet Doe: Thank you Laura

Published on August 17, 2012October 4, 2012 by In The Vintage Kitchen1 Comment

Ms. Jeannie has been one busy bee these past couple of weeks. She has missed her regular blogging schedule terribly but is in the middle of preparing two fun new posts now…so stay tuned.

In the meantime, Laura from The Velvet Doe was so lovely for featuring Ms. Jeannie’s handsome 1940’s Westclox alarm clock in her blog…

Stop by and check out the post here.

Thank you Laura!

The Connection between the Olympics, The Chordettes and Synchronized Swimming!

Published on August 3, 2012October 5, 2016 by In The Vintage Kitchen1 Comment

The synchronized swimming coverage starts this Sunday for all you Olympiad fans:) Ms. Jeannie of course will be tuned in to see how our U.S. ladies fare. Did you know that synchronized swimmers slick their hair back with Knox gelatin? The gelatin holds every hair in place during the competition and takes about an hour (and lots of hot hot water) to wash out at the end of their performance. Ms. Jeannie just loves little fun facts like that!

synchro1 — Synchronized swimming coverage runs August 5th – August 10th

Ever since Ms. Jeannie watched the Aqualilies promotional video, she has been humming that catchy little tune they featured. Finally after driving Mr. Jeannie Ology nuts, she took to the internet to find out about the song. If you missed the Aqualillies video from her previous post here it is…

Searching with just the few lyrics she could identify “whichever one you choose” and “kiss me kiss me kiss me” on elyrics.net, Ms. Jeannie discovered it was the song called Never on Sunday by the Chordettes, which came out in the early 1960’s.

Here’s the song in full…

It was written for the foreign film of the same title, Never on Sunday, and won an Oscar for Best Song at the 1961 Academy Awards. This was the first song from a foreign film ever to win Best Song, so it was a big deal for both the music industry and the film industry. Here’s the movie trailer…

The movie starred Melina Mercouri as a free-spirited Greek prostitute (naturally!) that is the object of an American philospher’s (played by Jules Dassin) fascination. He’s studying abroad trying to figure out how and why Greece has fallen from ancient greatness and she represents the symbolic cause behind his research. Some critics say this is the 1960’s version of Pretty Woman.

25/07/1990. CLOSE-UP ET ARCHIVES MELINA MERCOURI — Greek actress Melina Mercouri (1920-1994)

The movie was also nominated for Best Actress, Best Costume Design, Best Director and Best Writing/Story/Screenplay. Ms. Jeannie can’t wait to watch the whole thing – it sounds like it was a good one.

By the time the Chordettes had won their Oscar, they were at the peak of their career. Catapulted to popularity with their mid- 50’s chart topping hits Mr. Sandman and Lollipop, a performance on American Bandstand in 1957 (the first televised episode actually!) ensconced them in the American popular music front.

By December 1961 the group had broken up, but, 40 years later, were brought back into the spotlight when they were inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 2001.

Looking for your own vintage Chordette records? Try these Etsy shops…

chord1 — Set of Three Vintage Record Albums by midsummerdaydream

chord2 — Vinyl 45 – The Chordettes: Soft Sands by dragonflychase

Happy listening!

Interview with an Etsy Art Buyer: What’s She Searching For?

Published on August 1, 2012October 4, 2012 by In The Vintage Kitchen1 Comment

Ms. Jeannie has this lovely friend Tuny who has lived one of those adventurous sorts of lives here and abroad. She’s fun to spend time with because she’s always got something interesting to say. Last time they got together they were talking about the royal wedding and trying to determine William’s last name. Tudor? Windsor? Wales? They were determined not to look it up online yet try to figure it out by going through the lineage of the royal family. They got about 20 minutes into that and then decided to consult Google. (In case you are interested it’s a hypenated name, Mount Batten – Windsor!)

Anyway, in trying to guess the right name, their conversation took all sorts of twists and turns. There were references to Tuny being engaged to a Spanish bullfighter, her years spent as a librarian, her travels, her books, her artistic endeavors and her love of cats.

Cats – yes most definitely. Tuny might just be one of the biggest collectors of cat art that Ms. Jeannie knows. Specifically she loves cat folk art, which Ms. Jeannie can understand since she is a big folk art lover herself!

Each August, Ms. Jeannie anticipates the Slotin Folk Art Festival held in Norcross, GA (this year it’s August 17th-19th). If you have never been – it is quite an experience of color and creativity – so much so – by the end of the day, Ms. Jeannie’s brain feels swimmy with pageantry. Tuny would love it here!

folkfest3 — A glimpse into the festival. Photo courtesy of blackartinamerica.com

It just so happened that the first piece of folk art Ms. Jeannie ever bought was at the festival in 2008…a small 4×4 painting of a bird. Here’s a photo of it…

bird1 — The start of Ms. Jeannie’s folk art collection.

Ms. Jeannie loved the flowers and the colors. The fact that it featured a bird made it even more perfect. It is by far the most colorful piece of art that Ms. Jeannie owns.

So thrilled, Ms. Jeannie was, of her new acquisition, the artist wrote a personal little note on the back and signed her name. Ms. Jeannie’s glad she bought it that day as she hasn’t seen this artist at the festival any years since and she can no longer read the name of the artist’s signature. It’s one of those long scratchy, crawly names that she wrote upside down with a faded marker pen. This makes Ms. Jeannie cherish her folk art bird even more so. A special memento from a special day. Periodically, Ms. Jeannie will move Bird about the house to spaces and places that need a little extra brightening. Bird is good at offering that extra bit of light. Art is good at offering at that extra bit of bright.

So when Ms. Jeannie chats about cats with Tuny she can understand how her love of all things feline plays such an important part in her life. Read on as Tuny sheds some light on what it means to be a collector …

Ms. Jeannie: What is it about cat art in particular that appeals to you?

Tuny: Well…partly it is that cats themselves appeal to me; I like being around them, interacting with them, learning about their individual personalities, and enjoying their appearance, which brings me to a second, and perhaps more important, part, in this context: It’s a cliche that some people can toss a scarf or throw onto a sofa and have it transform the sofa, as if an experienced interior designer had done it. Cats are so well designed that no matter what they’re doing, it’s art. They can sprawl, curl up, stretch out, etc., and always look as if it were deliberate, because they form a pattern. But even more than the above, I love them and want to celebrate them.

Ms. Jeannie: How did you discover Etsy?

Tuny: MANY years ago, before I knew much about online activity, I must have been searching for “cat art” and came upon a kitty puppet that I wanted in the worst way–but it said to Sign in to Etsy, and I didn’t understand what Etsy was or how to go about that…especially as the only computer I had was my work computer, and I didn’t want to sign into anything on it. It wasn’t until several years later, when Etsy became better known, that I figured all this out.

etsyscreenshot — Screen shot of the Etsy Home Page

MJ: What do you like best about Etsy? What do you like least?

T: Perusing Etsy’s like being let loose in a really cool art festival, in the comfort of my own house, where I have access to art from around the world–that’s the best. Least are two things: when searching for something, odd things that have no relevance often turn up in the results. I understand, in most cases, why this happens, but I wish there were a way to put in limiters, such as “no prints” or “no cat-eye beads.” The other thing isn’t a real dislike, but I wish one could purchase an Etsy gift certificate that would be good for a shop of the recipient’s choice.

MJ: How did your interest in art develop?

T: Because I come from a very talented family, I always thought that my own efforts in that direction weren’t worth the effort, as it were, but when I was in my late 20’s, living abroad in a country with a long tradition of leather book binding, I started making little illustrated books for a friend, and had them bound. When I discovered how much fun painting was, talent or not, I was hooked.

The bookbinding episode was in Portugal–I didn’t learn bookbinding; I went down to one of the binderies, which were small operations, and told them what I wanted to do, which was to paint some pictures and have them bound into a small book. They gave me the paper of the right size, and when I finished the paintings, I took them back and they bound them into a small leather book. I made several of those. What I did learn, also in Portugal, was to make what are called tapetes, or carpets, of Arraiolos, in a very simplified form…a sort of long-armed cross-stitch done in wool on a burlap-like background.

arra — Antique Arraiolos Portuguese Embroidery Panel from Helena Alexio Glamour

MJ: What type or types of art appeal to you most?

T: Folk art and illustrations in children’s books

vintagechildren1 — Vintage Children’s Book Illustration “Dali’s Russian Dream” from MissQuiteContrary

cat3 — Siamese Cat Folk Art Painting by 3crows

vintagechildren2 — Vintage Children’s Book Illustration Alphabet from nesstiques

cat5 — Ghostly Cat Halloween Clay Folk Art Ornament by KilkennyCatArt

vintagechildren3 — Vintage 1950s Child’s Book Illustration from kelleystreetvintage

MJ: If you could sit down and have lunch with any famous artist, living or dead, who would you choose and why?

T: None; I prefer admiring from a distance.

lechat — Le Chat Noir Photo Cafe by Jessica and Holly

MJ: As a world traveler, exposed to many different cultures, how has travel affected your viewpoint on art?

T: Travel has enhanced my appreciation for indigenous/folk art of various countries.

travelingcat — The Traveling Cat Art Print by TheSmokingCat

MJ: What is your most favorite museum?

A. Honolulu Academy of Arts

hma — Honolulu Academy of Arts (Honolulu, Hawaii) Exhibition Hall

and the Folk Art Museum in Lisbon.

museu-de-arte-popular-museu-de-arte-popular-2010-06-30_28_550x370_20111026205736 — Museu de Arte Popular in Lisbon, Portugal

MJ: As a painter yourself, what do you hope to express with your work?

T: As all I paint is cats, then, an appreciation for them.

Tuny's Art — Love Song: Every Heart Has Its Song for Those Who Would Listen by Tuny

MJ: Explain your ideal art buying experience. Would you like to meet the artist face to face, get to know them, understand their motivations and their inspirations, their back story, or do you like to buy art and imagine your own stories surrounding a piece?

T: I enjoy meeting artists, particularly if I encounter them repeatedly at art shows, etc., but I like their work to speak for itself.

catirving — Irving Ponders the Nature of Consciousness by Matte Stephens

MJ: If money was no object, name 10 pieces of art that would be in your collection.

T: I enjoy looking at, experiencing, if you will, fine art, but my affinity is with folk art, most particularly cat folk art–so an unlimited collection of that would be lovely.

catfolk3 — Original Folk Art Cat Woman Painting by LindaKellyArt

MJ: Who is the most interesting artist you have met so far?

T: Hard to answer, because they all have something interesting to contribute.

(Ms. Jeannie’s side note: Incidently, Tuny’s niece, Diana, has an Etsy shop dVineArt which combines two of Tuny’s favorite mediums: cats and illustration! This must run in the family!)

catfolk4 — Santa Paws Christmas Pendant by dVineArt

MJ: As you transition through different stages in your life, do you find that your taste in art transitions with you or do you find yourself returning to the same artists, the same types of art, the same themes over and over again?

T: Basically I continue to like the same kind of art, see above, that I always have, but it’s exciting to see and learn about the many, many kinds of art that are out there. As I transition, I continue to meet different kinds of art, and it’s like stumbling on gold.

catfolk5 — Nice Kitty Found Object Assemblage Sculpture by CastofCharacters23

14. What book are you currently reading? What is your most favorite book?

Currently re-reading Kipling’s Puck of Pook’s Hill;

all-time favorite: Pride and Prejudice.

pride1 — Jane Auston’s most popular novel and her most favorite. It has been adapted for both television and screen many times. One of the most cinematic versions is the 2005 Focus Features film version starring Keira Knightly.

MJ: As an avid reader, what art books would you most recommend?

T: Right now, my main interest in art reading is to learn how-to’s; I tend to review the myriad of books one can find by searching under “collage,” ” paper making,” or whatever, in Amazon, and then reading the reviews to see what’s worth pursuing, purchasing those that seem appropriate.

MJ: What is your favorite way to view art? Online? In a gallery? On the street? At a craft show? At a museum?

theobservingcat — The Observing Cat by liatib

T: All of the above.

MJ: Explain a situation where art has directly affected your life.

T: When I retired, I joined one of our local art groups and have been busy ever since, volunteering, teaching, occasionally entering the art challenges–in effect, acquiring a whole new life.

MJ: What is one of the most interesting displays of creativity that you have seen in the last five years?

A. In our art group was a young man, an excellent artist, who had been in the group for some years before I came, and had, evidently, grown considerably in his talent during that time. By the time I came along, he was still developing, constantly experimenting and pushing himself, in all sorts of exciting directions. And then it was discovered, too late to do anything about it, that he had cancer. Yet he kept on with his art, pushing and experimenting, in the few months he had left.

catart1 — Cat Proverb Art Print by GoingPlaces2

MJ: If you could travel to any city on the globe, solely to view a piece of art what city and what piece of art would you choose?

T: The Terra Cotta Warriers!

terracotta-warriors-8 — The Terracotta Warriors

The Terracotta Warriors are indeed fascinating! Ms. Jeannie would like to see them for herself as well. To read more about how they were discovered by a Chinese farmer who was digging a well and to see more photos of the thousands of them in them unearthed and reassembled for display, click here. Ms. Jeannie wonders iof there are any warrior cats in there?! If so, I bet Tuny would find them!

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This interview is part of an ongoing interview series, that Ms. Jeannie is orchestrating about artists, writers and musicians and their inspirations. To read other interviews in this series, simply click on the following links:

A Trip to Paris Yann Pendaries https://inthevintagekitchen.wordpress.com/2012/06/15/a-trip-to-paris-with-photographer-yann-pendaries/

Sunday at the Diner with Luncheonette Vintage https://inthevintagekitchen.wordpress.com/?s=luncheonette+vintage&submit=Search

Discussing Rustic Home Decor, Beer & Movies with Designer Frick & Frack Scraps https://inthevintagekitchen.wordpress.com/2012/04/06/discussing-rustic-home-decor-beer-movies-with-designer-frick-and-frack-scraps/

BLOG UPDATE: So it seems my dears, in one of these fabulous conversations with Tuny something went awry. There was no love of a Spanish bullfighter in her life – how could Ms. Jeannie have b4en so confused?! Although Tuny did have an experience with a bullfighter, as she tells here

“The closest I ever came to one, except at a bullfight, was on a train that did a night run between Madrid and Lisbon. Whilst in Lisbon, I went to Madrid to visit some friends, and on the return journey, established myself in one of the little compartments with facing seats. Shortly thereafter I was joined by two lower-echelon members of a torero’s entourage, and we dozed from Madrid to Lisbon.”

Okay so it’s not a Romeo and Juliet love affair but it’s interesting just the same:)