Driving in Circles, Living with Purpose
If there are two distinctly New Jersey road features that confound out-of-staters and even frustrate Jersey drivers, it’s the jughandle and the traffic circle (roundabouts). If you know, you know.
I grew up in New Jersey which is known for its roundabouts and traffic circles. Believe it or not, there’s a difference - traffic circles are larger and may contain stoplights. A roundabout is smaller and often those coming into the circle have to yield to the traffic in the roundabout. A roundabout is a type of intersection where traffic flows in a circle around a central island. It’s supposed to improve traffic flow in congested areas. Love or hate them, New Jersey is the reason they exist (thanks). We’re starting to see them pop up here in Pennsylvania now.
Roundabouts are a running joke for Jerseyans. They often provoke aggression, frustration, annoyance, you name it. If you don’t know how to merge into moving traffic, you’ll never make it. Growing up in Jersey, almost every teenager is taught (or is thrown to the wolves to learn) how to merge into a roundabout. We have no choice if we want to survive driving in NJ! Otherwise, you get stuck for eternity followed by beeping horns, curses, and cars zooming around you angrily because no one understands who has the right of way. I’m sure this explains my aggression and attitude towards those who struggle merging into traffic on highways when I’m driving but I plead the 5th.
Recently, I started reading Ina Garten’s new memoir called “Be Ready When The Luck Happens.” Funnily enough, she mentioned roundabouts in Paris! As she and her husband learned to navigate them she turned it into a life lesson.
“...A reminder that life is not about straight lines or the shortest distance between two points. Slow down, they seemed to say, you can take a little twirl and still get exactly where you’re going.”
It’s about the journey, taking the ‘road less traveled,’ and being present in the moment. Like Ina in her book, taking risks, big steps, and living life fully is my hope. I want all that life has to offer and live as it happens. As we often hear, celebrate and live this life like it’s your last days on earth. Be present, enjoy the moment, and don’t worry about the past or the future. Don’t postpone happiness for some time in the future. We have one life to live, and I believe we should all live a life we love — or at least really like.
Featured Painting
LONGING FOR A PLACE I DON’T KNOW ~ 16X20” MIXED MEDIA ON CANVAS
Have you ever felt a connection with a person you’ve never met? Or a place you’ve never been? This month I’m featuring the painting, Longing For A Place I Don’t Know. This was one of my beginnings into doing mixed media paintings. It was all about exploration and mediums, how they worked together (or didn’t), and bursts of color. If you don’t know, I’m a bit of a color nerd and love using unusual color combos. It’s hard to truly see and appreciate the textures and fine detail in a photograph of this painting. You’re always welcome to come to my studio to see the painting in person.
As I kept working on this painting, a landscape appeared fully from my imagination. Every now and then, I experience this feeling of longing for a place I've never been to. It is often described as "fernweh" in German, which literally translates to "farsickness" - it's a deep yearning for a distant, unknown location, a sense of being pulled towards somewhere you can only imagine. Sometimes it’s a sense of nostalgia, even though the place isn’t part of my past memories.
The Welsh word Hiraeth also describes this feeling. It means a nostalgic longing for home, but it’s a little more elusive than that. It’s also a longing for a time, place, or person that feels like home but may no longer exist or that never existed at all. One source describes hiraeth as “a blend of homesickness, nostalgia and longing.” It’s a “distinct feeling of missing something irretrievably lost.” Another source says it’s “a longing to be where your spirit lives.” This painting and these words remind us that despite the impermanence of life — change and loss are inevitable — we also have a deep connection to the people and places that came before us.
As of this blog’s publishing date, this painting is still available. Check out my Available Paintings or email me.
BENEATH THE FROST ~ 8X8” MIXED MEDIA ON CANVAS, CONNEXIONS GALLERY
GIVE ART FOR CHRISTMAS!
WHERE TO FIND MY CURRENT WORK
Connexions Gallery - I invite you to celebrate the gallery’s 21st year and the new Winter exhibit in downtown Easton, PA! Reception: December 7, 2024, 7pm - 10pm.
PXP Contemporary - PXP is featuring a few of my smaller abstract paintings as the perfect holiday gifts! They also have a curated selection of some of my larger abstract landscape paintings available all online.
The Art Trust - Experience their “Gifted” show with all artwork available for $500 or less! I have 7 paintings available.
Exhibit B Gallery - Enjoy the Winter Group Show at Exhibit B Gallery! My painting, Rising Energies, is available at this gallery (see it on Instagram).
My website :)
FROM KAT’S KITCHEN
In a previous iteration of my career, I worked in the wine industry (got wine nerd certifications, poured too many glasses to count, managed wineries, and on). I fell in love with wine during a magical pairing of a wine called La Prima Donna from Va La in Avondale, PA, paired with local honey and goat cheese. It was almost a spiritual experience. This led me to adore pairing wines with food as it completely changes/enhances the experience, especially when you find that ‘perfect complement.’ I’m also a home cook who loves to make food for people I care about. It’s one of my ways of showing love. In that spirit, I love sharing the recipes and wine to pair with them!
Our book club has been going strong for over 10 years now. Every December, instead of reading a book, we have a Christmas dinner gathering to celebrate together and pick books for the new year. This year, I’m hosting and cooking the main course. Food can be challenging with our group because of the variety of food allergies and dietary restrictions - dairy-free, gluten-free, vegetarian, seafood allergy, and tree nut allergy (I think that’s it! haha). I usually do my white vegetarian lasagna but this year I decided to change it up. I’m making Vegetarian Bourguignon with Mashed Potatoes. Yes, the recipe says with Celeriac Mash (which I love) but it’s challenging to find celery root and find enough of it in my area to make a dish for a large group. Potatoes are so much easier (I follow the same directions except I boil the potatoes like usual).
WINE PAIRING: Always cook with a wine you will drink! You can’t go wrong with a Pinot Noir from Oregon. If you live in the Lehigh Valley area of PA, try the Pinot Noir from CellarBeast in Andreas, PA. Or go with a classic Burgundy from France.
Currently Reading: Journey’s Aim by Mary Stone
Listening To: Cozy Winter Instrumental (Spotify playlist)
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