Torte Aux Pommes

This is a dessert that is a favourite among my family and friends.  .  I thought it was a flop when I first made it, just seemed thin and  there didn’t seem to be much to it.  My sister was more positive and  when Pam is positive about something I am happy to give it a second chance.  I have been making it for years now and everyone enthuses.  This is the cake I make to celebrate my daughter’s birthday as is her request.

Torte Aux Pommes

Torte Aux Pommes

½ cup or 120 grams of butter

¼ tsp vanilla

1/3  c sugar

1 c plain flour

Cream  butter, sugar and vanilla.  Blend in flour.  Spread on bottom and partly up the sides of a 9 inch springform pan

1 pkg cream cheese

1 egg

¼ c sugar

½ tsp vanilla

Combine softened cream cheese, egg, vanilla and sugar.  Mix well.  Pour into pastry.

1/3 c sugar

½ tsp cinnamon

4 apples (I use Granny Smith), peeled and sliced

Toss apple in the sugar/cinnamon mix.  I arrange the apples on top by:  I first put a layer of the non round slices (bits) of apple.  Then I cover these with the large rounds of apple slices overlapping around the perimeter and the smaller rounds of apple towards the middle so it looks lovely.  You don’t have to do that but it does look great.

Bake at 450 degrees F or 200 or so C for half an hour.  I put some almond flakes on top before finishing so they are toasted.

 

Serve with whipped cream or ice cream.

Abstract Artist- Margaret Dredge

Dredge in her studio, Sandringham, Victoria, 1972.  Richard Beck vn3533012, National Library of Australia

Margaret Dredge is an artist who quietly went about the business of art making and was an important figure in the development of modern art in Australia.  She has been introduced to me through her retrospective which is currently being exhibited at Shoalhaven City Arts Centre in Nowra.

Margaret Dredge was born in Victoria in 1928 and she had quite a challenging childhood.  Her mother died when she was born.  Her father was a WW1 veteran and the two of them boarded in 17 different houses.  As a teen she was very interested in art and wished to study it but her father wanted her to have a more conventional education and a steady job.  She became a secretary and married but then did begin her art education in the mid 1950’s.

Margaret Dredge’s early work was figurative or still life and this lead to abstraction which was to be the focus throughout her art making.  She exhibited regularly in group and solo shows throughout the 1960s and 70s.  She was well received, winning prizes and critical acclaim. Margaret then withdrew from exhibiting after the 1979 solo show.  The reasons were many but included the pressure she felt to produce more of the same style of work as well as issues regarding art politics and attitudes toward woman artists.

Margaret continued working after 1979 but exhibited only a handful of times.  In this retrospective it is fascinating to see the development of an artist.  Margaret was beating her own drum but was, of course, influenced by the time, the trends and the work of other artists.



Death of Patroclus, 1964

I cannot begin to discuss Margaret Dredge’s paintings and etchings except in the most simplified terms.  Max Dingle and Rhonda Dredge have discussed her work beautifully in the essays included in the catalogue for this exhibition and I would encourage you to read them.
Here are a variety of paintings from the exhibition throughout the 1960s, 70, 80s and 90s. 
 

 If you have a chance to go to Nowra to see the work of this important Australian artist please do.  The exhibition is open until May 21.  Please find the details on the website www.shoalhavenartscentre.com.au



St Joan, 1964






 

The Huntress 1969

Rainlight Interior 1978

Avenger 1984



Untitled (red and grey) 1993

No's Doorway, 1997

Swedish designer- Stig Linberg



Stig Linberg

I must say, I am a great fan of Stig Linberg (1916-1982).  He was a Swedish designer who is very well known and much loved by Scandinavians.
Stig studied painting at the Swedish State school of Arts, Crafts and Design in Stockholm.
Much of his working life was at the Gustavsberg studio designing colourful tableware, and textiles, He designed children's books and even televisions.  He also made pieces for the glass companies, Kosta Boda and Holmegaard.
There are many desirable designs by this wonderful artist but for my money I go for the Karnevale series made in the 1950s. They are whimsical, colourful and entirely charming. Here are some examples of this series below.
There is a vendor at the Antique and Collectable Fair in  Sydney (first Sunday of the month at Wentworth Park in Sydney) who has been selling a few Stig Linberg pieces. It is well worth a visit.

Chair Tale-Parker

Parker Chairs-ink

Australians are pretty familiar  with Parker furniture.  It is a Sydney company which was established in 1935 and was successful right from the beginning..  One of the owner's sons, Tony Parker, studied design and also worked in London before developing their mid century range in 1951.  He was very much influenced by Danish design and was responsible for introducing teak furniture to Australia in the 1960's.
I have a teak Parker table and chairs which you can see in the first chair post early in the week.  These Parker chairs are a set of two which I found on the side of the road before Xmas.  I love the design of these ones and although they are stored in the garage most of the time, they are happily brought out for any soirees where more chairs are required.
They are in their original white vinyl upholstery and the wood is solid teak.
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Well, that's it for the chair posts.  I do have more chairs but I'm sure you have had enough of them by now..

Parker chairs on teak

Chair stories-Victorian chair

Victorian chair, ink on printed page

This is a Victorian chair which is quite low, small yet, comfortable. It's upholstered in a a yellow/brown leather. which looks a bit better than it sounds.  I first saw it, years ago, at a favourite used furniture store in Dulwich Hill and the fam bought it for me for Christmas.  We lived in a Victorian home at the time and it fitted the décor.  It was the chair I usually sat in and the dog often sat beside it so I could pet him.  Now this chair sits in the studio.

My chair, pen on medical dictionary page

Chair story-Air Chair



Air Chair by Jasper Morrison

I had been on the look out for some outdoor furniture when I saw these chairs in a charity shop.  They were stacked up but triggered a little bell in my head that quietly said "designer"..  I had a look on the bottom of one of the 6 chairs and it said Air Chair, Made in Italy. 
I bought the chairs and did some research when I got home.  The designer is Englishman, Jasper Morrison, and these chairs were designed in 1999. They are plastic with fibreglass in it,  My chairs are a pale orange colour which I have grown to like very much. 

Chair stories-Knoll chairs

Knoll chairs, gouache on printed page by me

These Knoll chairs were designed in the 1950s.  Knoll is an American company but these were made under license in Australia.  I would guess that these chairs were manufactured in the 1990s.  They were originally purchased by the Sydney American Club and there is a numbered sticker underneath with this information.
I bought these chairs on E-Bay.  Each chair was in a separate auction and I bid on the two.  I left bids on each chair and returned home to find I was successful buying one and missed out on the other.  Luckily,the seller informed me he had a third chair and did I want two.  I did and bought them for $500. each  That is a hefty sum but to buy them new would be nearly $3000 each.
These chairs have their original red felted wool upholstery which is in beautiful condition.  They add a splash of colour to my room and are comfortable too,