REMBRANDT BLAKE (with bonus frittata)

If you're my friend, you know my face from the art community, and we've shared a cocktail or coffee. If you've gotten even closer, then you know I've gone to great lengths to make you the world's greatest mix tape or my famous "Fall in Love Frittata." Perhaps your experience lies between awkwardness and avoidance since that time I went through your recycling bin to string together bits of beer cans to create kinetic sculptures. But, if you are my mother's stylist, then baby, you get the ROYAL treatment. Blake was transformed into a fine art masterpiece... the subject of some romantic 17th century oil painting. I was suprised that Blake let me paint his flaxen hair and mustache an espresso bean brown! And then he reminded me of another paint job I did for him, in which he was blue.

image by Ryder Gledhill Photography

The "victim" for this piece, DeLand socialite, Blake Henschel, was fresh off the plane from artful Amsterdam. I thought it only fitting to paint him while studying the lighting in this self portrait with a lace collar, by the famous Dutch painter, Rembrandt van Rijn. From the altered eyebrows, to the molded shadows on the forehead, I really enjoyed recreating the lighting, and learning from the master himself!

I see things now, that I should have darkened, lightened, blended more... but body painting is so temporary, if you don't get it right on the first go, you can't just paint over it another day, like you can with oil painting. It washes away, without much effort, but the experience still remains.

BONUS!!!!!!!!!
Shannon's Fall in Love Frittata Recipe
2 Medium Yukon gold potatoes
5 organic eggs
2 Tbsp Coconut oil
dash of water, or half and half
1/3 cup available veggies. (but my favorites are asparagus tips, colorful bell peppers,zuchini, squash, spinach and tomatoes.)
2 oz Gruyere
2 oz Goat cheese Salt and pepper to taste sprinkle of herbs. I like sage, cilantro, rosemary and basil for this recipe. Chives if you ain't kissy face w anybody.

1. Grate the potatoes, and transfer them from the chopping board to a dish towel, and roll them up in it like a cigar. take them to the sink and squeeze all the water out of the potatoes for a minute.
2. Melt the coconut oil in a pan on medium high heat, and sprinkle the potato shreds evenly across the oil. Salt and pepper. Saute until one side is brown. Lift up the edges of the potato pancake, and when it is brown, with courage, flip the potato layer in the pan. Salt and pepper.
3. While that side is browning, crack and whip the daylights out of the eggs in a bowl, and add just a little bit of water or half and half. Salt and pepper. Dump the eggs right on top of the browned potato layer, and put the sliced veggies and some of the herbs and Gruyere on top.
4. When the egg starts to solidify and bubble on the top, with much courage, estimate, how much egg will go on the stove top, and how much will go in the pan if you flip the thing at this point again. If you are 60% or over "total mess" then take a dinner plate, and place over the top of the pan. Flip the pan, so your frittata is on the plate, and slide it back into the pan to continue cooking. If you think you can mostly get everything back into the frying pan, do it. Never miss an opportunity to flip food in a frying pan. Cuz that makes you... a Frittata Anarchist!
5 Stick your knife into the center. If the frittata is tender but not too wet, slide it back onto the plate, Veggie side up, potato side down. Garnish with herbs and goat cheese. Slice it in quarters or like a pie.
6. Fall in love.