One of the five, lovely & vivacious Orban sisters, Chris is the pick of the litter. Beautiful and intelligent, she's my lover, friend and confidant. This lens is dedicated to Chris... and all that she is.
Chris is an Artist
This rustic still life features a scene from rural America. Perhaps this is set in an old farm kitchen. An antique cupboard holds the ingredients for a good cuppa coffee. The beans are freshly ground. A touch of cream is there to add a bit of flavor. All the fixings for a coffee break. (Click on the paintings)
This painting features some of the best ingredients for a great marinara sauce-onions, garlic, tomatoes, and of course, a host of spices. The stage is set on this farm country sideboard for a yummy dinner. It's pasta tonight.
Chris has an entire website dedicated to her artwork. See her past works and see what's new for immediate ownership.New to Squidoo? Want to make your own lens?. Click here to get started
Here are a few of Chris' "Best Picks" for any beginning, or advanced, artist
The Encyclopedia of Water Color Techniques
A great reference, with tips from a variety of artists. No matter what your style, there is something here for you. Also very good if you're exploring a new technique and just want a good, to-the-point explanation
Amazon Price: (as of 11/15/2009) 
14 Formulas for Painting Fabulous Landscapes
More of an advanced book than an actual how-to, the advice is sound and helpful. The author's own works provide good examples of the different forms. The book contains both oil and watercolor demos.
Amazon Price: (as of 11/15/2009)
How to Make a Watercolor Paint Itself: Experimental Techniques for Achieving Realistic Effects
Engle's paintings are stunning. The artist unselfishly provides detailed instruction on creating paintings that seem effortless.
Amazon Price: (as of 11/15/2009)
The Big Book of Painting Nature in Watercolor (Practical Art Books)
Lots of great reference photographs with varying degrees of instruction. The book itself is a nice reference if you find yourself stuck about how to paint something.
Amazon Price: $21.45 (as of 11/15/2009)
Why Paint Cats: The Ethics of Feline Aesthetics
Just for fun. This book makes Chris laugh at loud
Amazon Price: $12.21 (as of 11/15/2009)
Chris is an author
Watch for updates on Mystery at Weborg Lodge Studio
Not enough information there? Follow her writing process step by step as she works to complete her book. She has a lens on Squidoo about Writing My First Murder Mystery.
Together we wrote a book about Wisconsin's best kept secret, the Wisconsin Great River Road. Chris claims to have written 90% of it... but it was my idea. So we agree to be co-authors. The most beautiful drive in the Midwest, the Great River Road follows the Mississippi River from Canada to the Gulf of Mexico. And the Wisconsin section of the road is the best of the best. We drove the River Road every weekend for years and decided to write a book about what we found.
101 Things To Do on the Wisconsin Great River Road
Amazon Price: (as of 11/15/2009)
RSS Feed From Chris' Blog. Follow her step by step as she writes her murder mystery
Fetching RSS feed... please stand byChris is an Entrepreneur
Some of Chris' wonderful art work is available on greeting cards. You can find them at Zazzle.com 
How about this fabulous coffee mug with with an original Chris farm scene on it? Click on the mug to order yours from Zazzle!
She has made this colorful bear greeting card available on Zazzle. Order yours today!
Here's another Chris is a Kentucky Colonel
Because of our involvement at Mammoth Cave National Park, Chris and I were commissioned Kentucky Colonels by Governor Paul E. Patton for our contribution to the Commonwealth of Kentucky.
For more than 15 years, volunteers have gathered at Mammoth Cave to restore sections of the cave back to their natural splendor. So important was their work, the Department of the Interior recognized the Restoration Field Camp at Mammoth Cave as a National Semi-finalist in the Take Pride in America national awards program. You can read the entire story by clicking on Underground Legacy Chris is in good company. The list of Kentucky Colonels contains names from Bob Hope, Fred Astair, and Joan Crawford for their efforts during the war, to John Glenn, Winston Churchill, and Lyndon Johnson.
Here are Some of Chris' Favorite Movies
The Thin Man, the first installment in one of the most successful detective serials in film history, introduces stylish sleuthing spouses Nick (William Powell) and Nora Charles (Myrna Loy). Powell and Loy's quick-witted repartee set a Hollywood tradition in their crackling debut as they investigate the disappearance of a wealthy inventor. The convoluted mystery plot moves at a rapid-fire pace that will delight modern viewers.
Smitten insurance man Walter Neff (Fred MacMurray) plots the perfect murder with femme fatale client Phyllis Dietrichson (Barbara Stanwyck): Stage her husband's "accidental" death to collect double indemnity on his life insurance, then abscond with the loot. But the lethal duo must first get past a crafty claims investigator (Edward G. Robinson) who senses something isn't kosher. What ensues is a cat-and-mouse game with fatal consequences.
Ernest Hemingway's short story "The Killers" was turned into two memorable films that bookended the high period of the noir genre. Disc 1 contains the original 1946 Robert Siodmak version starring Burt Lancaster as "the Swede," an aging boxer who's brought in for an underground job.
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Chris' Favorite Books
Far from the Madding Crowd (Signet Classics)
A young man falls victim to his own obsession with an amorous farm girl in this classic novel of fate and unrequited love. Published anonymously and first attributed, erroneously, to George Eliot, this Signet Classic version is set from Hardy's revised final draft-the authoritative Wessex edition of 1912.
Bone Harvest
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc.
Thank You, Jeeves (Wodehouse, P. G. Collector's Wodehouse.)
A full cast of Wodehouse creations--including tyrannical relatives, beastly acquaintances, demon children, and literary fatheads--return for further near catastrophes and sparkling comedy Overlook is proud to present four more antic selections from comic genius, P.G. Wodehouse.
Rebecca
A love story and a ghost story of a woman haunted by the powerful presence of the former mistress of Manderley. We never learn the name of the heroine as she marries Max, moves into the rigid but elegant life at Manderley and tangles with Mrs. Danvers, Manderley's fearsome housekeeper. What unfolds is not only a mystery but a story of obsessions and evil. The end is a shock. Du Maurier created an unforgettable atmosphere of decaying beauty, frightening spirits and horror mixed with love and death. If you haven't read this, I am envious. You get to experience it for the first time. Have you opened your CafePress store yet?
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