BOO!

It's Halloween time again and I have decided to include here some educational information about food allergies. As the parent of a child with a truly life threatening food allergy this topic is of the utmost importance to me, and a part of our lives here every single day.

Kiddo will be trick-or-treating for Halloween just like many other kids in our area. However she will not be out to collect candy but rather to raise funds for food allergy education and research. When she received her collection box from The Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Network she made the decision, all on her own, that her goal again this year for Halloween was to only collect money for this organization. Actually this will be her third year doing this. We are members of FAAN because my daughter has a life-threatening food allergy to peanut. As stated in a recent FAAN press release, for many kids, ghosts and goblins are the spooky stuff of Halloween, but for the 1 in 25 or 3.1 million American children with food allergies, the “treat” can be the scariest part of all.
“Many of the most common food allergens are found in candy,” says Anne Muñoz-Furlong, founder and CEO of the Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Network (FAAN). “For some children, just one bite of the wrong food can bring on anaphylaxis – a severe allergic reaction that can cause death.”

Eight foods account for 90 percent of all food-allergic reactions in the U.S.: milk, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts, wheat, soy, fish, and shellfish. Of these, only the last two are not likely to be found in candy.

The incidence of food allergy has doubled in the last 10 years, and scientists aren’t sure why. More
than 12 million Americans – one in 25 – are caught up in this life-altering epidemic, which results in
150-200 deaths and more than 30,000 emergency room visits each year. There is no known cure;
strict avoidance is the only way to prevent a reaction.

The majority of Halloween treats do not have ingredient labels, and for kids like my daughter who have food allergies, reading ingredient labels is essential to avoiding a deadly allergic reaction. Just one bite of the harmful candy can be life-threatening.

Many of our friends, neighbors and my daughter's teachers have generously contributed to my daughter’s collection box for FAAN. I know for many this is an unfamiliar organization and perhaps some folks had never heard of food allergies. For more information about food allergies and The Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Network (FAAN) you can visit The Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Network (FAAN), at www.foodallergy.org. Proceeds from their Trick-or-Treat for Food Allergy Coin Collection Campaign will go toward food allergy education and research.

If you would like to help support food allergy awareness through education and research towards a cure you can make a donation to FAAN at their website, www.foodallergy.org or click here to go directly to their donation page.

ABOUT FAAN
Founded in 1991, The Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Network (FAAN) is the world leader in food allergy information. FAAN, a nonprofit organization based in Fairfax, VA, is dedicated to increasing public awareness about food allergy and anaphylaxis, to providing education, and to advancing research on behalf of all those affected by food allergies. The organization has just under 30,000 members in the United States, Canada, and 62 other countries.
FAAN provides information about food allergy and educational resources to patients, their families, schools, health professionals, pharmaceutical companies, the food industry, and government officials. Educational materials published by FAAN are reviewed for medical accuracy by the FAAN Medical Advisory Board, which is comprised of 11 of the country’s leaders in food allergy science and medicine. In addition to printed materials, FAAN also sponsors awareness programs such as Food Allergy Awareness Week, Food Allergy Conferences, and the Mariel C. Furlong Awards for Making a Difference as well as fundraising walks across the country. Educational materials and information about special programs are also available online at www.foodallergy.org, www.fankids.org, and www.faanteen.org.

At The Water's Edge, a Work In Progress

I know, I know, I have been slack about posting here lately. But not without good reason. After our little beach break we were with house guests for a few days.

Just to show that I have been working, however slowly, I thought I'd post what I am working on now, as is, in progress. This drawing is 6 x 6 inches on pastel board. I began with an underpainting using Neocolor II watersoluble crayons and have now begun working my way from the top left corner outward using colored pencils. I am finding that I really like the strong intensity of color the Neocolors provide for an underpainting. And that when coming back over with the colored pencils, which are somewhat translucent, the colors seem to sing. I am having fun with this little piece. I intend to do a small series of these, what I am calling 'macro-landscapes'.

At The Water's Edge, WIP copyright 2007 by Ann Thompson Nemcosky

Nothing Could Be Finer

No, I haven't disappeared entirely. We just took a quick trip to the beautiful South Carolina coast for a few days. The weather was gloriously stunning, the water was warm and we all had such a wonderful time even though our time there was much too short.






We stayed at the enchanted Edisto Beach, on Edisto Island, South Carolina. This is a charming little beach community that has not given way to the commercialism that seem to plague so many other east coast beaches. As much as I wanted to, I didn't take time for sketches (a little hard to do with a kiddo and two dogs running around). I did, however, take tons of photos and spent some time thinking about future projects. The break from my usual routine was very welcome and good for recharging my energy for art. And of course we all, dogs included, greatly enjoyed ourselves.

And although I came home wishing we could still be at Edisto, I am trying to remember what was important to me during our short stay at the beach and carry those things with me through my routines here at home. Here is my list of what really matters when on vacation and otherwise:

~Always eat a big breakfast
~Take lots of walks
~Set aside a little time each day to sit and do nothing
~Pay attention to the details and little moments that make up your day
~Take plenty of photos to help with those memories


*All photographs copyright 2007 by Ann Thompson Nemcosky and may not be reproduced without permission

Autumn Begins

Autumn Begins
original photograph
copyright 2007 by Ann Thompson Nemcosky

I love this time of year. In fact, autumn is my favorite season. The turning of the seasons inspires me toward starting something new, refreshing my routines. Where spring expands, autumn brings things inward for reflection.

I had intended to post earlier this week, really, but general life busy-ness plus a little graphic design work has completely consumed me this week. We did enjoy a lovely hike last Sunday, where glimpses of autumn were found at every turn. I am missing making art this week and hoping things settle down soon so I can get back to drawing!

Looking Up

Looking Up
colored pencil and Neocolors on pastel board
6 x 12 inches
copyright 2007 by Ann Thompson Nemcosky





It's the end of my month for studying the art of John Constable. So, what have I come away with? I learned that place mattered very much to Constable. The subjects that he chose to paint were landscapes familiar and full of meaning to him. Weather was also important in his landscapes, the feel of the sunlight, the stiffness of the breeze, the foreboding clouds, were all a part of his work's content as much as the fields, farms and trees. This is where I find an affinity to the landscapes of John Constable. Place has always factored largely in my work with the associations I have for a particular location. From reading The Power of Place by Winifred Gallagher I discovered my sensitivity to certain places is more real than imagined. Where we are, and everything about that environment including color, light, and temperature, matters a great deal to who we are inside.

The image above is one such place, looking up Thunder Hill, which is along the Blue Ridge Parkway. One of my favorite spots along the Parkway, and one of the few where you can view the mountains falling away on either side. Hiking to the top of Thunder Hill gives you this view, almost like being in an airplane or perched on top of the world and everything else, as far as you can see, is below.

Autumn Equinox

Yesterday was the Autumn Equinox, a turning point in the year. Can you feel it? Although our days here are still warm the nights are now crisp, the geese fly noisily overhead and touches of red and yellow brush the trees. A time of turning inward.

No picture of mine to share, but these two sites are very cool,
Earth As Art
Earth Calendar

Enjoy!
Happy Autumn!

Where Am I Now?

Evening Clouds
5 x 7 inches
colored pencil on pastel board
copyright 2007 by Ann Thompson Nemcosky

I just spent a few moments going through all the colored pencil pieces I have done since I began seriously working on my art again, sometime around last March. This is one of the earlier pieces I completed and fits in nicely with my current cloud studies. I have also been thinking about where I want to take this renewed interest in creating art and formulating some more concrete plans for this journey.

There are times, well, most of the time actually, when the demands of each day are more than enough to keep my attention focused on anything but making art. There's homeschooling, a full time job in itself, and the house to keep up with, meal planning and cooking, driving kiddo to various classes, and all the other stuff that fills up time. And I think who am I kidding thinking I can actually get somewhere with this art? And at this point in my life? It has been quite a long time since making art was a fundamental part of my life and it isn't easy trying to start over this late in the game.

But then again, where will I be in a year, five years, if I don't? Probably much the same as now but without knowing what might have happened if I had given this art business a go. Please don't misunderstand. I love spending time with kiddo and teaching her at home, wouldn't miss it for the world. And I actually do enjoy domestic life. I only weigh the possibilities concerning living as an artist, making creativity part of what I do, versus leaving art out because it only adds more work to an already busy and full life. But, because for now I feel a need to continue working on my art you will be seeing me here for a while. I may not be posting as often as I like but rest assured that something is probably cooking (either on the stove or on the drawing board) and I will update as often as possible. Whew!

Small Towns

Cloud Study II
3.5 x 5 inches
colored pencil on paper
copyright 2007 by Ann Thompson Nemcosky

What I don't like about living in a small town:
~ limited arts opportunities such as galleries, museums, concerts, - unless you love bluegrass music and nothing but bluegrass music
~ limited educational opportunities such as no science or natural history museums, zoo, and arts mentioned above
~ our small town is quite far from any metropolitan area offering these experiences and when they are brought here they are very expensive to attend
~ limited shopping, not that I like to shop but a Target store would be nice
~ no public transportation in or out of this small town

What I like about living in a small town:
~ easy to get around, not too many places to go and if you can't find it here you probably don't really need it anyway
~ everywhere you go there is probably at least one person who knows you
~ gardening is a competitive sport
~ people will stop and help when you need assistance

This past Monday I was in such a predicament. As we were leaving one of kiddos dance classes I soon discovered I had a flat tire. I had no sooner pulled into a parking lot when a couple of guys from a business next to the dance studio pulled in behind me. They had seen me leaving with the flat tire and when they couldn't get my attention to stop they followed figuring I might need help. Before I knew what was happening they were already at work changing my tire. Which was a really good thing because changing flat tires has never been on my list of things to know how to do. As I thanked them one said that if it was his wife he'd like to think someone would stop to help her. How nice. So what's you're favorite blue grass music?

What Do Bears Eat?

Is it Wednesday already!! I am really off schedule this week. Hopefully things will settle down into a regular routine soon. In the meantime, I have a yummy muffin recipe to share. My daughter made these muffins this past weekend and I quickly got a photograph before they disappeared. This was her first attempt at solo baking. Well, I did coach her a little, she is only 8, and she used a recipe I made up several years ago and always turns out well. And there is an "art" to cooking!

Kiddo was inspired to do some cooking because nutrition is part of her studies in science at the moment. She got the idea to relate her culinary experiments to the theme of her movie of choice for our movie night. When she finishes a row on her reading log she gets rewarded by choosing a movie to rent. Last weekend it was Brother Bear 2. So what do bears eat? Blueberries, of course.

Blueberry Citrus Muffins - makes 12

With whisk mix:
1 egg
1 cup orange juice
1/4 cup melted butter (cooled)
1 tsp. vanilla
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt

With spoon stir in:
2 cups flour
1 cup blueberries
*do not over mix*

Bake in greased or paper lined muffin pan at 400F for 25 minutes

I was really proud of her not only for coming up with a great idea but also for her enthusiasm for baking. Because of her food allergy, learning to cook and bake for herself will go a long way to empower her all her life, more than just being self sufficient. She already knows more about nutrition and reading food labels than most kids her age should know. She knows that the complete information isn't always on the label and that sometimes you have to call the company to find out exactly what is or isn't in a product. She knows that peanut is overly prevalent in the food industry - even to the point of being in some kinds of orange juice - so that you can't take anything for granted. And she is very aware of issues with cross-contamination in manufacturing processes.

The hardest part for her is when she is singled out because of her food allergy. Everyone gets the same treat at the party except her, she gets the special "safe" treat. If you know of a child with a food allergy please keep this in mind. The parents are not exaggerating and they are always correct in their requests and should be respected. Class or party treats should be the same and safe for everyone. These kids with food allergies know what they face in the world of processed food, restaurants and baked goods and really don't need any more "this is real life" lessons. How would you want your child treated? Okay. Done with my rant now. Please enjoy the muffins while I get back to making art now.

Cloud Study

Cloud Study
3.5 x 5 inches
colored pencil on paper
copyright 2007 by Ann Thompson Nemcosky

It wouldn't be a review of the art of John Constable without doing a few studies of clouds. So often I see just beautiful skies, usually when I am without my camera! On a few occasions, however, I have managed to capture some lovely cloud formations.

Because I started this post earlier this afternoon and it took me an insane amount of time to figure out just how to post items for sale on Ebay, and it is now after my bedtime, I will wait for another day to discuss more about my artist study of John Constable and my progress with colored pencil drawing. (Yes, we covered conjunctions last week in our homeschool!)