Eva Stina Bender, painter

A visit to Eva Stina Bender's home is an aesthetic feast for the soul. Friend Cindi Dixon captures the everyday surroundings of this Swedish born painter in a montage of photographs of exquisite detail - light, shadow and reflection embracing a vision of a simplicity and joy in a life well-lived. A few are snapshots by Eva herself who inherited the simple pleasure in homemaking from her mother, whom she declared was quite "excellent" at the task.

I visited Eva recently to put the finishing touches on her upcoming "Vessels" exhibition, and was struck by the light and airiness of her front room, sun streaming in the large south facing windows. A collection of small potted, flowering plants - pink cyclamen, yellow tulips and red amaryllis - were sitting on the table, a fresh painting or two of the vingette sitting opposite, propped against the wall.

She had prepared lunch served on a simple white linen cloth in vintage green glassware - open faced sandwiches of smoked ham, grilled with a banana sliced lengthwise, grated sharp cheddar cheese and a sprinkling of curry, a small bowl of sliced blood, Cara Cara and regular oranges topped with toasted hazel nuts and a drizzle of maple syrup, and a cleansing ginger beer.

Conversation wended its way easily between us, having the pleasure of knowing one another for over a decade now. We've shared each other's joys, sorrows, and changes in life situation. I've had the privilege of watching the reflection of it all in her work, so eloquently, unapologetically and honestly executed. One of her darkest moments was losing her son Eli, just shortly after I knew her. I recall a period of mostly black in her watercolors - black leaves, vessels, and spaces - and they were beautiful, deep, colorful and elegant.

Eva says of this latest body of work, "I am dealing with loss, aging, dispossession and re-orientation... I am not saying I have lived through anything out of the ordinary. I have lost my house and community, my family situation, my marriage and my mother. Grieving is involved in all these events." Her reflections on loss and emptiness in this exhibition aren't sad, and the metaphorical parallels in shadow and darkness, are instead fresh and suffused with light. "I don't feel all empty vessels and containers are sad. Some hold air, some even joy, maybe just possibilities of change."

Recently I read an essay by Jun'ichiro Tanizaki entitled "In Praise of Shadows", in which he says, "The quality that we call beauty must always grow from the realities of life...to discover beauty in shadows, ultimately to guide shadows towards beauty's ends. And so it has come to be that beauty... depends on a variation of shadows, heavy shadows against light shadows - it has nothing else." So aptly does he state what Eva executes in her work and surroundings with such divine clarity.

The exhibition, "Eva Stina Bender: Vessels" opens Friday, March 25th at the Lynden Gallery, with an Artist's Jazz Reception featuring the Charles Muench Trio from 5:00 till 8:00 p.m. Ceramics by Casey Dixon will be included, and Front Wall Feature is Lou Schellenberg. The work will remain on display through the month of June.

A Workshop and Luncheon with Eva will be offered on Saturday, May 7th from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Reservations are required. For more information, contact the gallery at 717.367.9236 or refer to www.lyndengallery.com.

gypsy soup

One of my favorite soup recipes, Gypsy Soup, was originally given to me by Susan Davitti Darling. It was from The New Moosewood Cookbook by Mollie Katzen, whom I'd not heard of before. I found the combination of ingredients curious (sweet potatoes, tomatoes and cinnamon?), and the outcome so delicious, I couldn't wait to visit Barnes and Noble again to purchase my own copy of the cookbook. Much to my surprise I found an entire series of Moosewood Cookbooks - I've since collected four of my own, and given many away as gifts. The recipes are all vegetarian, flavorful, wholesome and abundant. I love the combination of ethnicities, and especially the explanations of ingredients I've not heard of, or know little about.

Gypsy Soup

Heat 2 tbs. olive oil in medium-sized soup pot and saute' the following over medium heat for about 5 minutes:

2 cups chopped onion

3 medium cloves garlic, crushed with flat edge of large knife

1 stalk of celery, minced

2 cups sweet potato, peeled and diced

Add 1 tsp. salt and saute' 5 minutes longer. Add the following and simmer 15 minutes:

2 tsp. paprika

1 tsp. tumeric

1 tsp. basic

a dash of cinnamon

a dash of cayeene

1 bay leaf

3 cups water

Add the additional following ingredients, "cover and simmer for 10 more minutes or until all vegetables are as tender as you like them."

2 medium-sized, ripe tomatoes, peeled and diced (or substitute a 14.5 oz. can of diced tomatoes, reserving the juice)

1 medium bell pepper

1 1/2 cup cooked chickpeas (or one 16 0z. can, drained)

I've added leftover V-8 juice, diced tomatoes and chickpeas to stretch the recipe for unexpected guests. It's delicious with homemade french bread and a fresh salad.

Several weeks ago David and I visited my cousin Jody and her family in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. One chilly, windy afternoon we walked downtown for lunch, ending up at a wonderful little coffee shop/bakery. The soup of the day? As soon as the woman behind the counter started listing the ingredients, I knew it was Gypsy Soup, and I determined to make it again on returning home.

Modest Quests for Jenna

"Modest Quests", an 18" x 24" acrylic on canvas by Ned Wert, recently found a home on my daughter's living room wall. A gift in keeping with tradition, she received it on the completion of her master's degree, a Masters in Human Resource Management from the Keller Graduate School of Management. Congratulations Jenna!

ten years - or is it twenty-five?

We're celebrating 10 years at Lynden Gallery, having moved to the old Downtown Firehall at 117 South Market Street in 2000 from just down the street. Twelve years in our old Victorian were proceeded by four on Orange Street, in a 1939 Sears and Roebuck bungalow. And we did, literally, move many of our smaller household belongings transported on an old red wagon with two young children alongside! Remember our old Amish-made iron swingset? Hauled it down the street with a brother on each corner rather than take it apart. If finally ended up back at College Avenue at the house where I grew up - my brother is living there now, and Maya and Ian are enjoying this 1960's relic in it's new-found, modernist form - but that's a story for another day.

The house at 425 S. Market Street afforded me with two rooms in the front for a calligraphy studio - since 1985 with the birth of my first child, I'd been working in the corner of the dining room. The space quickly acquired a frame shop and I posted a sign out front - "Bedenbaugh Designs Studio and Framery, hours by chance or by appointment." The sign would periodically disaappear when student spring fever rose on the nearby college campus, but always seemed to magically reappear on the porch a few days later. Framing was often done with lego underfoot or a child on my back, but I loved the easy movement between household and work.

Once Jenna, Joe, Layne and Lynden were all off to school full days, I began to look for a Downtown location for my business. I pictured a frame shop/calligraphy studio/coffee shop combination, but instead found myself in partnership with Mike and Joyce Heberlein, combining our businesses and opening Lancaster Galleries West together. The gallery offered fine art, custom framing and a restoration studio with JD Wissler - Michael Allen managed the frame shop - both are accomplished painters whose work I continue to find inspiring.

Opening night, October 2000, brought a crowd of well-wishers and collectors to our new establishment for our first exhibit featuring four realists - Robert Heilman, Lynne Yancha, Amelia Rockwell Seton and Henry Libhart. In 2003, I went solo again as Lynden Gallery. The work inside the four walls continues to evolve with life. In 2007, I decided to combine work and home again, and moved to the second floor - once again achieving a certain balance and flexibility I value. Calligraphy has given way to the design business as I work toward completing my masters degree at Drexel University in Philadelphia.

Reflecting our desire to provide continued, customized service, we'll have new storefront hours starting October 1, 2010. Wednesday thru Friday, 10:00 to 5:00, and Saturday 10:00 to 3:00 - additional hours by chance or appointment. 717.367.9236.

It's time to celebrate at Lynden Gallery - call it ten years at the gallery, or twenty-five since incorporating as Bedenbaugh Designs, Inc. Lynden Gallery's Anniversary Opening will be held on October 8, 2010 from 5:00 to 8:00 pm, featuring the work of Gary Butson. The Brandon Hollinger Trio will provide Jazz for the evening and the front wall feature is Susan Davitti Darling - eat well and buy more art!

Art on this page by Susan Davitti Darling - top: The Move, 4 1/4" x 14 1/2" ink on paper, 2000; bottom: eat well and buy more art, 15" x 15" mixed media on rag panel, 2010. The photograph of 425 S. Market is by Robyn Smith.

Gary Butson's Rebirth

I remember the first time I visited Gary Butson's studio - the door of his turn-of-the-century, white, clapboard house opens, and I'm ushered inside a rather dark interior, much like his paintings themselves. I was struck by the quiet, and the scent of his pipe, as he led me through the orderly house to the back stairs and up to his small studio on the second floor. Surrounded by books, paintings and drawings from floor to the slanted, low ceiling, the only light was coming through two windows - one facing south to the back yard and the other facing east.

He turned a lamp on at the easel and pointed up to the wall by the window where there was an old shelf with a rusty nail on the front face, and a collection of carefully arranged produce atop. The light from the window created dramatic shadows and contrasts, and from the easel, this was the latest still life in progress. Gary, his long dark hair pulled back in a ponytail extending halfway down his back, begins to talk about his work - "I love the still life, even though I use only a few props or models, the possibilities are endless. I find great enjoyment out of setting these things up on my shelf and moving them around until I find the right composition, as if I'm a director on stage."

This most recent visit, I found little had changed regarding Gary's passion for still life and painting - despite the new energy in the household. In addition to Melissa, Wolfgang (Mozart) and Stanzie, his pair of dogs, there is Jackson.

Gary openly shares the fascination and joy of being father to his young son, now four - especially at the age of 50. "I have things put away and next thing I know everything is out again. The mess is a bit of a challenge for me," he admits with a wry smile. If "mess" means a train set, a coloring table and some books strewn about, it's not bad, in my humble opinion.

These days a corner of the studio has given way to Jackson's easel and painting accouterments - his most recent collection, according to Gary, is "a series of black rainbows." And it doesn't sound at all dark to me, knowing his father. Last Saturday, Gary stopped in the gallery to discuss the framing for his upcoming show, and when I asked where Jackson was, he painted a picture of the tow-headed, little guy happily running about the back yard as Spiderman, too busy to come along.

"Spiderman is his current favorite," he said. And I remember the corner of the sitting room outside the studio - the far wall painted in chalkboard paint, with a larger than life rendition of the superhero. "We used to change this rather regularly," he said, "but I think this one is here to stay for awhile."

Gary's latest work will be exhibited at the Lynden Gallery this fall. Opening night is Friday, October 8th, with jazz feature the Brandon Hollinger Trio, from 5:00 until 8:00 p.m., and with any luck, Spiderman will make an appearance.

For more on Gary Butson and other Lynden Gallery artists, visit www.lyndengallery.com

summer salads and Betty

"A cruel irony of your life... you are married to a Philistine when it comes to food." So much of who we are... who we think we are, is wrapped up in our perceived opinions of those closest to us. My identity, including my feelings of pride and who I am are wrapped up in food and my ability to shop on a shoestring, create and serve up healthy dishes with some finesse (not to mention "neatness" in the kitchen - I'm a firm believer in CAYG)

My husband, on the other hand, will happily feast on ramin noodles with broccoli, chicken, eggs, or whatever happens to be available in the fridge. He loves to cook, with preparations flying all over the kitchen, preferring clean up when it's all over - he does a great job of clean up and makes fantastic fried rice, I might add, but seems to miss the aesthetic sumptuous of prepartions I adore.

He favors dinner at 3:30, going to work early in the morning and skipping lunch in favor of a two mile run. I, on the other hand, typically have cheese, Hammond pretzels and raisins for lunch at my desk around 2:00 and prefer a European timetable of dinner after 8:00. I relish preparations with a bit of jazz and a glass of wine in hand. Dinner together, I've learned, requires planning ahead - "Honey, can you be sure you have a yogurt or two after your run so we can have dinner later?"

I've found myself missing "family dinners" as a young family in my past life - four kids and a husband who seemed to thoroughly enjoy my cooking. Candles, linen napkins, and an appropriately set table weren't a part of every day, especially with kids running off in different directions to swim and band practice, the gym, or youth group at church, but when we did sit down, we celebrated. I remember cheerful banter about the day, silly songs, and playful fun - even when we were silently suffering through the reality of divorce, dinners remained a constant bright spot. I still relish the opportunity to cook for all of them when they are around.

This afternoon I was bemoaning to myself, my fridge mostly empty after returning from several days on vacation - barren, in fact of anything without preservatives or pickling. I wandered over to my friend Betty's house to water her plants, and remembered she had asked me to clean out the fridge and take anything edible home - dinner! My mouth was watering all the way home with a bag of fresh greens, assorted fruits and vegies, and some leftover grilled salmon. Now you need to know, Betty is an awesome cook, so finding her abandoned salmon was as good as dropping close to $30 on on precooked from an organic gourmet deli!

I decided on my personal version of comfort food - salmon pasta salad and a fresh fruit salad, above. A glass of wine from a bottle of Trader Joe's Coastal Cabernet Sauvingnon, 2006 brought back from vacation in Virginia, and a lovely oboe suite on WITF (which I wish I'd have written down, as one of the middle movements was particularly moving) made for a delicious end to a quiet Monday.

slaw variation with water chestnuts and sour cherries

Second to slow-broiling in the sun (and yes, I've done my share of baby oil basted, slow cooking), come summer I savor the adventure of inventing recipes using up leftover produce in my refrigerator. Thanks to my brother Brandon, I gathered an interesting mix of ingredients this evening while the chicken breast was doing the cooking instead of me.

This slaw recipe was inspired by Mollie Katzen's "The New Moosewood Cookbook" originally published in 1977. I learned of it after more than one recipe was copied to me from Susan Darling, including one for Gypsy Soup, which happens to include the unexpected combination of sweet potatoes, tomatoes and cinnamon. This was the cookbook I grabbed first for slaw inspiration, and needn't look further. Here is my twist on the Carrot-Yogurt Salad on page 72.

SLAW VARIATION WITH WATER CHESTNUTS AND SOUR CHERRIES

Coarsly cut or chop the following:

4 cups napa cabbage

2 medium-sized carrots

remainder of a small head of raddichio

1 small leek, including most of the greens

1 clove garlic

Whip the following in a glass measuring cup until smooth, then toss with the chopped vegetables:

8 oz. plain greek yogurt

8 oz. real mayonnaise (a household compromise)

1-2 tablespoons lemon juice

1 tablespoon cider vinegar

1 tablespoon honey

pinch of celery ceed

dash of lemon pepper

sprinkling of coarse salt

a bit of dried ginger

Add the following additional ingredients and toss until coated with dressing:

1 small can drained, sliced water chestnuts

1 chopped, unpeeled gala apple

2 tablespoons sliced almonds

2 tablespoons dried sour Michigan cherries

Chill briefly to let the flavors meld, and enjoy with whatever if coming off the grill. A simple rice pilaf, leftover pita and ginger curry hummus from market were the perfect compliment, alongside my current house favorite wine, Yellowtail Chardonnay.