Yesterday, there was a photo exhibition by the Somerset Art Group. It is a group started by colleagues and good friends from Seetec-Pluss, and I was invited to help out and exhibit there. The above photos are a collage of my work that was exhibited, alongside many other, more talented, photographers.
While we were there, calligraphy
Always over-prepared, the old bag full of arts equipment, fountain pens, and pages of Tolkien’s Fellowship of the Ring came in handy for an impromptu calligraphy demonstration for a friend’s YouTube Channel. Here is the video, Darren’s Calligraphy Skills:
More info about the group
Overview of Somerset Art Group exhibition
Photo by Colin Smith
The YEAST Scrap Store in Glastonbury, Somerset, is a community hub for creative events, and the HQ for an art group started as part of the Engage Somerset initiative (more info).
I was invited along by a good friend and colleague who was running some workshops at the DWP Job Centre while I was doing my work placement there.
With the sunsetting of Engage Somerset, the art group has been handed over to the community to run, along with a walking group (and others!). The exhibition featured nature photography from the walking group, good food, speeches, promotional workshops and stimulating conversation.
Cookie recipe
I brought along a kind of fruit and nut cookie, based off a Mallorcan recipe for carquinyolis given me by one of my best friends. My apologies, M. for butchering your recipe! Somehow, it still tastes nice.
Mallorcan carquiyolis, baked for the exhibition
by Darthagnon, original recipe M.
Dry ingredients:
- 600g flour
- 250g sugar
- 200g-ish sunflower seeds, dried apricots, raisins, candied citrus rind, etc. etc.
- 2 small chopped apples
- 2 Tbsp sodium bicarbonate
- 2 Tbsp-ish crushed fennel seeds
- a generous sprinkling of dried chilli flakes and/or cayenne pepper powder (optional).
- You can also add a little bit of nutmeg or any other spices you feel like adding
- pinch of salt
Wet ingredients:
- a little olive oil
- 2 small oranges, juiced (optional)
- 6 Tbsp flax seeds, ground
Preparation:
- Boil ground flax seeds in 1 cup of water for about 10mins. They should become thick and goopy - this is an egg replacement,
1Tbsp ground flax seedworks as replacement for1 eggas a binding agent. - Mix the dry ingredients thoroughly.
- Mix in the wet ingredients, orange juice last (it is acidic and will react with the baking soda).
- Because I tend to add too much liquid, I have now instructed you to add too much liquid. Add more flour as needed - it is supposed to be quite dry, almost to the point of worry.
- Roll out the dough on a floured surface into roughly baguette shapes, flatten slightly, and place on greasepaper in trays, cut a line along the top and bake for… no idea. Until they’re done-ish, probably around 45mins. Then, slice into small slices and bake a little longer to dry them out.
- Leave to cool and become crunchy. Then eat!
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