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About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (July 22, 2017)
Page 4C EAT, DRINK & EXPLORE East Oregonian Saturday, July 22, 2017 PINNEY: ‘She was so talented. Whatever she took upon herself’ Continued from 1C Staff photo by E.J. Harris Kari Christiansen of Hermiston looks through paintings by Dolores Jean Brown Pinney that will be in an estate sale later this month at the Hermiston Conference Center. Staff photo by E.J. Harris Dolores Jean Brown Pinney in an undated modeling photo. Staff photo by E.J. Harris Bob Pinney circa 1958. Staff photo by E.J. Harris Dolores Jean Brown Pinney’s painting of El Capitan in Yosemite National Park. not including repeats.” Meticulously preserved newspaper clippings about Pinney from her modeling days reveal a range of interests and capabilities. She visited the Grand Coulee Dam in 1950 and the Spokesman-Review news- paper published an inter- view with her. Pinney said she enjoyed the outdoors, regularly went fishing and swimming, and continued to pursue her art aspirations. Another interview said she was studying drama as well, and was being “groomed” by Sam Goldwyn. In Pinney’s box of mementos, she saved scripts from one-act plays and programs from concerts she attended in New York, as well as invitations and scholarship applications from her time as a student at Eastern Oregon College. There are also telegrams that show correspondence with her family members, including her time living on her own before she got married. One, a money order from her father, simply says, “Hope this reaches you before they throw you out. Love, Dad.” Pinney’s talents extended beyond modeling. In a Dec. 28, 1948, newspaper interview she called art her “first love” — which Pinney retained all her life. Following her career as a model, she continued to paint. Her primary mediums were acrylics and oils and her subject matter varied, from landscapes of moun- tains and oceans to vases and bowls of fruit. “She was best known for her still lifes,” said Hermiston business owner Ford Bonney who, along with Mike Zook, is putting together an estate sale of Pinney’s artwork and belongings, through Zook’s company MBZ Liquida- tions. According to Bonney, paintings by Pinney were featured in galleries in San Francisco and Jackson Hole, Wyoming. There are also several portraits for sale, most of which were painted by Pinney’s husband. As with many other skills Pinney developed, she took it on herself. “Irrigon didn’t have art classes. She did art lessons by mail,” Ellen said. “That was the only time I knew her to get art training. Her mom told me that from the time she was little, she could draw portraits of people. She had a lot of natural ability.” When she met her husband, Bob, Pinney’s life changed again. The two met when he was working for Libby Owens-Ford in Grilled ratatouille creates lovely summertime char By MELISSA D’ARABIAN Associated Press Ratatouille is a classic vegetable dish starring eggplant, zucchini, peppers and tomato that is deeply steeped in the culture of Mediterra- nean France. When I married a man from the heart of Provence, one of the first lessons I received from my new mother-in-law Muriel was how to make a proper ratatouille. (The other was how to pluck feathers from a newly butchered turkey, but that’s a story for another day.) Turns out, my American sensibil- ities had me cooking a ratatouille far too long, making it a gloppy stew of indistinguishable mixed vegetables, a crime I’ve seen committed more often than not here in the US. Muriel was kind in her rebuke, and showed me her way instead. The most important lesson was to cook each vegetable separately, to honor their individuality. Moreover, the vegetables needed to be cooked in the same pan, in a specific order, so that the flavors would be built just right. (The order, in case you are wondering, is: eggplant, zucchini, peppers, onion, tomatoes, and I use the acronym EZ-POT to remember.) I was skeptical. But her version is easily the best I have ever eaten, so I follow it without fail, even if the rebellious part of me wonders if I dared to cook the zucchini out of order, would anyone really notice? But, why mess with genius? Unless it’s BBQ season and I want to grill out! After years of following proper EZ-POT protocol, I decided to try an outdoor grilled version of ratatouille. A little summertime char on the veggies could be a good thing. And indeed it was. The result was a tasty dish that was somewhere in between a grilled vegetable salad (but not quite as acidic) and a traditional ratatouille (but not quite capturing that synergistic vegetable vibe). Still, a worthy summertime side dish in its own right. Grilled ratatouille is a happy complement to any grilled meat or fish, and it’s hearty enough to be the main dish for vegetarians. And leftovers can be spooned on top of roasted potatoes, rice, a green salad, or even spread on toast, sprinkled with cheese and broiled for a quick lunch. Melissa d’Arabian via AP GRILLED RATATOUILLE Servings: 6 Start to finish: 30 minutes • 2 small or 1 large eggplant, cut into 1-inch slices (no need to peel) • 2 medium zucchini, trimmed and cut in half lengthwise • 1 sweet yellow or red pepper, cut into “cheeks” or quarters, seeds, removed • 1 medium sweet white onion, peeled, quar- tered with root intact (to keep it together) • 1 pint grape tomatoes • Olive oil in mister Dressing: • 1 tablespoon lemon juice • 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar • 2 tablespoons high quality olive oil • 1 clove garlic, minced • 1 tablespoon fresh thyme, minced • 6-7 basil leaves, gently torn • Salt and pepper Los Angeles, and she was a working model. They married in 1951 and Pinney ended her modeling career soon after. Bob was an architect, and his wife soon began studying the subject and applying her skills. “I think she would have modeled longer,” Ellen said, “but he didn’t particularly want her modeling anymore, and she was into learning about architecture.” The couple eventually moved to San Francisco, and Pinney began doing architectural renderings of buildings that her husband was working on. Ellen still has some pictures of build- ings Pinney and her husband worked on, with Pinney’s notes about the structure on the back. They designed several buildings in the city, including a Safeway grocery store with some apartment buildings above it. “She didn’t have an architectural degree, but she got right into it,” Ellen said. “She was so talented. What- ever she took upon herself.” That self-taught ability extended to sewing and even woodworking, according to Daryl. “When she was living in San Francisco, rather than buy furniture, she just decided she would make her own,” Daryl said. “For her, it was probably no different than making clothes.” After Pinney’s husband passed away in 1996, she moved back to the Herm- iston area to be near her brother. Around the same time, she began having some health issues, including memory loss and cataracts. Toward the end of her life, her sister-in-law recalls Pinney spending a lot of time in the garden, but almost none with a brush and canvas. “She wasn’t doing the work she used to do,” Ellen said. Nevertheless, her family still recalls Pinney’s many lives — model, artist, archi- tect — with amazement. “We’re kind of fasci- nated with her,” Daryl said. “Going from Irrigon to LA and New York — after her husband passed away, she moved back closer to family. She was doing a lot of things. It was not your average person’s life.” The estate sale featuring many of Pinney’s creations, including her artwork and furniture, is July 30 at 1 p.m. The sale will be at the Hermiston Conference Center, 415 S. Highway 395, Hermiston. ——— Contact Jayati Ramakrishnan at jramakrishnan@eastorego- nian.com or 541-564-4534 Heat the grill to medium and lightly oil the grates. Season the vegetables with salt and pepper, and spray them lightly with the olive oil mister to coat. (If you don’t have a mister, pour a little oil in your hands and lightly toss the vegetables in a bowl using your hands to coat them very lightly with olive oil.) Cook the vegetables on the grill until tender but not floppy, turning halfway through cooking time — about 12-15 minutes total for the eggplant, onion quarters and sweet pepper, 8-10 minutes for the zucchini and 2 minutes for the tomatoes. Meanwhile, make the dressing: Whisk together lemon juice and red wine vinegar in a small bowl, and drizzle in the olive oil, whisking to make an emulsion. Add the thyme and salt and pepper to taste, and an additional tablespoon of water if needed to make more sauce. As the vegetables are removed from the grill, chop the onion (the inside may not be fully cooked and that’s OK), and cut the rest of the veggies into nice-sized cubes, and place in a large bowl. The pepper skin will be charred and can be kept or removed. Pour the dressing over the vegetables while still warm and toss gently. Add the fresh basil leaves to the vegetables, and stir. Adjust salt and pepper for seasoning and serve, hot, room temperature or chilled. Nutrition information per serving: 126 calories; 49 calories from fat; 5 g fat (1 g saturated; 0 g trans fats); 0 mg cholesterol; 14 mg sodium; 19 g carbohydrate; 7 g fiber; 11 g sugar; 4 g protein.
