Hillside Watercolor Menus! /  by Abbie Zuidema

As many of you know, Vinegar Hill House has a new neighbor, Hillside.  Already serving dinner & brunch, this week, Wednesday, September the 12th, it opens for lunch!

It is a welcome addition to the neighborhood; there isn't much to choose from in Dumbo for afternoon fare. The space is beautiful & airy: sunlight streaming in through big windows, huge ferns (creations of Fox Fodder Farm) hanging above wood tables & an espresso machine to get your fix.  My favorite part is the multicolored rainbow broom handles affixed to the underside of the bar. (that's a Sam Buffa find.)

Executive Chef Brian Leth does magic with the small plates served here.  Erica Ohrling makes sweets that dazzle you at the end of an already delicious meal.  Wine director Bill Fitch shares his treasures.  He is skilled at finding the unsung hero of delicious wine, often which are affordable to boot.  Jon Cammisa, a man with many tricks up his sleeves, designed the "Hillside" logo.

Owners Jean Adamson & Sam Buffa asked me to paint some watercolor menus for Hillside. Collaborating with them was wonderful.  One day Jean handed me a small change plate. On it was a reproduction of the painting "Arearea (Joyousness)" a Tahitian Gauguin painting made in 1892.  This was my color palette & my inspiration-perfect!  I love the work I made for this project, the watercolor sings & I am so pleased with the collection.

Go on a fall adventure, pretend you aren't in the city, take a bike ride & have some lunch at Hillside~70 Hudson Ave.

 

Ahoy! Far Rockaway! /  by Abbie Zuidema

This is the watercolor painting of the Far Rockaway that was made for Edible Queens, Issue 12, Summer 2012.

Featured in "Best of the Boardwalk" this watercolor map showcases some of my most favorite people on the beach.  Motorboat & the Big Banana, DiCosmos, Rockaway Taco, Rippers, Connolly’s, Veggie Island/And Coffee & Caracas. There are so many delicious things to eat!  It was a so much fun to make!

The Rockaways is special place for us.  My husband Josh has been surfing out there for years. Better yet it’s where his mom & dad fell in love. Janet & Harvey (his parents) spent summers out there with their families back in the day. They stayed in the bungalows, hung out on the boardwalk & played on the beach.

It’s so awesome that we get to continue the tradition & spend some quality time out there. If you need an adventure take a ride & end up at the beach. It’s worth the trip. 

~Rockaway prints are available @my Esty shop~

Off to Denali hi ho hi ho! /  by Abbie Zuidema

Recently I was contacted on Etsy by Natalie who works for the Denali Education Center in Alaska! She wondered if I would be interested in participating in a 18th annual auction this summer.

Yes please!

How cool to send a map to Alaska of Alaska! (it really is the little things that make life good)

A little about the auction:

"The auction is a community event where over 450 people attend both from the Denali Borough of migratory workers, but also Alaskans from all over. We feature local artists and traveling artists who have been here and have works that were inspired by time here."

Today Alask is being mailed to Alaska~Bon voyage & thank you Natalie for the opportunity!

 

"Designwali" blog featured my Mehndi watecolor fragments today! /  by Abbie Zuidema

The creator of blog Designwali a self proclaimed "Desi", (which is a reference to people or things from the Indian subcontinent) is a mother & design maven who recently got in touch with me about my mehndi watercolors. She wanted to feature them on her design blog!  Exciting!  She had discovered my work on Etsy & wanted to share them. It is a lovely representation of what I do & some of my most favorite mehndi watercolors that I have in my Etsy shop.  Happy Tuesday for me. Thanks Designwali for tooting my horn!

Custom Wedding Menus on Esty! A new adventure! /  by Abbie Zuidema

I have embarked on a new adventure. Custom commomerative watercolor wedding menus.  Wow that was a mouthful. But its true. In my Etsy shop you will find a choice, a custom menu, or a template.

"It was all a happy blur. A special dinner you don’t want to forget. Weddings go by so fast! A commemorative watercolor wedding menu is a unique & handmade piece of art. It’s something that you will have forever, to help you remember an event of a lifetime. Classic & timeless."

A special thank you to Anna & Jesse for getting married & letting me use their delicious dinner as inspiration.

click on thumbnails to see the larger versions!

 

My lunch at Etsy /  by Abbie Zuidema

Last week I had the opportunity to go to the Esty headquarters. My old friend Matt came into Vinegar Hill House for dinner the other night & invited me over to Esty to have lunch. But of course! How cool to pay a visit! I had no idea what to expect.

I signed in & was given a name tag. I dutifully filled it out & then looked at it…suddenly I felt too dorky to actually wear it. I stuffed it in my back pocket instead and said hello to Matt. He greeted me with a smile & warm reception. He is so nice! After you pass the front desk there is nothing typical about this office setting. Etsy redefines community of working people.

It was lunch time & people were lining up to tuck into some serious eats.  A baked potato bar extravaganza!  Everything you could possibly imagine was there, from broccoli to bacon, chives & swirly butter pats. There was also soup and salad options & don’t forget the cookies!

As we cruised the office to find a place to eat, there was lots of cool stuff to look at. Art adorned the space; paintings were hung and painted directly on the wall. There was color and activity everywhere. The place was abuzz. The office was filled with light,  lots of wood desks, plants, and computers. A mannequin stood poised, dressed, waiting for it’s photo shoot.  A little dog patrolled the lunch tables hoping to steal off with a potato skin.

We found a table & were joined by Emily & Josh who also work at Etsy. They are all old friends & some of the first people I met in NYC.  It’s so awesome that they get to work together. We chatted about restaurants and ideas & things that we are excited about. Laughed about some of the crazier places we had been in our lives & where our travels had taken us. I rattled off some of the potential maps I wanted to make: Colorado, Fire Island, Paris, Detroit, New Orleans, so many, the possibilities are endless.  It was an inspiring visit! It was so nice to be able to have lunch together.  Good idea Matt! I am looking forward to more visits from Etsy friends at Vinegar Hill House & Hillside.  I grabbed a cookie on the way out & let my mind wander to new places!

Carlsbad, 62 years in the same house-a very special commission. /  by Abbie Zuidema

I just finished this commission for my good friend Marina Trejo! It's celebrating the decades that her grandparents have spent in California. From both being born in 1921 in Pasadena, married in 1942 & then living in the same house in Carlsbad for 62 years! Amazing! Three cheers to their legacy. I feel pretty special I got to bear witness.


Group show in Williamsburg @Sideshow Gallery! Opening tonight January, 7th 2012 !!! /  by Abbie Zuidema

I've been invited to add my work to the group show at Sideshow Gallery in Williamsburg. One of my mehndi paintings is framed & hanging! The opening is tonight January 7th, 2012, (unfortunately I will not be able to attend-I am working..)  Josh Goldberg, also has a piece in it, which is exciting to be able to show alongside my husband!

It happens every year & includes a TON of artist from the neighborhood. It's quite an event. The work is hung floor to ceiling french gallery style & everyone comes to see it. The gallery is PACKED. Literally there is someone at the door to limit how many people can go in at one time.  For some reason it always seems to fall on the coldest night of the year... this year it might be different. Should be really fun-check it out if you are in the neighborhood!

http://www.sideshowgallery.com/index.html

Watercolor Mehndi Fragments /  by Abbie Zuidema

 

When I make a painting I always test my colors on bits of paper.  I’ve taken those fragments of history & used them as backdrop for my drawing/painting practice.  I have always loved mehndi/henna.  It amazes me-all the individual gestures that work together to become story, a whole.  Mehndi is like handwriting. These paintings are me practicing my handwriting.
 
Original Watercolor painting
Sunrise Mehndi No.8
5.5"x7.75"
2011


*this new series can be seen in my Etsy shop*

Greenpoint-Come on Irene! I mean Eileen.... /  by Abbie Zuidema

Ode to Irene. I couldn't help but make a painting of my neighborhood reflecting the hurricane of 2011. It didn't matter that the song by Dexys Midnight Runners was actually "Come on Eileen"-"Come on Irene" was what kept running through my head.

P.s. there are 2 versions of this painting, check out the other one. They are both listed on Etsy.


Thrilled. I am on Gastronomista. /  by Abbie Zuidema

I made a new friend-Helen Hollyman.  She is many things: food writer, recipe tester (for the likes of Mark Bittman & Amanda Hesser), line cooker (in New Orleans), waitress (Momofuku Milk Bar) & radio show talker (she has a show on Heritage Radio).  To learn more about her have a peek at her website Ulookhungry. She's awesome.

Recently she sent me an email asking me to do an interview for the fabulous food blog-Gastronomista. But of course!  We had coffee last week & talked about lots of things. One of them being rose petals in food, which I cannot stop thinking about.

A big thank you to Helen for a fancy cup of coffee & the nerdy food talk that inspires me.  It was awesome.

The blog just went "live"~you will find me under "lady crush"-so cool.

click here to read the interview!

 

Montauk-"the end." /  by Abbie Zuidema

This is my love letter to Montauk.  Please click on image for a larger version. A little history, a little adventure (sharky) & surfing and some places to check out. I might have to make another map of this place. There is just so much to it!

This is also the map that I submitted to "they draw & travel"  website.  Lilla Rogers, founder of Lilla Rogers Studio, will then have 2 days to review all maps and pick her favorites. On July 27 (at Noon, Eastern Standard Time) winners will be announced on TDAT (and Facebook/Twitter too!)  The grand prize is $1,000 and the 5 runner-ups will each receive $200.They are having a contest to win 2,000.

Wouldn't that be cool?

They draw & travel was also sweet enough to give me a shout out on their blog.  Check it out, it is so nice.

http://www.theydrawandtravel.com/blog/illustrating-nycs-little-neighborhoods

 

I got to be on NPR with Brian Lehrer-no really, it's true! /  by Abbie Zuidema

As many of you know, I sumbitted my Little Thailand map to the Brian Lehrer show.  In addition to having my entry accepted & map published on the WNYC website, I was also asked to be on the show. LIVE. ON AIR.

How cool is that?!

I was thrilled and really nervous. Yesterday, I spent the morning preping, which included note cards & the Little Thailnad map on hand just in case... who knew what 5 minutes on air might bring?  I was just going to pretend that I was waiting on a really, really, VIP customer at the restaurant. If I could wait on Bjork-I could talk to Brian for 5 minutes.

I sat at my desk, phone in hand, waiting on hold until my moment came. I could hear the show happening in my phone, listening to Brian speak to the woman who made the map into a quilt. I was trying NOT to be nervous, just to keep breathing.

Then I was being introduced, kind of, Brian couldn't pronounce my last name, which was hilarioius. I was just relieved when he tried to say it right & not settle on the butchered version. It eneded up being a hilarious part of the exchange btween us. Especially when I couldnt say "emblem".  ha!

What an expereince.  5 minutes of fame on NPR. So awesome.

NPR submission, Little Thailand, Elmhurst Queens, for the "Little's maps" on Brian Lehrer! /  by Abbie Zuidema

Hello Little Thailand!  
This map was created (as a result of more than one friends suggestion, thank you friends) for the Brian Lehrer show.  He has asked local artists to submit maps of " NYC's Lesser Known Ethnic Communities"-the deadline is today! Their favorites will be featured on the WNYC website and on-air during the show.  Fingers crossed...
*here is a link to learn more about this project. NPR*  
Little Thailand is my contribution. Only 10 minutes away from home (Greenpoint), is Little Thailand in Elmhurst, Queens. It is so cool! I have barely scratched the surface, but when you go, you are somewhere other than Queens. This is why I live in NYC.

The color palate is distinctly Thai, taken from a night market photo I stumbled across in my searches.  I love pink and red together, it might be my favorite color combination.  This is also the largest map I have made so far.  It was a great project.

cheers!

~if you would like to see a bigger version of the map, please click on the thumbnail~


Brooklyn is the borough! /  by Abbie Zuidema

Introducing, Brooklyn, the newest addition to the map series! I made two versions of this map. I can never decide which one I like best, so I always manage to make two.  Brooklyn was a tough one. There are so many great things that make up this place that I live in-that we live in.  It was impossible to list all them all.   Instead, I focused on what makes Brooklyn, Brooklyn to me right now. I'm sure there are things that I overlooked, I might just have to make another rendition.....

Pick your favorite. I personally love Mr. Pickle, but that's just me.  It could be the top hat.  

Click on the thumbnail to see a larger version. 

 

Menu for Alice Waters-yes really.... /  by Abbie Zuidema

A few weeks ago I got an email from Ignacio Mattos.  Ignacio is an amazing chef. We worked together at Il Buco for years and he is also a Chez Panisse alumni.  He had a question for me. Would I be interested in making a menu for a small dinner he was cooking for?  It was a “casual” celebration after a lecture Alice Waters was giving at the New Museum. They were presenting her with the Visionary Award.
Really…? 
Yes!
I can’t imagine anything much more exciting. 
Or nerve racking. Ha!
The dinner was a huge success & the food was gorgeous and delicious. Ignacio combined tradition Korean ingredients with Union Square greenmarket goodness. Everything was beautiful & inspiring.
I am so pleased with the end results.

To read more about the Alice Waters & the Visionary Award Series at the new Museum click here.