Tifmurray

Wherever you live, I’m sure you’ve noticed that chicken coops have become quite the norm, even for city dwellers. No matter the location, your feathered friends need a roof over their heads and Studio Segers has created a series of components to house your pets and grow your vegetables. The Daily Needs Modular Chicken Coop & Garden is made up of a series of units that can be configured together for your composting needs, raised beds for vegetables, a tool shed, and living quarters for your small animals and chickens.

The design encourages people to grow their own food and produce their own eggs to become more self-sufficient.

The units are made to ship flatpack for easy transport and assembly.

On Friday, I documented my obsession with crunchies. I told you that I like to fry up tortilla strips to garnish anything with a Mexican flavor and a remotely soft texture. Today, I’m back to tell you that there’s no need to stop at strips when you’re thinking about crispy tortillas. You can fry the whole round! In other words, I’ve discovered tostadas.

I’m here to tell you that tostadas have all but elbowed tacos out of our dinner rotation. My complaint about tacos has always been textural. As vibrant a flavor you give them, tacos’ texture has one dimension: soft. (Notable exception: Baha Fish Tacos.)

With a tostada, though, crunch comes with the territory. Before guests arrive–up to an hour or two before dinner–you fry the tortillas into tostadas in a little bit of oil. They don’t need to be eaten warm, and they stay crunchy, so it’s not like frying latkes that get soggy and meh within minutes. You really can do the frying in advance.

And then other than that, this is a matter of assembly. I’ve made tostadas with a delicious pulled chicken tinga topping, and today’s version originally hit the menu when we had friends over for brunch on one of the season’s first snowy Saturdays. I made refried beans, shredded cheese, sliced avocado, stirred together chipotle mayo, and, finally–when we were ready to eat–scrambled up eggs with herbs and onions. We piled all these soft (but wonderful) ingredients on top of our crunchy tortillas. Brunch was served, messy and filling.

**Recipe**

Scrambled Egg Tostadas with Black Beans, Avocado & Spicy Mayo
Serves 4 (generously)

Ingredients
8 small corn tortillas
Neutral oil, like safflower
Coarse salt
1 large white onion, chopped and divided between two bowls
1 can black beans, pureed with the liquid from the can
½ bunch cilantro leaves, chopped, plus a few whole leaves for garnish
7 eggs, beaten well
4 ounces cheddar cheese, grated
1 teaspoon minced chipotle in adobo with a little bit more sauce, to taste
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 avocado, sliced
Juice of ½ a lime

Fry the tortillas: in a cast-iron skillet, warm ½ inch of oil over medium-high heat until hot but not smoking. Dip an edge of a tortilla in the oil and see if it bubbles—that’s when the oil is ready. Add each tortilla and cook for about 1 ½ minutes per side, until golden. Drain on paper towels and sprinkle with salt immediately. Set aside. You can make these an hour or so in advance.

Make the refried beans: heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat (you can use the pan you fried the tortillas in, just wipe out most of the oil). Add half of the chopped onion and cook for 4 minutes, until soft. Add the pureed beans and cook, stirring frequently, until thickened, 15 minutes. Season with salt, but be careful to taste as you go, since canned beans can vary in how much salt they have. Transfer to a small bowl.

To make the chipotle mayo, place the mayo, chipotle, and extra sauce in a small bowl. Stir together, tasting for spiciness and adding more pepper or mayo to your taste. Set aside.

When you’re ready to eat, preheat the oven to 375°F.

When ready to eat, heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat, heat 1 tablespoon oil. Add the rest of the onions and cook for 8 minutes, until soft. Add the chopped cilantro and stir to wilt. Season the eggs with a few pinches of salt, add them to the pan, and turn the heat to low. Scramble the eggs slowly so they form small curds around the onions, turning the heat down if they’re cooking too fast.

While the eggs are finishing cooking, spoon the beans evenly among the 8 tortillas and spread them over the surface, nearly to the edges. Cover each tortilla with an even amount of cheese, then transfer them to baking sheets and toast for 4 to 5 minutes, just til the cheese is melted. Remove from the oven, drizzle a little spicy mayo on each, then pile on the scrambled eggs. Squeeze lime juice and sprinkle salt over the avocado slices, then divvy them up on top of the eggs. Garnish with cilantro. Serve tostadas immediately, with a knife and fork. These are messy!

Photos by Carly Diaz

It’s going to be an amazing March for me and my two youngest kids — Indiana Comic Con is coming to the Indianapolis Convention Center, March 14 – 16. Whether you’re on Team Marvel, Team DC, or prefer hanging out with the Indie crowd, there’s something for every fan of the illustrated pulp serial.

The Indiana Comic Con website says they’ll be taking up over 100,000 square feet of the Convention Center with 150 booths of comics, cosplay (dressing up as costumed characters), videos and video games, toys and action figures, anime, Star Wars, trading cards, and original artwork.

Tickets are $20 for one day, $45 for all three days, and kids 12 and under are free. Tickets must be purchased from TicketMaster though, so don’t forget the additional “convenience fees.”

And no Comic Con is complete without celebrity guests. Indiana’s premier event will feature Evan Peters (X-Men: Days of Future Past, Kick-Ass), Caity Lotz (Arrow, Mad Men), Arya Stark (Game of Thrones), and Daniel Cudmore (Colossus from the X-Men movies).

But for the real comic fan, the true glory will come from the comic artists and writers themselves who show up. According to the website, we’re going to have a chance to meet George Pérez (Avengers, Teen Titans, Infinity Gauntlet), Rich Butler (Avengers, Fantastic Four), Bob Camp (co-creator of Ren & Stimpy), and Steve Englehart (Marvel and DC writer), to name just a few. If you want to see the entire lineup, visit the Indiana Comic Con website.

The days and times of Comic Con are:

• Friday: 12 pm – 6 pm
• Saturday:10 am – 6 pm
• Sunday:10 am – 5 pm

For more information, visit the website. They’re also seeking volunteers for the event, although there’s no word whether volunteers get in for free.

Indiana Comic Con Coming March 2014 is a post from The Indiana Insider Blog. Check out more great content from the Indiana Insider.

The post Indiana Comic Con Coming March 2014 was written by Erik Deckers for the Indiana Insider Blog and can be found at The Indiana Insider Blog. If you read this post somewhere other than the link above, please contact us and let us know: http://www.in.gov/visitindiana/contactUs.aspx

Yesterday, I wrote about Indiana’s first Comic Con, which will be held at the Indianapolis Convention Center March 14 – 16, 2014.

And then a friend told me not to forget Indy PopCon this May.

“PopCon?” I asked. “What’s PopCon?”

It’s a convention that will make every good nerd think they died and went to heaven — it’s 150,000 square feet of comics, cosplay (dressing up as costumed characters), video games, Internet culture, science fiction/fantasy, anime, TV and movies (so lots of Dr. Who, I’m guessing), art and more.

It’s a nerd convention about nerd fun, and I’m going to be first in line.

Indy PopCon will be held Friday, May 30 through Sunday, June 1, and it features a veritable flashing, blinking cornucopia of fun stuff to do.

Special guests include Kristian Nairn (Game of Thrones), Joel Hodgson (Mystery Science Theater 3000), comedy duo Paul and Storm, and voice actor John DiMaggio (Bender on Futurama), as well as renowned science fiction artist Dave Dorman (the husband of the aforementioned friend who said “don’t forget PopCon), Greg Horn (Marvel and DC), Gavin Smith (All Superheroes Must Die), and Beth Zyglowicz (artist for Space Turtle Studios).

Ticket prices are $45 for a 3-day pass, $20 for Friday or Sunday only, and $25 for Saturday only. Children 10 and under are free.

For more information and tickets, visit the Indy PopCon website.

Indy PopCon Comes to Convention Center May 2014 is a post from The Indiana Insider Blog. Check out more great content from the Indiana Insider.

The post Indy PopCon Comes to Convention Center May 2014 was written by Erik Deckers for the Indiana Insider Blog and can be found at The Indiana Insider Blog. If you read this post somewhere other than the link above, please contact us and let us know: http://www.in.gov/visitindiana/contactUs.aspx

Speaking of bold florals, take a look at these exuberant blooms that recently came to my attention:

In In the Matter of Scott STORMS, a 3-page 5-0 order filed Feb. 3 but posted today, sets out on...

“Tulips,” Daniel Gordon. From Still Lifes, Portraits & Parts, published by Mörel Books.

“Major Tease,” Deborah Oropallo. From Pomp, published by Gallery 16.

This past weekend Printed Matter’s second annual LA Art Book Fair filled the Geffen Contemporary Museum in downtown Los Angeles with an astounding array of publications. More than 270 exhibitors from 19 countries displayed books of all sorts, from zines to high-end, limited edition books, and everything in between. Among the frenzy of images, the ongoing trend of photographs that play with an element of collage—whether straightforward photo collage or images seemingly inspired by it—was well represented at the fair. We put together some of our favorites from the overwhelming number of volumes on display.

“Tenting,” Lucas Blalock. From Windows Mirrors Tabletops, published by Mörel Books.

“#24,” Brea Souders. From Spectre // Spectrum, issue no. 5 of Conveyor Magazine.

“Catch a Fire,” Peter Sutherland. From Sender, published by Printed Matter.

“Blue suit, yellow bag,” Bettina Hubby. From Uniforms, published by The Ice Plant.

“All your dreams belong to us 2,” Charlie Rubin. From Strange Paradise, published by Conveyor Editions.

“Untitled (The Arrangement),” Ruth Van Beek. From The Arrangement, published by RVB Books.

The post Our Favorite Photo Collage Work From the LA Art Book Fair appeared first on Feature Shoot.

Northern Indiana Public Service Co. is expected to announce an electric vehicle initiative during this month's South Shore Clean Cities Inc. annual meeting. Officials with the nonprofit organization say NIPSCO is scheduled to provide details of a program to promote electric vehicle use throughout northern Indiana.

A longtime restaurant in Indianapolis has new owners. Jay and Chelsey Wetzel are now at the helm of Union Jack Pub in Broad Ripple. The eatery had been owned for years by Brenda Rising-Moore, who approached the Indianapolis couple about taking over.

Indiana Michigan Power Co. is pumping $500 million into improvements in the greater Fort Wayne area. The "Powering Up Northeast Indiana" initiative involves new and upgraded transmission lines and substations in several counties including Allen, DeKalb and Huntington. The utility expects the project to have a "minimal effect" on customer rates. I&M says construction has already begun and will likely take six to eight years.

Back on the November 26, 2013 edition of Indiana Week in Review I heard a mention that Senator Long had...

Duke Energy Indiana is seeking suppliers focusing on solar energy. The utility has issued a request for proposals from companies with solar electric generating operations that could provide up to five megawatts of power. It's part of Duke's commitment to green power as outlined in a legal settlement with consumer groups over the Edwardsport coal gasification project.

Melbourne illustrator Jeffrey Phillips in his Richmond studio.  Photo – Sean Fennessy.

Jeffrey’s impressive self portrait as a 17th century French nobleman! Photo - Sean Fennessy.

A commission of sketches of Finnish conductor Pietari Inkinen in action during rehearsals for Wagner’s Ring Cycle in Melbourne. Hand drawn in pen and ink on fine art paper by Jeffrey Phillips.

Jeffrey’s experimentations with calligraphy.  Photo - Sean Fennessy.

Jeffrey’s Richmond studio.  Photo - Sean Fennessy.

I have always had a fascination with people who can draw.  There’s just something so raw and honest about putting pen to paper, and being able to generate a story, an idea, or a character with just a few lines.  No technology, no post production, no camera filters… it’s the kind of old-fashioned talent you just can’t fudge!

One guy who possesses an incredible talent in this field is Melbourne based illustrator and designer Jeffrey Phillips.  He really is amazing.  Working primarily simply with a crow-quill nib and a bottle of Indian black ink on white paperstock, Jeffrey creates the most intensely detailed illustrations, seemingly effortlessly!

What’s interesting about Jeffrey is how versatile he is; his illustrative style is surprisingly varied, so much so that it’s actually quite hard to pigeon hole his work into one distinct category.  His commercial work varies from vibrant comic-book style storyboards, whilst personal projects include an endless stream of sketchbook portraits, life drawing, caricatures, as well as group projects with an art collective he is involved in, called Joining Forces.  (Last year the group awarded the opportunity to create an artwork for one of Melbourne’s Art Trams, as part of Melbourne Festival. )

I first discovered Jeffrey quite by chance – I was sitting in the audience at last year’s Field Trip creative conference, and, as I often do, found myself glued to the official instagram hashtag during the presentations.  One fellow ‘grammer immediately caught my attention – Jeff was sitting up the front sketching some of the speakers, and instagramming his work live.  I was blown away!  (His instagram is well worth following actually, he often shares his amazing sketchbook scribbles, and some of his most spontaneous work is often my favourite!).

Aside from illustration, recently Jeffrey has also been experimenting with modern copperplate style calligraphy, and it’s no surprise he is ridiculously good at it!  This guy just really knows his way around a pen…!

Tell us a little about your background – what path led you to becoming an illustrator, and to creating the style of work you are currently making?

I definitely took the scenic route to becoming an illustrator ha!

I was born and raised in Bombay in the eighties. My background is of mixed Indian, British and Portuguese heritage. Our family immigrated to Perth, Australia when I was about 13 years old. I moved to Melbourne just over a year ago, so I’m still newish to this town.

As a child, I drew a heck of a lot. But it was always viewed as nothing more than a hobby, and eventually I grew up to treat it that way. Maths and sciences were far more important for young Phillips to master before he could indulge in those other decadent pastimes.

So graduating high school, and armed with decent grades, I tackled a degree in Communications Systems Engineering. After a solid crack at it, I decided that was way too much calculus to handle, and quietly switched to an easier but still ‘respectable’ double major in Finance and Marketing.

Illustration and design was probably the furthest thing from my mind at this point. When I graduated I started working in financial advice, and did reasonably well initially, but soon faced a gradual spiral into a crisis of motivation. This inevitably led to suddenly finding myself unemployed. I felt at this point a serious change was probably in order, and enrolled in a graphic design course at Central TAFE in Perth.

It was probably the single most life changing decision I have ever made. I loved it.  I wound up excelling at my course, outpacing my coursework, and finding clients on the side. I was already getting full-time freelance work by the time I graduated. I haven’t looked back since.

Since then I have developed a ravenous appetite for self-improvement when it comes to my craft. There are so many different ways to illustrate, and I believe versatility makes you commercially viable. Also experimentation and learning new skills definitely keeps you on your toes, and creatively open to change.

All that tinkering and experimentation has definitely helped me discover and gravitate to the styles that leverage my abilities best.

How would you describe your work?

I like to create work that is quirky, funny and clever. I like hidden meanings and double entendre. I don’t mind being a little cheeky at times too.

If my work serves to entertain, brighten moods, and summon smiles, then I believe it has been effective. Even if I am the only one who’s smiling at the end of it.

Illustrations inspired by one of Jeffrey’s all time favourite illustrators, Edward Gorey.

Your illustration style is very diverse, ranging from quite intricate life-like work to caricature style drawings, more commercial ‘cartoony’ work and storyboards. What inspires and influences these various styles, and is there one style you consider to be your ‘natural’ style of illustrating?

I feel my style is still evolving, and I suspect this will always be the case. Of course given the option, I naturally go for the old pen and ink.

You can create pretty much anything with just a crow-quill nib and a bottle of Indian black. But even within that narrow constraint, there is so much variety to my eye. Different nibs lend themselves to different ways of hatching or drawing lines, subtly influencing whether a drawing is neat and tight, or scratchy and loose. And where possible, a small witty remark sets the whole thing off.

I’m greatly inspired by the work of artists like Quentin Blake, Edward Gorey, Al Hirschfeld and Ronald Searle – all masters of the pen and/or a clever little line or two.

Of course this is a far cry from my commercial work – which is basically created to serve a purpose and not necessarily an outlet for my own self-expression. For example, with a storyboard for a television commercial, as long as the angles are right and characters are in the right place, folks are happy.

I guess as a working illustrator it’s healthy to have the distinction between commercial work where you are not necessarily ‘personally invested’, versus personal work which can still be commissioned, but retains more of the artist’s personality as a key component.

Melbourne illustrator Jeffrey Phillips in his Richmond studio.  Photo - Sean Fennessy.

Creatively you work across a broad spectrum as a commercial illustrator, storyboard artist and graphic designer? How do you manage your time across these various disciplines?

Swiss precision time management all the way!

Every morning I open my journal and make a list of things that need to get done, and do my best to cross them off as I go. If I don’t get around to something it rolls over to the next day. The method is old school but it works fairly well. Besides I need to use all these lovely pens and beautiful notebooks I have an annoying habit of accumulating. #makelistsforeverything

Like a typical freelancer my life ranges from tranquil zen-like peace to frantic hell-spawned chaos. Take this week for example, I had to move out from my house, juggle deadlines, deliver final artwork to printers, and a myriad other things. But I don’t mind it, frankly I embrace the challenges that come with being a freelancer. The pressure and the expectation to deliver pushes me hard to improve myself.

Working across a broad spectrum also keeps me reasonably busy on a full-time basis. And the skills tend to overlap in ways that benefit each other. For example I don’t mind working on the graphic design of a publication for which I was originally hired just for the illustrations. That way I get to look after my babies all the way to print, like an overprotective mother hen.

Jeff’s desk!  Photo - Sean Fennessy.

Can you give us a little insight into your process? What materials do you use? Is each work pre-planned or created very intuitively?

A great part of the creative process happens in my mind before anything else takes place. I like to let my imagination wander freely, day dreaming, devoid of any deliberate distractions. I try to avoid using my phone or tablet, unless I absolutely have to. It has proved invaluable to my creative output.

I’ve learnt that this process isn’t lucky, or up to chance. Everyone’s subconscious is adept at coming up with connections and associations between seemingly unlikely concepts. This can lead to great leaps in solving creative problems, stubbing your frontal lobe on an unexpectedly great idea. Ouch.

So once the hard thinking is out of the way I break out a few of my favourite tools. My favourite pen is neon yellow Lamy Safari with an Extra-Fine nib (neon yellow because I ordered the wrong colour). I use ‘Noodler’s Bullet Proof Black’ ink in it because it’s one of the few inks that are both waterproof and safe for fountain-pen use. These two combined with the amazing paper quality of the Fabriano Artist Journal create a lovely tactile feedback loop. The way the nib glides over the paper in the right way, tapering off at each stroke, with its unique imperfections is a recipe for a great illustration. And while I can draw with pretty much anything at hand, this particular combination of ink, pen and paper works really well for me.

I also use a plethora of drawing and calligraphy nibs for pen and ink work (Gillot, Hunt, Zebra G, etc.). Their amazing little imperfections and line weight variation create just the right nuances I like.

For most commercial work though, I resort to working digitally, emulating the above using my trusty Wacom Cintiq Graphics tablet. While it’s not as visceral as working traditionally, the trade-off is the added flexibility of Ctrl-Z, the ability to make changes on the fly or accommodate unexpected changes to a brief.

Melbourne illustrator Jeffrey Phillips at work in his Richmond studio.  Photo - Sean Fennessy.

Jeffrey works on a commercial illustration commission.  Photo - Sean Fennessy.

What does a typical day at work involve for you?

First things first, coffee from my regular spot ‘Cheerio’, Richmond. Then it’s straight into the studio, I chuck on some music and I hit up my favourite design blogs for a little inspirational boost to start the day.

Once I’m suitably charged up with inspiration and caffeine I tackle the first job on the list and work my way through them until it’s all done. It can be anything from storyboarding a new commercial for McDonald’s China, to an editorial illustration for a literary magazine, to the promo artwork for a MICF show. There’s usually a good bit of variety in the work, which keeps things interesting.

If I have no pressing work to deal with I’ll use the time to try something new. Lately I’ve started getting into modern copperplate calligraphy in a big way. And that was simply because I tried some new drawing nibs and then realised they had a great secondary application. Or vice versa, I can’t remember. But either way the result was incredibly satisfying and addictive.

Melbourne illustrator Jeffrey Phillips in his Richmond studio.  Photo - Sean Fennessy.

Can you list for us 5 resources across any media that you turn to regularly for creative inspiration?

1. I love ffffound.com, designspiration.com, ineedaguide.blogspot.com.au and any site that basically has a frequently updated list of randomised quality creative images. Unlike something like Pinterest which is very categorised, you never know what is going to come up next, and I love that.

2. That massive dump of archival images the British library unloaded all over the internet a few months ago. Such a great resource!

3. The NGV. There is so much going on there, especially during Melbourne Now. I get a massive hit of inspiration every time I walk into that place. The most unassuming things just pop out at me, giving me great little ideas for projects and so on.

4. I enjoy photography blogs focused on people or fashion like Humans of New York, The Sartorialist etc. They give me great ideas and direction for creating and dressing characters.

5. Libraries. The City Library and State Library are awash with resources, not to mention they have a good bit of art, as well as people to draw.

Studio details.  Photo - Sean Fennessy.

Which other local artists, designers or creative people are you liking at the moment?

I’m loving the work of those crazy guys at Canary Press and their amazing little short story mag. Their passion for what they do is so infectious, I can’t help but get caught up in their madness.

Also absolutely loving getting down to Melbourne Now – that show is just dripping with talent and amazingly inspiring artwork.

And lastly the great work Veronica Grow is doing with Old School New School is really fun and refreshing.

What is your proudest career achievement to date?

About six months ago, our hastily thrown together collective ‘Joining Forces’ won the opportunity to design one of the eight Melbourne Art Trams. It took us completely by surprise.

We followed that up by winning the People’s Choice Award, which was an incredible double whammy. The feedback from that project and being a part of Melbourne Festival was thoroughly amazing.

What would be your dream project?

This is how I imagine it would unfold:

*phone rings*

‘Hello, Jeff speaking…’

‘Hi Jeff, I’m the art director at The New Yorker and we’d love to get you on board for a few strips in our next issue’

*melts into puddle of joy*

‘….hello?’

What are you looking forward to?

I’m looking forward to the upcoming SuperGraph Expo this Feb, where I’m going to be working on some really cool stuff with my collective ‘Joining Forces’.

Aside from that, I’m just super optimistic about 2014. I want to continue improving and pushing boundaries with my craft to see where it takes me.

Studio details.  Photo - Sean Fennessy.

MELBOURNE QUESTIONS

Your favourite Melbourne neighbourhood and why?

Hahaha this changes by the day!

Last month, it was Carlton. Last week it was North Fitzroy. Everytime I go for a little wander I’m like ‘Wow, could this be my favourite neighbourhood?’

I feel like a child in a toy shop. This is my favourite thing ever! No wait, THIS IS!

This morning, I stopped by the Rowena Parade Corner Store Cafe while walking through Richmond and I instantly had a new favourite.

Where do you shop in Melbourne for the tools of your trade?

Once a year I hit up the NoteMaker warehouse sale for bulk supplies of journals, sketchbooks, paper and whatever else I can get my grubby bargain crazy hands on.

My favourite sketchbook the ‘Fabriano Artist Journal’ can be bought from most art shops so I just pop into the nearest whenever I fill one up. It has two alternative paper stocks in a single book, both with their own unique characteristics.

Most of my other materials comes from Melbourne Artist Supplies or Deans Art.

Where / what was the last great meal you ate in Melbourne?

The absolutely decadent fried chicken experience at ‘Gami’. A sticky, hot mess of unholy spiciness, gooey cream corn sides and kimchi washed down with a lot of cold beer. Class act. Probably a bi-annual affair at best though.

Where would we find you on a typical Saturday morning?

Out in the city or northern suburbs somewhere, exploring the odd laneway, enjoying some of Melbourne’s frequent public festivals or markets, coffee in one hand, sketchbook in the other.

Melbourne’s best kept secret?

I don’t know how much of a secret this one is…

We once stumbled upon a Giant California Redwood plantation deep in the Beech Forest, off the Great Ocean Road in the Otways. It was quite some way off the beaten track but was so worth it. They tower high over you, and the whole area has this deathly quiet, muffled atmosphere. The ground is covered in a thick, soft layer of pine needles. A magical place.

Calligraphy experimentation.  Photo - Sean Fennessy.

The Denver Post has snagged Jon Murray, who will join the ranks of more than a dozen Indianapolis Star newsroom staffers to depart in the last year.

Indianapolis-based EnderDel Inc. is providing back-up power for the Olympic Winter Games in Sochi. The energy storage system company says it was selected in 2010 to provide the technology that supports the power substations in the Russian city. The company says the system is installed and ready to go in advance of the February 7 opening ceremonies.

Mike Corbin reports for WIBC:[Gary Roberts]leaves Tuesday for the world sporting spectacle where he'll serve as one of nine arbitrators...

i received a lovely home tour submission this week from interior designer natalie myers of veneer designs. This silverlake house was bought by a recently single creative professional who came in with no furnishings and a desire for a fresh start. The trick of it was that natalie’s client left the country for 10 days and entrusted her to make critical decisions in his absence — which can be kind of a dream project if you do it right, and it turns out natalie most certainly got it quite right.

the house was pretty dark and a bit dated, so natalie’s goal was to open it up (widen archways, smooth popcorn ceilings and orange peel walls) and create good flow, as well as a focus on original furniture pieces and vintage items with great character. Many trips to the flea market and email exchanges with custom furniture makers later, the house came together. Natalie approached the project as if it were her own home, and after a while the house started to feel like it was hers as she lovingly picked every paint color, lighting fixture, vintage find, and new furniture piece as if it were for herself. thankfully, natalie and her client’s styles were in perfect agreement so that when he returned from his travels and walked into the freshly remodeled and decorated home, he was ecstatic and she was overjoyed to see his reaction. A friendship was forged, but boy was it hard to relinquish the keys! Thanks so much to Natalie for sending it my way, and to Amy Bartlam who took such beautiful photographs of this charming space.

• photography by Amy Bartlam.

What I love about Superbowl week (and it’s not the game, of course – who’s even playing? and that’s football right?)… What I love is the amount of Mexican-ish comfort food that’s all over the internet. I haven’t been into … Go to the recipe...

“My name is Suzanne Heintz and I’m a photographer…and a spinster.”—Suzanne Heintz

Denver-based photographer and art director Suzanne Heintz was fed up with people asking her when she was going to get married. From her mother’s direct plea, “Just pick somebody!” to others’ woeful sighs of pity, Heintz lived half her life wondering where she had gone wrong. After years of struggling to politely answer the question, she decided to procure the house, husband, and offspring everyone so desperately felt was the pathway to happiness. Purchasing a pair of second-hand mannequins, Heintz set about playing house to achieve the American Dream. From a Parisian holiday to Christmas cards of wildly escalating happiness, Life Once Removed is a sharp, witty critique on the archaic expectations of domestic bliss and fulfillment.

Describe the ‘perfect life’ that is expected of every woman.
“This is a weird time in women’s history. Don’t get me wrong, I’m pleased as punch that I was born when I was. I’ve got more choices and opportunities than any generation of women before me, but our roles have never been more complicated by deeply ingrained mixed messages from both previous and present generations.

“The term ‘perfect’ is no longer used to describe what we’re all striving to be. Now it is called ‘fulfilled.’ But for women, the path to fulfillment is not through one thing, it’s all things—education, career, home, family, accomplishment, enlightenment. If any one of those things is left out, it’s often perceived that there’s something wrong with your life. We are somehow never enough just as we are. We are constantly set up by our expectations to feel as though we are missing something.

“In my case, it seems I was missing the family component, and was suspect for that gap in my resumé as a successful woman. I thought it was high time to call this nonsense out publicly, because this notion is not just about me, nor only about women in regards to marriage. It’s about anyone whose life doesn’t look the way it ‘should.’ I’m simply trying to get people to open up their minds and quit clinging to antiquated notions of what a successful life looks like. I want people to lighten up on each other and themselves, and embrace their lives for who it has made them, with or without the Mrs., PhD. or Esq. attached.”

You frequently shoot on location for this series. What sort of response do you receive? Is the interaction with the public an important part of your process?
“It’s exactly why I prefer to shoot in public. While I need the public to act as character and context for the actual photo or video, I also need their responses to make the effort a success as an instigator for social change. The reaction can vary from a raised eyebrow with a head turn, to a blast of laughter, to taking their own snapshots while posing with the mannequins. It depends a lot on the location. But most importantly, it stops people in their tracks long enough to ask me what the heck I’m doing. Because the project is so audacious and flat-out funny, it helps me reach the public, and actually get them to let their guard down long enough for me to have a conversation with them.”

Tell us about the intent behind the increasingly elaborate ‘Christmas card’ photos.
“We love and obey the formatted image of a well-lived life. Nowhere is this more apparent than in the form of the annual holiday family photo cards that have become so popular. For a single girl like me, they seemed ripe for lighthearted satire.

“Family photos, particularly holiday photos, are supposed to capture emotional memories. Now that virtually every experience is photographed and shared for the world to see, the meaning is often lost, and it becomes more about projecting an idealized image. These photo cards are meant to show pride in the growth and development of the family over the years. However, since nobody grows in my family, the scenario has to. The project not only escalates as a challenge for me personally, it also needs to continue to evolve to keep it driving the conversation forward in the public eye.”

You have taken grand measures to actually enact these family rituals of home, holidays, and vacation. Why was the physicality of the work significant?
“This is why I’ve never used a model for the wife and mother role. It is a self portrait. I personally had to act it out to make the point. I had to physically demonstrate ‘going through the motions.’ If I had married because it was ‘time,’ I’d be living by rote, not choice. That’s exactly what I’m criticizing—acting out a life based on outdated expectations. I construct these artificial scenes of real life to ask, ‘What’s more important? That I’m happy, or that the open position of husband and father is filled in my life?’

“Now in regards to the physical difficulty of transporting and shooting uncooperative fiberglass quadriplegics—why would I put myself through this? It’s because the struggle is what tells you that the message is important. We are all overwhelmed by a flood of insignificant messaging. A message of any significance requires a great effort to be heard. This monumental effort I’ve made is absurd, but it reflects my point. Going through life by rote or spending it feeling as though you did it wrong, are lacking, or not living up to expectations—that’s what is truly an absurd waste of time.”

The post ‘Spinster’ Photographer Poses With Mannequin Family to Depict the American Dream appeared first on Feature Shoot.

The Indiana Office of Utility Consumer Counselor is recommending approval of Northern Indiana Public Service Co.'s seven-year, $713 million capital improvement initiative. The Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission is required to issue a ruling on the plan by May.

The Indianapolis Public Library is set to unveil a preliminary strategic plan. Tuesday's presentation will include an opportunity for public input and cover facility, finance and partnership objectives for 2015-2020.

Backed by nearly three-fourths of its members, the Indianapolis Bar has taken the unusual step of announcing its opposition to the state constitutional amendment under debate at the Statehouse.

Netherlands-based Arie van’t Riet didn’t intend on becoming an artist. He has worked for years as a radiation physicist specializing in low-energy x-rays, never considering the act recreational until a friend asked him to take an x-ray of one of his paintings. Impressed with the result, van’t Riet was inspired to explore just what else he could examine. He turned to nature, capturing what he calls ‘bioramas,’ unveiling flora and fauna in all their see-through intrigue. Shooting analog with silver bromide x-ray film—which resembles a black and white negative—van’t Riet digitizes, inverts, and then colorizes parts of the image in Photoshop, giving us a taste of a superpower we’ve all imagined.

via Lost At E Minor

The post Stunning Flora and Fauna X-Ray Images by Arie van’t Riet appeared first on Feature Shoot.

If it fits, it ships. 

All layout image from Love & Lemons

Back from Alt Summit this morning (what a fun whirlwind weekend!) and as with returning back from any type of trip, I'm always happy to get back to my healthy eating routine.

Being in the middle of winter can sometimes make finding fresh produce a bit tricky, so today's Nutrish & Delish highlights one of my favorite protein-rich pantry items: The Chickpea! All of the recipes here are from darling Jeanine at Love & Lemons and I can personally vouch to the deliciousness of numbers 2, 6, 8 & 10! :)  Her veggie-centric take on cooking and the inclusion of so many gluten-free and vegan options make L&L one of my major go-to resources when I'm whipping things up in my own kitchen! 1 // Roasted Beets & Chickpeas with Jalapeno Yogurt 2 // Lemon-Walnut Quinoa Salad with Radishes & Chickpeas 3 // Radicchio & Chickpea Wraps 4 // Avocado & Chickpea Salad Sandwich 5 // Chickpea & Saffron Stew with Spinach & Tomatoes 6 // Spiced Carrot & Chickpea Salad 7 // Simple Pea & Chickpea Pasta Salad 8 // Cauliflower Puree & Chickpeas 9 // Sesame Ginger Chickpea Cakes 10 // Creamy Polenta & Mushrooms

We know what most drugs look like—at least in material form that is. But what does their matter, their breakdown, their essence look like? German photographer Sarah Schoenfeld pursued this challenging question in All You Can Feel, a series of images of various drugs that she placed onto exposed negative film and then enlarged. Each drug manifested differently. The image depicting caffeine shows a circle with spiky, kinetic offshoots coming off its surface like a desert cactus. Melatonin, on the other hand, coated the film in a softer, milkier way—its imprint like a cloud or a big snowball. How these drugs alter the surface of the film is a fascinating visual representation of how they might also alter our own chemistry. We asked Schoenfeld more about the project.

Where did you get the idea for this project?
“I worked for many years in a nightclub, where mind-altering substances are an important part of the dance and party culture scene. I was fascinated and scared by the enormous power such substances have recreationally and as medication in the treatment of psychological diseases like schizophrenia, etc. When I got into the whole thing, I was really surprised how complex and interesting drugs are in terms of politics and philosophy. I realized that we could use a certain kind of new narrative, one to open up the dialogue about drugs, consumption, politics. I had already used photo negatives in previous works as a stage for different processes, so it just happened to come together in this work.”

How did you manage to sample the drugs you used for the photographs?
“I understand that it might be interesting for you to know, but about the practical side of this work I can’t really talk. However, I assume your imagination will tell you exactly the right stories.”

Would love to hear more about your process in photographing this project. What precautions did you take? How did you approach the making of these images?
“This is not really photography. I took a photograph of a plain background and used already developed negatives and poured the liquid substances on the sensitive surface of the photo emulsion. The interaction between the substance and the emulsion makes the picture negative—what I print out analogue in the darkroom.”

This post was contributed by photographer Sahara Borja.

The post Heroin, Meth, LSD, Ketamine, Speed and More Captured on Film appeared first on Feature Shoot.

Other sources have reported this at greater length, but for posterity on this blog, I’ll just note that HJR 3 / 6 and its “splainin” companion bill passed 9 – 3. The committee heard a great deal of testimony, but apparently the proponents who ultimately voted in favor of the measure did not ask many questions. As Mary Beth Schneider, formerly of the Star, pointed out, when proponents don’t ask questions, they know they have the votes.

And, of course, it should be no surprise that the votes were secure before the hearing. Forced with a choice between the schoolyard maxims of playing by the rules and “if at first you don’t succeed,” Speaker Bosma went with the latter, demonstrating that getting a prohibition on same sex marriages, civil unions, and other legal statuses substantially similar to marriage into the state constitution is of a high priority. After the black eye of not being able to get the votes in the House Judiciary Committee, he took the very unusual, but not unprecedented step of moving a bill amending the Constitution into the Elections committee. Which, in a sense, is appropriate. This legislation is a political act, not a sound legal approach to governing.

Though it’s sometimes hard to decipher exactly what elevates a recipe from “maybe I’ll make that one day” status to “I’m sprinting to the kitchen right now” material (chipotle? squash? cheese?), I can pinpoint a few elements from the ingredient list or cooking instructions that’ll catapult the recipe over to the “no way am I ever making that” list, and the first one reads like this: “peel and cube the butternut squash.”

Have you ever peeled and cubed a butternut squash? If you’re lucky, the worst problem you’ll encounter during the process is your knife getting stuck in the stiff flesh no matter how recently its blade was sharpened. More likely you’ll also find the skin of your hands peeling off much more easily than the squash’s, thanks to butternut squash-induced contact dermatitis, which is a real thing.

And so I was intent on avoiding that instruction when I wanted to cook vegetarian enchiladas one Sunday and a butternut squash materialized in the produce aisle, the only appealing vegetable there. Of course, I wanted the squash in cubes eventually, so I could fill my all-veg enchiladas with something tasty and hearty. Instead of dealing with peeling and chopping, I solved the problem with a single cut through the middle of my squash before roasting the two halves until soft. Only then did I venture to remove the skin and chop the vegetable. I highly recommend this technique for any squash recipe that permits it. My filling got seasoned with lime juice, fresh garlic, and smoky chipotle in adobo, and I actually enjoyed cooking with squash for once.

The rest of the enchilada dish comes together as a healthful vegetarian main posing as something gooey and decadent. I love how the tomato and jalapeño sauce develops in the blender; onions, garlic, and oil conspire to emulsify the tomatoes and make them almost creamy. As for the cheese, use as much or as little as strikes you as right: you could scatter a mere 1/2 cup if you’re playing January on the light side, and these would be delicious.

Or, rev the measurement up to 1 1/2 or even 2 (!) cups, if this veggie main is meant to serve, I don’t know, carnivores watching the Super Bowl?

**Recipe**

Cheesy Butternut Squash Enchiladas
Serves 6

These are a fantastic candidate for making on Sunday and eating later in the week. If that’s your plan, make the enchiladas all the way through the end but only bake for 15 to 20 minutes the first time. Reheat the whole pan in a 400°F oven for 15 to 20 minutes when you’re ready to eat. Also, note that these can be a bit messy to serve: you might wind up scooping them out rather than neatly lifting each individual enchilada from baking dish to plate. I really love these served beside homemade refried beans.

Ingredients

For the filling:
1 butternut squash, cut in half lengthwise, seeds scooped out
2 small yellow onions, trimmed and cut into eighths
Olive oil
1/2 chipotle pepper from a can of chipotles in adobo, chopped (1 tablespoon), plus 1 teaspoon of the adobo sauce from the can
1 clove garlic, minced or run through a microplane
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 1/2 teaspoons lime juice
1/2 teaspoon salt

For the sauce:
3 tablespoons safflower or other neutral oil
1 onion, sliced
3 garlic cloves, left whole
1 jalapeño, halved and seeds scooped out (you can leave in the seeds if you like a lot of spice)
1 28-ounce can whole tomatoes
1 teaspoon sugar
Salt to taste

To assemble:
12 small corn tortillas
1 cup (about 8 ounces) mild cheddar or aged mozzarella (like the kind that comes in plastic at the supermarket)
2 scallions, green parts chopped, for garnish
Refried beans, for serving (optional)

Make the filling: Preheat the oven to 400°F. Place the butternut halves in a 9-by-13-inch casserole dish and brush with lots of oil. Sprinkle with salt. Roast for 45 to 55 minutes, until soft but not too soft. In a second baking dish, toss the 2 onions with 1 to 2 tablespoons olive oil, sprinkle with salt, and bake for 20 minutes, until soft but not too dark.  Meanwhile, in a large mixing bowl, combine the chipotle pepper, adobo sauce, garlic, olive oil, lime juice, and salt. When the onions are ready, toss with the chipotle mixture. When the squash is ready, let cool for a few minutes until you can touch it. Cut the peel off the roasted squash and roughly cube it. Add that to the mixing bowl and toss to combine. Taste for salt and add more as needed–you’ll want the filling to be very well seasoned to make the final dish sing.

While the vegetables are roasting, make the sauce: In a wide saucepan, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion, garlic, and jalapeño, and cook for 5 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. You want the vegetables to soften and get a little brown around the edges. When the veggies are soft, add the tomatoes and simmer, partly covered, for about 20 minutes, until the sauce has thickened and even browned around the edges. Let the sauce cool for a few minutes, then transfer to the blender and blend til emulsified and smooth. The sauce will lighten in color to a pretty pink. Pour back into the saucepan you simmered the sauce in.

Toast the tortillas: heat a cast iron or other heavy pan over medium-high heat for about 5 minutes, until very hot. Toast a tortilla for 30 seconds to 1 minute per side, until slightly golden and crisp. Set aside on a plate and repeat with the rest of the tortillas (this step allows the tortillas to absorb tons more enchilada sauce, which means more flavor).

Assemble the enchiladas: Spoon a little sauce into the bottom of the pan in which you roasted the squash. Take a toasted tortilla and immerse it in the sauce. (Use tongs or your clean hands.) Set the dipped tortilla on a plate or cutting board and spoon some of the squash filling into a line along the middle. Roll up the tortilla and place your enchilada in the prepared pan. Repeat until you’ve used up all the filling and all the tortillas. If possible, squeeze them all into the casserole pan, but use two pans if you need! Spoon the rest of the sauce on top, then sprinkle on the cheese. Bake at 400°F for 25 to 30 minutes, until the cheese is melted and the edges of the enchiladas have gotten crispy. Garnish with the scallion greens and eat with refried beans.

This recipe is part of Food Network’s Comfort Food Feast! Click below to see the other casserole dishes that bloggers made:

The Heritage Cook: Tex-Mex Arroz con Pollo (Gluten-Free)
Jeanette’s Healthy Living: Smoked Sausage Chicken Cassoulet
Dishin & Dishes: Black Bean Enchilada Pie
Weelicious: Chicken Wild Rice Casserole
Dishing with Divya: Chicken Mushroom and Black Bean Tortilla Casserole
Taste With The Eyes: Paella Rice with Baby Octopus & Meyer Lemon
Blue Apron: 11 Super Casserole Recipes for a Super Bowl Feast
Napa Farmhouse 1885: Pork Chop Casserole with Crimini Mushrooms
Red or Green: Stacked Cheese Enchiladas with New Mexican Red Chile Sauce
Elephants and the Coconut Trees: Chicken and Rice Casserole
The Sensitive Epicure: Tater Tot Breakfast Casserole (Gluten-Free)
Domesticate Me: Mushroom, White Bean and Brown Rice Casserole with Bacon and Gruyere
Daily*Dishin: Chicken Tetrazzini Casserole
FN Dish: The New Age of Casseroles

Did you know Monday is National Chocolate Cake Day? Is this for real? I won’t say no to another reason to eat chocolate cake. So in case you’re looking for a way to celebrate, here are a just a few ideas…

6-Layer Rich Malted-Chocolate Toasted Marshmallow Cake

Chocolate Birthday Cake

One-Bowl Chocolate Cake

Devil’s Food Cake with Hazelnut Crunch

Oreo Olallieberry Chocolate Layer Cake

PS – How to Frost A Perfectly Smooth Cake, A Scalloped Cake, and A Messy Cake.