Meet Eva Farley, a Chico watercolorist and pen and ink artist. Eva is the very first artist who submitted her art of our new guide to local art available HERE. This new section a great way to find Chico Area Artists. We plan to add a few artist posts per week, and links to these posts will be added here on this directory. So please come back for a visit!
Watercolor and pen
5×7” in an 8×10” black frame with black archival mat $98.
Watercolor and Pen
5×7” in an 8×10” black frame with black archival mat $98.
5×5 inches in an 8 inch square black frame with black archival mat
Watercolor | $95
Colorful companions…Gardening makes me happy. Even pulling weeds is so satisfying. I’m ‘in the moment’ as I do it. I grow both vegetables and flowers for our table.
7×11 inches in a 11×14 inch black frame with black archival mat Watercolor | $130
Dreaming of summer… Seed catalogues are my winter dreams. I’m like a kid in a candy store, but at some point I become realistic about limits in space and what will grow well here in Chico. In gardening, I plan carefully and follow basic rules methodically, such as watering consistently, and placing a plant where it will flourish—in Chico summers many plants need late afternoon shade.
Planning is as important in watercolor painting as it is in gardening. I imagine the finished painting before I am ready to start.
5×5 inches in an 8 inch square black frame with black archival mat
Watercolor | $95
Basil, thyme, marjoram, chives, mint & sage!
Gardening requires optimism and a good deal of trust. Planting a small seed in the soil and then seeing–sometimes within a few days– a tiny plant emerge, still feels like magic to me.
11×7 inches in an 14×11 black frame with black archival mat
Watercolor | $130
Looks and tastes like summertime.. I approach cooking in the creative ways of my grandmother and mother who lived through the Great Depression–they used what was on hand and in season. In a similar way, I use my own bowls and linens in my still lives—they are all so familiar to me.
Eva Farley’s Recipe
We are so glad the recipe is included. The watercolor is so appetizing…
Chilled Fresh Tomato Soup
Core 5 or 6 large ripe tomatoes, place on a gas grill, on high, for 5 minutes, turning every minute or so. When the skins split, remove them to a bowl. Once cooled, remove and discard skin, roughly chop tomatoes and place in a food processor together with juices from the bowl.
In a skillet, sauté one large chopped onion in 2 tablespoons of olive oil with 1/2 tsp. ground cumin, 1/2 tsp. smoked paprika, 1/2 tsp. salt. Sauté until the onion is translucent and add two sliced garlic cloves. Cook until the garlic starts to turn golden. Add to food processor and pulse until smooth, season to taste. Chill.
Serve in bowls with a dollop of Chimichurri sauce. Keep the rest of the sauce handy in case your guests want more.
Chimichurri Sauce
I like the following combination of fresh herbs to garnish the soup, but you may play with other combinations (don’t forget mint): 1 cup Italian parsley, tightly packed, 1 cup cilantro or basil, tightly packed; 1/2 cup diced red onion; 3 Tbs marjoram or oregano; 3 cloves of garlic, peeled; 2 Tbs lemon or lime juice; 1 Tbs rice wine vinegar; ¼-1/2 tsp sea salt; ¼ tsp red pepper flakes; ½ cup good-quality olive oil
Put all in a food processor or blender and process until fairly smooth. Store in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
Eva Farley loves to grow flowers and vegetables, cook from the garden and observe birds in her backyard, and she paints what she loves! She even included her chilled tomato soup and chimichurri recipe in her post.
If you are interested in purchasing one of her paintings to bring her love of plants, food, and birds into your home, or if you want to learn more about her future paintings, contact Eva Farley at evafarley@sbcglobal.net