Art in Progress

A few days ago, I just finished drawing a detailed landscape in Photoshop. It is always exciting to finish something ambitious, but it is also exciting to see the piece develop along the way and to see hints of what the end result will look like.

Sometimes it is frustrating to work on a piece for a long time without sharing your progress along the way, since I sometimes get excited when I finish working on a major component of a piece or have added a nice element that I am proud of, and I have an urge to show off the incomplete picture. Nonetheless, it is usually best to keep the picture under wraps and let the desire to share motivate me to finish my work.

Reciperfection

Another recipe, courtesy of Epicurious:

Chicken with Sun-Dried Tomato Cream Sauce

Ingredients (4 servings):

• 4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves (1 1/2 pound total) 
• 1 tablespoon olive oil 
• 4 garlic cloves, minced 
• 1/4 cup drained sun-dried tomatoes (packed in oil; 1/2 ounce), patted dry and coarsely chopped 
• 3/4 teaspoon dried hot red pepper flakes 
• 1/4 cup dry white wine 
• 3/4 cup chicken broth 
• 1/4 cup heavy cream 
• 1/4 cup thinly sliced fresh basil

Recipe:

Pat chicken dry and season with salt and black pepper. Heat oil in a 12-inch heavy skillet over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then brown chicken, turning once, about 6 minutes total. (Chicken will not be cooked through.) Transfer with tongs to a plate.