The duality of art and document – the ‘rendered’ and the ‘real’ - is actually a great strength of photography. It helps explain why photographs fascinate us so much. Another reason they transfix us is their dogged superficiality, which can create great mystery: photographs are all inscrutable surface, all show and no tell.
With a deep understanding of the mechanics of pigment, transparency, refraction, and finish from her time studying classic car restoration, Jennifer Wagner creates prismatic depth in her pieces. An abstract expressionist, she manipulates shadow, blur and reflection through her “built up” pieces. Wagner reveals her visual idiom: “Creating freedom from control and randomness from organization”.
Like handmade knits, hand-thrown pottery, and handcrafted furniture, paintings show the hand of their maker. This quality brings richness and personality to the home. There’s something satisfying about having a piece of unique artwork in your home.
Kim Fonder loves texture and touch. Her paintings and furniture reflect her infatuation with these two characteristics. From the materials Fonder selects, to the way she crafts each piece; these two attributes remain her focus. She seeks to honor Leonardo Da Vinci’s words, “Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.”
As we create our rooms, we engage passionately with culture in a way we seldom do in the supposedly higher realms of museums or galleries. We reflect profoundly on the atmosphere of a picture, we ponder the relationship between colours on a wall, we notice how consequential the shape of the back of a sofa can be and ask with care what books really deserve our ongoing attention.
Alan Alldredge investigates processual abstraction with flowing pathways of texture, reflection and illusion. Taking cues from the natural world, he aims to reinforce the belief that beauty is part of the sacred through his work. Alldredge’s “cast monoprints” force him to surrender to the process. Through the work’s meditative visuals and complex origins, he seeks to create a transcendent sacred object for the viewer.
For most people, their home is the most important place that their lives revolve around since that is where they and their loved ones live. We all want our homes to be not just comfortable but also beautiful. Adding small touches here and there can add a lot of beauty to a home and help the homeowner realize his or her home’s full potential.
Pork Chops with Fig and Grape Agrodolce
INGREDIENTS
4 (1”-thick) bone-in pork chops, preferably Frenched (about 2 pounds)
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt, divided
1 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided
4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
3/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon honey, divided
2 cups seedless red grapes, halved (about 10 ounces)
8 ounces fresh black Mission figs, halved
3 sprigs rosemary
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) cold unsalted butter, cubed
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 small head of radicchio (about 10 ounces), leaves separated and cut into medium pieces
1 cup (loosely packed) parsley leaves
PREPARATION
Preheat oven to 400°F. Season pork chops on both sides with 1 1/4 tsp. salt and 1 tsp. pepper.
Heat 1 Tbsp. oil in a large skillet over high. Working in batches if needed, sear pork chops until browned, about 2 minutes per side. Transfer chops to a wire rack set inside a rimmed baking sheet; reserve pan drippings in skillet. Roast pork until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center registers 135°F, about 15 minutes. Let pork rest 5 minutes.
Meanwhile, heat skillet with drippings over medium-high. Add vinegar and cook, scraping up drippings with a wooden spoon. Stir in red pepper flakes, if using, 2 Tbsp. honey, and 1/4 tsp. salt. Add grapes, figs, and rosemary and stir to coat. Continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until sauce is thickened and fruit is softened, about 8 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in butter.
Whisk lemon juice, mustard, and remaining 3 Tbsp. oil, 1 tsp. honey, 1/2 tsp. salt, and 1/4 tsp. pepper in a large bowl. Add radicchio and parsley and toss to coat.
Divide radicchio salad and pork chops among plates. Top with agrodolce.
Using environmentally safe materials is as important to Jodi as the images she creates. Layering clay on textured surfaces and suspending ceramic from stainless steel thread and hemp has taken her work to a new level of expression. “Once my hands touched clay it opened up a world to me that I didn’t expect. The thought of creating hand made forms from clay sent me down a path that is never ending.
