"Colors of Summer"

My very dear friend Mary Schuman (affectionately known as "The Other Mary") is showing some of her gorgeous paintings at Ann Arbor's Jewish Community Center until August 15. And all I can say to you is -- "Go! Go!!!" The exhibit is entitled "Colors of Summer"; it's open 9 a.m. - 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. on Friday. I can assure you that you don't want to miss this extraordinary experience!

Okay, now that I've blurted out the Cliff's Notes version of the "who, what, when, where and why" for those who might not follow along on my meandering path through the rest of this post, let me fill in the story ....

Mary has been an artist all her life, but had neglected some of her creative pursuits as she left school, went off to work, and raised two children with her beloved hubby of 35 years, Art, who is a sweetheart and a devoted supporter of Mary. Being a grown-up kinda got in the way of artistic ambitions. But several years ago, Mary decided that this was something she needed in her life; so she signed up for classes with the renowned artist and teacher Leslie Masters and indulged her love of painting. The rest, as they say, is history.

This is the third exhibit of Mary's that I've attended, and I am continually in awe of the beauty of her work. The vibrancy and the passion of the colors does not begin to come through in my photos; it is impossible to immerse yourself in the screen as you can in the depths of the physical paintings. You will initially be drawn to the beautiful blues and greens and pinks ... you will look more closely to find gradation as one shade veers into another and yet another ... you will smile upon seeing beautiful flowers or respond viscerally to swaths of radiance with flecks of gold. There is no way to experience Mary's work without being completely and utterly seduced.

Now, of course, having attended the Opening Reception with Tom, you know there had to have been food offered! And, indeed, there was a lovely table of fruits and sweets in which we happily indulged:

I owe Mary a batch of Lemon Bars for her next reception, since things have been so chaotic in my life the past couple of weeks that she absolved me of responsibility to honor my promise to make some. Instead, Mary did her own cooking and baking in addition to all the schlepping of artworks and hanging and publicity ... whew!

She offered two recipes for everyone since, quite frankly, it's hard to go wrong with chocolate! These are easy to make for summer picnics and barbecues and parties; they'd also be a fun project to make with kids. (FYI: Tom's favorite is the Almond Bark ....)


Chocolate Covered Peanuts (pictured on the top tier)

In a double boiler, melt 6 oz semisweet chocolate chips and 12 oz butterscotch chips. Mix in a 1 lb. jar of dry roasted peanuts. Drop onto wax paper. Cool and store in a cool place. Can be frozen after cooled.

Almond Bark (pictured on the bottom tier)

2 12 oz packages semisweet chocolate chips

1 12 oz can of mixed nuts

1 1/2 cups granola with raisins (I use low fat granola)

Melt chocolate chips in a double boiler. Stir in nuts and granola. Spread the mixture in a sprayed jelly roll pan. Chill in refrigerator for 2-4 hours. Break into pieces. Can be frozen.

Now, be sure you don't get lost in a chocolate daze and then forget to go see Mary's exhibit! It is truly, strikingly breathtaking ....