Color my world

Our San Francisco/Napa trip was marvelous, just the little bit of escape that we needed.  I mean, don't get me wrong, our life is pretty darn sweet, but we do work our butts off (not that you can tell, because mine is definitely still back there).  But you know what I mean.

We visited lots of old fave spots from when we lived in SF.  Museums, restaurants, shops.  We ate, we walked, we ate, we walked, we ate and then we walked some more.  It felt wonderful to use my legs (again) for transportation - I simply LOVE that!!!  And we saw plenty of new spots, The Ferry Building for one, which has been completed since we moved away.  I liked it a lot, so much that I was there 3 times during 2 days.  Fantastic food from a variety of well known and lesser known vendors, restaurants, shops and a Farmer's market on the weekend.  The fruits and veggies so perfect they look like something from a photo shoot.  

It was Fleet Week, so we saw the air show from our hotel window - can you say Blue Angels!?!? So wildly synchronistic as we used to love Fleet Week and didn't realize it would take place during our visit.  

I caught up with the dearest of dear friends, my soul sisters - the girls who nurtured me through the beginning years of my artistic journey - they know where the bodies are buried (so to speak) and I love them for their unfailing support.  

So Blue and Green and fresh and crisp with PEACE for all.  That's how I would color my world.  

Yep, you betcha (to quote my friend Joan)

Saturday, Oct 11th, 2008 -- You are dreaming in Technicolor today, even when you wake up and open your eyes. But as long as you don't try to be overly concrete now, you could be on a creative high. Do your best to capture this magical energy through whatever form of art and craft suits you best. And if you must be accurate in your reporting of details, tell others that it may take you a few days before you have all your facts in order.

This is so true it is freakish. San Francisco, once again, delivers more inspiration that I could ever dream. Actually, our entire trip has been that way. The wine country seemed more glorious than ever, and I found myself filled with new ideas at ever turn. And no, I wasn't drunk, lol. I've been journaling, but it is still slightly vague in my head, more of a feeling than anything, like I'm on the cusp of something big.

Today is my 15th Anniversary. It is a record for me, the girl who seemingly could never maintain a relationship (long story for another day). All I can say is I am incredibly blissed to have such a wonderful husband. John is my rock and my foundation. He is a man who believes in me with all his heart and his encouragement has allowed me to blossom in more directions that I could ever imagine. His intellect and wit never cease to amaze me. I respect so many things about him, but especially his patience and kindness. I think that he and I seem (to many) like an odd couple, but we are lucky in that we bring out the best in one another. He really does complete me.

Happy Anniversary sweetie.

Hometown bliss

The Hyde Park Art Fair was wonderful!  Gosh, such perfect weather, we Midwesterners are certainly getting spoiled, aren't we?  

Anyhoo, I had a mixed booth of abstracts and Common Denominator work.  I was lucky to get a corner location  
which was lovely for display and I hung things a little differently than normal.  I won a prize?!?!?  Can you believe!?!?  Mom & Dad were there when it was announced and it was so cute to see my Mom spontaneously telling anyone who walked by, "my daughter won an award."  Just hilarious.  It was an Honorable Mention, came with some moulah (yippee)  and also means that I get invited back next year without having to jury.  

These adorable costumed girls are Stacey and Jen (I covet Jen's tattoo hose btw) from Indigenous, my gallery in Cincinnati.   They were walking around the show promoting their upcoming Halloween Hullabaloo which is an event they hold each year.  If you are in Cincinnati, you should check it out, sounds waaayyyy fun!!  You can also find my work there; last time I visited, I was delighted to see a "MB wall" of sorts, tee, hee.

 

And since I was in Cincy, of course I got together with my cousin, Amber.  We had lunch with our moms, pretending we were ladies who lunch routinely.  It was a kick.  Moms and cousins both had a really good time.  Amber's a doll, isn't she?  

And finally, here is a picture from my last Studio Workshop which was held with women from The Joy Foundation.  The purpose of the workshop was to train their volunteer staff in a couple simple projects that could be done with hospitalized children in Cancer wards.  I am honored to be working with them.  

Which reminds me (short promo here), I have a few openings for upcoming Studio workshops.

There's a Claybord class on October 23rd with a couple spots and the Collage Class on November 8th has a few.  Email me for more details and I will send you a brochure if you are interested. 

I am heading out in the morning to San Francisco, woo hoo!!!  John and I are celebrating our 15th anniversary; we are going to Napa and to the City (of course), visiting old haunts and dear friends.   More on that later.......

Adios amigos. 

Cincinnati Bound

Hyde Park Square.

Sunday.

10-5.

I'll be at the corner of Edwards & Erie.

Be there or be square.

Sound Bites

The plaque shown in the previous post is one of my "Sound Bites." They are brief smart ass phrases that I find amusing.  Some of them come from pop culture or the media; others I make up myself.  I wanted to present my own version of the live laugh dream create messages that we see everywhere (not that I don't like those, they have just been overdone). 

I've been making the Sound Bites for over a year now and they are suddenly quite popular as it seems folks relate to cynicism, tee, hee, hee.  I could go on and on about the idea of sound bites in general, as they perpetrate every part of our lives and sometimes I fear decisions are made based based on them.  But alas (smacks self in head), I won't bore you with another rant. 

After all, these are just for fun!  It's my intent to put them on Etsy.  I want to open a shop once my shows are over - this will definitely happen in time for holiday gift giving.   

So consider this your preview.  And if you gotta have one earlier, let me know.  They are $20 each which includes shipping.  Email me fmi.

God help us all

I vowed to myself no political rants on my blog, so I'm going to tell this story without revealing my "choice".  I think that everyone is entitled to their own opinion and I would not impose my opinion on others.  

That being said, I have - or had, I should say - a political sign in my side yard.  I'm sure you see where this is going.  

We left our house at about 4:00 to babysit our grandkids.  Afterward we spent a really lovely evening with our family.  We were gone about 4 hours or so.  And yep, you guessed it.....we returned to find that our political sign was gone. 

Nice.  Really a class act, whoever you are.  I realize I am taking this way too seriously, but it makes me question my neighbors.  Honestly, I can't believe it was one of my neighbors, I prefer to think it was some random act by an unknown person.  I have to believe that to maintain any sanity whatsoever.  But I do wonder about who would have done this and why they are seemingly unable to tolerate freedom of expression!??!  Does someone really believe that removal of a political sign will somehow influence the election and/or change my vote!?!?!  

So, here is my message.....pretty mature, huh?

I mailed gifts to a couple friends this week.  Taking a cue from one of my clever buddies, I decided to wrap presents in discarded paper towels and other odd scraps of painted stuff; truth be told, I have an enormous bin of these things.  Scavenging around is actually quite fun.  

And here is how the packages turned out.  I hope the recipients like them. 

Ties that Bind

Here's a charm that I made for the Ties that Bind Project, a fund raiser for Ovarian cancer.  First time I've attempted this.......I took a section of a collage and enlarged and adapted it in Photoshop, then added the text.  I sized the circle in PS and glued it behind my optical lens, added the wire and ribbon and voila!  I was happy with the result and you just might see more of these from me.  Check out the other contributions and find out more about this project here.  

You asked....

Several people have asked about our kitchen project, how it turned out, specifically all that refinishing I did earlier this year (remember when I was afraid all I would have to put in my booth was cabinet doors?).  Anyhoo, here are some pics.......I had to wait until I cleaned today to take some pictures.  

And yes, I refinished and distressed every single one of these cabinets, even the new ones that we bought to match the pre-existing ones.  Our contractor thought I was stark raving nuts.

See the stained glass lamp above our table?  That belonged to my grandparents and is quite special to me - it was sort of the inspiration piece for the room.  The bar stools are a total kick, aren't they? The color is the same red from my Coke machine which is in our living room and you can actually see it from some angles (not shown in these pics).  The recessed lights are all new and completely transformed the space, oh how I love them.  That boxy area on the other side of the table is the powder room (which is entered from the hall on the left.  The hall on the right has a utility pantry.  We doubled the width of the hall on the left and the hall on the right wasn't even there before (that used to be a large walk-in pantry & wet bar on the family room side).  I wanted "gallery" walls since we have sort of a moving display of art around here.  

Anyway, that is the tour of my new kitchen.  I love it so much, it was quite a project, something that John and I conceptualized and luckily our brilliant contractor figured out how to make it a reality for us.  

(I think the pictures enlarge if you click on them)

I will not feel sorry for Damien Hirst

Just because his auction started the same day the market tanked.  No I won't.  Despite all the world's financial worries with banks failing and AIG about to declare bankruptcy, Sotheby's London made 111 million pounds (over 197 million US dollars) on the Hirst auction.   Who knows what Hirst will get but you can bet it's a bunch.  It is incredible to think that Hirst completely bypassed his galleries.  For someone who is thrilled to obtain gallery representation (that would be me!), it's hard to understand.  

But the sale of all this art just confirms that the rich are still really really rich (duh, like we had any doubt).  If they weren't, I might have had a chance to bid on that pickled shark for my grand kids....

Couldn't have said it better myself

Sunday's NY Times featured an article on digital scrapbooking.  It wasn't that long an article, but there was a section that grabbed me.  It was about Ali Edwards - who is friends w/my friend Dona, I am name dropping here, tee,hee.  I met her, Ali that is, at Artfest last year and she is a total doll, so very nice.  

Anyhoo, here it is....

"Edwards's fans praise her layouts precisely because of their personal touches - her handwriting across photographs and pages, in particular.  Yet when she teaches workshops, she encounters scrappers so wrapped up in buying embellishments that their work becomes "product heavy" and so concerned with achieving the "right" look (like the popular layouts they have seen online) that it "completely stalls them."  She encourages workshop attendees to think of the process as its own reward and to focus on telling a personal story."  

Yep, that pretty much applies to all art, doesn't it?  

Very good advice indeed.  

Rain, rain, rain

I just got back from Cincinnati.  My dad had cataract surgery last week and I drove over to make sure he was OK (it was wildly successful and he doesn't even need glasses now!).  Plus I wanted to pick up an antique table that my parents gave to me.  I drove the truck  and it is embarrassing how much stuff I managed to jam into it (can you say Ikea!?!?).  I think I am doing my part to stimulate the economy.

Luckily, I got back home before the rain started here.  I know I shouldn't complain, when folks in TX have such a horrible situation.  Based on the tiny bit of "Ike" that we have seen, I cannot imagine what Galveston and Houston residents have been through.  This is one nasty storm.  You can see from the first picture that a humming bird rode out the storm on our feeder.  There were actually 3 of the little birds all perched on the feeders; about the only time they've been social with one another.   I think the overhang of our roof offered them a little protection, but you can see this one is all puffed up trying to stay warm.

And later today this spider appeared with it's massive web.  Not to mention all the earthworms trying to flee the water.  Ugh, they crawled under our garage door.  And somehow one managed to get in to our foyer.  Yuckyuckyuck, you should have heard me scream.

I am so glad to be home, even with all these crazy critters; I even have a a few days to make some art, yippee!! Hopefully I'll be able to share some more pictures soon. 

The guts of my biz

I've meant to show this picture forever and keep forgetting about it.  This is how I re-organized my office with the new computer.  I love my mac.  Can't believe I didn't do it earlier.  It is just so great.  

But I also love my office.  It is probably the only room in the house (other than my studio) where I did exactly what I wanted without discussion.  I seriously feel it has helped my business for me to have this special space to work on the mind numbing paper stuff, you know what I mean?

That wave pattern on the wall?  Yeah, well that was free form.  I grabbed a paint roller and just went at it.  Sooooo much fun, I would definitely recommend this sort of painting release!  And my desk?  It's an old distressed table I bought at a local store.  Of course it wouldn't come apart (for some crazy reason) and we couldn't wrestle it through the doorway, so John had to saw part of it's feet off.  But I use those feet to decorate another area which I will show you later....

And yeah, that is an apron draped over my reading chair - so fabulous I just like having it out.  The pencil holder on the desk is a ceramic piece I made when I was a kid.  

The art continues to build across the wall as I collect more pieces from artists I admire.  There are also a few of mine up there and you can probably see the Misty piece that I look at every single day.  It has my favorite word on it.  Cherish.  That word sums it up for me.  

What a show

 Wow, it was so much fun doing a show at home!  So many welcoming faces - friends, collectors, and artist buddies.  

You know those pieces from the last post?  

All gone.  Plus many others as well, including all those greeting cards and more that I made up during the show.  Geez, I never dreamed they would be so popular.  I definitely need to find a manufacturer.

I am also jazzed at the positive feedback regarding my abstracts.  I sold 5 of them which was quite a thrill.  I can't wait to start painting for my show next year, I just want to immerse myself and hole up in the studio.  Unfortunately, I have at least 2 more months of shows and classes until that is possible. 

And oh, the ideas I have!  Just loads of them, but really, play is the best direction (for me at least) because then I will make loads of new discoveries.  And most likely end up moving in a completely different direction than where I thought I was going.  But that just makes it fun.

Beth & Frank brought the grand kids to the show and it was wonderful to have them hanging out behind my booth, both working on drawings.  Aidan is writing and illustrating his own book about fish and dinosaurs.  I am perhaps a little biased, but I think it's pretty fantastic for any child, but especially a 6 year old.  The commitment he has made to this project is unbelievable.  Hopefully I will be able to share some pics one day.

Anyhoo, it was a perfect weekend.  I need to sleep for about a week except I have a studio class on Tuesday and then I leave for Cincinnati on Wednesday, so I will have to make do with a 24 hour rest.  

Thanks so much to all of you who support my path.  It means more than you could even imagine.  I am incredibly blissed.

Of birds and babes

Schlafly Art Outside

Starting today!!!!

I have lots of birds

and babes...

plus some cowboys

and clowns 

thrown in for 

good measure.

Hope to see you there!

Gypsy life

Greeting cards - printed, mounted & packaged 4 dozen

Sound Bites - painted 2 dozen, still need to do phrases & wire them

Reproductions - printed, matted & packaged 2 dozen

6x6's - 6 complete, 4 to go

12x12's - 4 done, 4 to go

my list is getting shorter

I'm working pretty much round the clock at the moment.  Lots of little things because my stock is low.  It is times like this when I wish I had an assistant.  Ah, perhaps one day.  

Schlafly Art Outside is this weekend - 50 artists - check out the site, it is just getting better and better!  I am excited since it's my only outdoor fair in the St. Louis area for 2008.  And you know what, it's OK that I didn't get in to the "big" show this year.  The Schlafly people are really my people anyway.  I mean I loved doing the Clayton show (duh), like who wouldn't want to be in a top five show like that.  But Schlafly is where it all started for me.  Four years ago, in fact.  Geez, it's crazy to think how far I have come since then, specifically the fact I have relaxed enough to truly enjoy this lifestyle - using shows to catch up with artist friends for dinner and to grab a li'l vacation in the towns we visit.  It's a good life indeed.  But it's also good to be home too!  

We will set up Friday starting at noon.  The show itself starts at 5 and runs till 10 on Friday.  It's from 10-10 on Saturday and then 12-4 on Sunday.  I am blissed with  a corner booth, yippee (my lucky number no less, booth #7  as sweet Joe Mohr traded with me because I begged and whined), so I will have some of the big abstracts with me.   

Summer days

Summer always gives me wanderlust.  These days, I don't really have the luxury of much free time, but I used Rhonda's puppies as an excuse to get away for a day.  I finished up the new batch of commissions (yippee!!), threw some stuff in the car, grabbed the big cooler and hit the road.  

Rhonda just lives an hour and a half away, but it seems further because she's in the country and has 16 acres on a lake.  We romped with the puppies, played with her older dog, even lured the cat out of hiding.  I saw all the work in her studio, things in process, prototypes of new ideas, etc.  I would love to show you a picture of her place, but I stupidly failed to charge my camera and the battery died.Luckily, I did get a few good shots before it pooped out.  

She fixed me a lovely grilled salmon dinner with fresh corn on the cob from the Mennonite farmer's market.  I got tons of veggies to bring home (hence the cooler)  and I stopped at the "mile high" place to get some carryout pie which is such a treat for me and John.  Yumyumyum!!!!

Aren't the puppies adorable?  They have tons of energy as you might imagine.  Sooooo very cute.

I drove home via every antique store I could find and that was fun.  Got lots of new material for the upcoming Schlafly show.  I need to pull some all nighters as I don't have much time left.  

We continue to have amazing weather here and more predicted for the weekend.  It feels good to be home (no show this weekend).  We are invited to 2 parties, plus a dinner date.   I will be in the studio during the days.  Don't feel sorry for me, there isn't anything I'd rather be doing.  I feel invigorated after my 18 hour vacation, tee, hee.  

 

Helloooooooo?????

I feel a little boring lately with my blog entries, makes me wonder if anyone is reading or if anyone cares, I mean if I am boring myself (!!!), goodness only knows what anyone else might think?  

My big news is that a very dear friend took me to the Bruce Springsteen concert Saturday night; and yes, I was a "virgin" Bruce fan.  Always liked his music, but didn't think too much about it.  Until this concert.  It was life changing.  I kid you not.  

The lyrics, the passion, the joy, the love.  He is a poet for our time.  The concert was a revival.  Absolutely amazing.  I need awhile to process it, but I am so grateful to have had the experience.  It has moved me in many ways.  I'm thinking and thinking......about many things in my life....and our society, about family and home and friends. 

I wonder if I could be a groupie.  Or perhaps I already am?

 

I was a lady of leisure yesterday as I was treated to a facial (my friend Claire got me a certificate).  Divine, geez, I could get used to that!  I spent half the time hovering in that glorious blissed out state, the one where you are in and out of sleep.  Just lovely.  Not to mention my skin looks really nice and feels oh so soft. 

Then I took my car in to the dealer because there is a vibration/rattle that is driving me bonkers (very short drive I might add).  Anyhoo, one of the mechanic guys took a ride with me and he finally (!) heard the sound too.  Then he popped out the entire center console part.  While I was driving!!!  The sound stopped.  Hmmmm, interesting.  Back to the dealer where this brilliant guy put a little strip of felt along the leading edge of the console and then popped it back in.  We went for another drive and it was perfectly silent.  Yippee!

In other news, I accidentally paid $13 for a bunch of basil.  The guy at Whole Foods was unloading this incredible fresh basil - small basil bushes, they were.  And the smell was so fantastic all I could think about was a tomato and mozzarella salad, how delish it was going to be.  I grabbed one up, the largest one of course, stupidly assuming the price was per bunch, not per pound.  Duh.  Luckily I froze a bunch of it. But I still feel like an idiot.

2 Wholesale or not 2 Wholesale, that is the question

Yikes, I had 2 galleries approach me at the Lexington show, one from Louisville, one from Lexington.  They both wanted to wholesale my products, specifically my reproductions, Sound Bites and greeting cards.  This is one of those, "be careful what you wish for" things, as I have been tossing this around for the past months (in my head of course).  And now it literally falls into my lap.  

Wonderful you might say and yes, of course I am thrilled.  But this means I also need to log some big-time computer hours designing a line of cards and figuring out which pieces to reproduce, etc.  Because my past efforts have been a little casual to say the least.  

I mean my usual greeting card approach is to simply reproduce which ever images amuse me at the time I am making them.  Seriously.  It varies wildly from show to show.  My reproductions have been limited to the four pieces that "define" me, the autobiographical ones, "Don't Play Dumb", Don't Fence me in", "Crack yourself up" and "Wear it like you mean it."  Clearly I need to expand this.  

And Y-E-S, I do want to wholesale my work.  I've always wanted this, it's just new and big and scary and I'm feeling way out of my comfort zone at the moment.  I need to find a printer for greeting cards because I will no longer be able to make them up by hand - we're talking way too big of quantity.  Anyone who would be willing to share a source let me know!

In other show news, I used part of last week's prize money to treat myself to a pair of Piper Sandals.   Here is a picture - I stole this from Dave's website but I don't think he would care since I am talking about how great they are.  Geez Louise, these are great shoes.  I know sooooo many artists who have these shoes, I see them everywhere and now I know why!  Dave was my next door neighbor at the Lexington show and what a fun time we had.  I laughed my butt off cause he is so funny he could be a stand up comic.  That is, if he had any spare time......his sandal biz is booming, they are being sought for, not one, but two upcoming Hollywood movies.    

You all have heard me talk about my delicate little feet before.  I mean they are so darn sensitive that I get blisters with nearly every shoe purchase.  Plus my foot is on the skinny side and I have trouble finding a good fit.  So imagine my surprise when Dave put these on me and I wore them for about 10 hours straight the first day with not one blister.  They felt amazing.  Comfy yet supportive, like I could walk around in them for a long time.  The straps run under the sole and you can adjust them to perfectly fit any foot.  This is a shoe to keep forever, just get them re-soled  as needed (which includes new straps!).  What a quality product.  Click here to see Dave's website, read his story and perhaps even order a pair for yourself.

Artfest is coming....

I will be teaching 2 classes at Artfest in 2009.  The site is live, so you can click here to see all the amazing workshops that Teesha has lined up.  If you are new to AF, make sure you go over all the registration details - you need to postmark your entry by a certain date, I think it's 9/02?  Anyhoo, all the details are on the site.    

I attended Artfest for the first time in 2007 and instantly felt like I had found "my people."  It was a welcome get-away for me - a perfect adult art camp where I could play to my heart's content.  I came away invigorated and filled with ideas and new techniques for my work.  In 2008 I taught one class and was filled with joy to witness my students produce the most amazing work I could ever imagine.  You can click here to see the post of  the work from my students.  Needless to say, I am thrilled to return for 2 classes on my very fave topic in the world which is Claybord.  I've divided my techniques into 2 sessions because I just have too much to share in one day and I don't want anyone's head to explode (joke). 

So now I just need to figure out what class I want to take on my free day!  

Hey little Birdie

There were three baby birds in this knothole nest a short distance from my booth at the Lake Geneva show.  I could have watched them all day, but alas, I had an art fair to work, tee, hee.  They were so adorable and oh-so-needy as they cheeped incessantly for Mama's attention.   

Everything about the show was idyllic, right on the water, it just doesn't get much prettier.  And the weather -oh my - 70 degrees and sunny?!?!?!?  What a treat it was!  

I hung a bunch of abstracts in the booth to take a new booth photo, here is one of my set-ups.  I didn't leave the booth this way for the show, I kept moving stuff around (I had a corner!), but it gives you an idea of how an all abstract booth would look.  

See the big red one?  It's 44" across, 34" tall.  Gone, sold within the last half hour of the show to some fun and funny folks.  I so enjoyed talking with them and am happy they have the piece.  

And how about this dragonfly?  Isn't its coloring interesting - I had never seen one like that.  It hung out in my booth a lot (I swear it was the same one!?!?!).  Maybe brought me good luck because I won an award, yippee, that even included money.  I was also invited to come back to teach a workshop for the Art League.  I feel honored and blessed.  Life is indeed good.

The Big Boys are here

Since I am working with a gallery now (yeah, yeah, I need to share more details on that, announcements coming soon....) I need to start getting pieces framed.  Thankfully, a friend of mine has recently opened a framing biz, woohoo.  He has been trying to persuade me to frame my large pieces for a few months and I finally took the plunge.  Oh my----even I was impressed to see my work presented this way. I sat the paintings in my family room so you could get some perspective on how large they are.  Forty four inches tall with frame. 

 

They are all traveling to WI with me for the Lake Geneva Art in the Park show this weekend.  If you're in the greater Chicago area or in WI, come on over!!!  The weather is going to be divine!!

The second picture shows my recent work that has returned home from the Art Saint Louis show.  It is wonderful in our house, so perfect above John's chair that I don't think I can sell it.  This bottom piece is on Claybord.  The ones in the top picture are on canvas.  All are mixed media - acrylic, pastel, ink, collage, marker.

Message for the day

Signs of Progress

The Daniel Smith 2008-2009 catalogue arrived the other day.  I reverently placed it aside, waiting for the perfect time to peruse its pages.  And so this morning, with cup of coffee in hand, feet propped on desk, I started to go through it page by page.  Like a child with the Christmas catalogue, I have already turned down corners and marked certain "must have" items along with some real "dream on" stuff.  

Ahhhh, what a perfect rainy day activity.....

OK, since a number of you have written me about my crazy energy concoction.....

I get my yogurts at Whole Foods or at our local nutrition/health store.  I go to Cornerstone, which is out in Chesterfield Valley on Edison, right off of Long Road.  I prefer a low fat yogurt (rather than non fat), but that's just me.  Cornerstone stocks the Hemp Hearts too and truly I think they are the "guts" of this recipe - like if you only want to buy one thing.  For those of you out of town, I would suggest you call around to health food shops and I bet someone has them in your area.  

The Hemp Hearts are really tasty, at least I think so, but you may question my taste buds since I have admitted to enjoying pumpkin brownies.  They taste sort of like lightly ground walnuts.  Definitely a nutty flavor, good enough that you can grab a handful of them and eat them alone.  They have high calories, so I measure to make sure I don't max out and fix a 1000 calorie yogurt treat, ha!  

And finally, if you are at the nutrition store anyway, try CALM Plus Calcium.  I have been taking one dose of this stuff every night before bed (I buy the flavored one so I don't have to mix it with juice).  I swear it helps me "wind down" and have a good night's sleep.  I've been sleeping better that I have in years since using this stuff.  Now keep in mind it's not a sedative or sleeping pill - it just helps you chill.  Plus it's got good stuff in it like Magnesium (which is good if you have migraines) and Calcium, which we all need.  

It's been awhile since I've talked about any of my oddball eating habits.  Some of you may remember last summer when I ate yogurt with bee pollen every single day for lunch.  Naturally I can't give up my daily yogurt, but the ingredients have changed, plus I have switched from the Greek yogurt to artisan yogurts.   A couple I really like - Trader's Point Creamery and Seven Stars Farm are yummy.    

Anyhoo, here's my "recipe":

3/4 cup yogurt 

2 T. Hemp hearts

1 t. Chia seeds

1/2 cup blueberries

1/2 cup Fiber One cereal

This is what I eat every single day for lunch.  Except for today when I had a partial lobotomy (apparently while I was having my hair cut) and drove through White Castle  on the way home.  One double cheeseburger, no onions thankyouverymuch.

The Hemp hearts rock though - they're a great source of protein, give you tons of energy and definitely curb your appetite.  I strongly recommend them!  The Chia seeds have a lot of Omega 3, are a good source of fiber, and are also believed to boost your immune system.  Though I will confess I have this vision I am growing little Chia plants in my belly, tee, hee.

Yesterday, in an effort to make a "healthy" chocolate dish, I baked this weird brownie/fudge concoction that I heard about.  You take a brownie mix and then add 2 cups of pumpkin.  Bake for 30 minutes, then refrigerate.  It is actually pretty good.  I often think box brownies are too sweet anyway, so this is a nice alternative.  The consistency is a bit odd, a tad rubbery.  But I like the flavor a lot. 

And I crossed off 2 more items from my To Do list, yippee!!! 

I've been trying to get ready for 3 back to back shows, all out of town.  It's going to be a crush and I know it's do-able, but I need to focus.  And have a lot of wildly productive days.  Today NOT being an example of that.  

Good grief, I was trying to do a layout for some new greeting cards in order to get them all printed.  I swear I had some sort of a brain fart and absolutely could not find any of my files, could not manage to use Photoshop like I normally do, etc, etc.  It was ridiculous.  After struggling along for hours on end, I eventually got the job done, but I ended up with a stiff neck and shoulders plus a headache.  And grumpy to boot.  It was only till about an hour ago that I realized I missed my second cup of coffee.  Well duh (smacks self in head) no wonder I was so befuddled!  

In addition to getting the cards under way, I also printed a bunch of the giclees (which I am going back to calling repros as people simply don't get it).  I matted them tonite while watching brainless TV.  Cross another item off the list, woo hoo!!!

I am really anxious to get going on some large pieces, I have prepped 2-30x40 canvasses and also 2-24x24 canvasses.  I have a local gallery that has taken some of my abstracts and they want more (hooray!) so it's time for some all nighters.  Can you say solo show.....stay tuned for more info on that, coming in 2009.  

In other news, my cherry addiction is costing us upwards of $10 per week I swear.  I just love those dark sweet cherries though.  They have become my morning (before exercise) treat.  

I've been dog sitting the past few days.  It has been strangely relaxing.  There are so many times when I swear I prefer the company of animals.  Go figure.  

At any rate, I've been living at Claire's house and hanging out with the adorable and affable, Dudley, a large Labradoodle.  Unfortunately, we had a ton of rain during my stay and we didn't get to enjoy all the long hikes I had planned.  But I could tell he needed some exercise so on day two, I sucked it up and took him to the Dog Park in the rain.  I threw his ball so many times I lost count.  He ran like a beast retrieving his ball over and over, then wallowing in trenches of rain water.  I had to dry him off and comb him out once we got home.  And then he was utterly exhausted for the rest of the day.  Which undoubtedly explains his boredom with my Sound Bites, tee, hee.  

I am replenishing inventory for 3 (yes, that is THREE) shows in a row in August in case you are wondering.  

Meet John Gutoskey

Assemblage artist extraordinaire.  Pronounce it the art speak way.....ahhh-sem-blahj....because this guy is the real deal.  

I met John at the Krasl Art Fair a few weeks ago.  It was his first art fair ever.  He was a wreck from nerves, hadn't slept a wink, practically delirious from worrying about every little detail of the show.  I was doing my usual speed walk of the show, just to see if there was anyone new, something I hadn't seen before, art that jumped out at me. 

And oh my, did it ever.  The color, the intricacy of detail, the repetition.....kitschy yet symbolic, whimsical yet deeply moving.  You could study this work for a long time trying to unravel what it meant for the artist and for you, the viewer.  And I knew that this guy was not just another wannabee assemblage artist. 

Lucky for St. Louis, he will be here in September at the St. Louis Art Fair.  So go and see him there.  He's a doll and you will love the art. Obviously, don't forget to come over to Schlafly and see me too, wink, wink.

You can see more work at John's website......click here.   

Open Studios recap

It was beastly hot.  I never actually heard the final temperature, but let's say near 100?  The media kept talking about heat warnings, don't go out of the house, blahblahblah. 

But what did I do???

Well, I went to my Open Studio of course, in the alternative space provided by the Contemporary Art Museum (for those of us who have studios outside the city limits).  It was a very raw undeveloped space and I would love to have my real studio there......oh those perfect high ceilings....but alas, no air conditioning.  There were a couple large fans, luckily one was right near us.  

The first pic shows "my" corner and the second pic shows how the 3 of us(me, Heather, Greg) staged the entire space(that's Heather sitting at the table).  We, (Heather and I) gave Greg part of our walls because his space was in the middle and would have required him to bring walls, which would have been a total pain.  And we're just so nice we helped him out.  We even did all the drilling into those masonry walls for him because he had an opening over in KC and wasn't around during set up (which was a total horrendous pain in the rear, set up that is, not Greg's opening, but that's a story for another day).  Suffice to say I am not so swift with power tools.  Thank God for Heather.  

Anyhoo, Greg kept joking that we were "his bitches" doing his set up.  But he owes us big time now and Heather said it best, "he is our bitch now." 

Despite the heat, it was fun.  Yes, it really was.  We had beer.  We had margaritas for MB cause I'm not a beer drinker.  Pizza from Imo's.  Good tunes. And good friends.  We talked to folks, made connections with other artists, and just had fun.  Crazy I know. We tore down and had everything back in the vehicles in 37 minutes flat.  I nearly passed out in the back of the truck (under the camper shell) while trying to arrange stuff but nothing that some Gatoraid couldn't fix.  

The "after party" was a Bar-b-q at the museum.  And that was also a surprisingly good time which I only say because my butt was soooo dragging, I felt like I was wearing wet clothing (hmmm, probably because I was) and all I really wanted was a nice shower.  But I digress.  I "freshened up" in the ladies room, where I practically bathed in the sink and snuck my undies into my purse, tee, hee.  Ok, yeah, tmi, but I instantly felt better.  So I enjoyed catching up with lots of my artist friends and even meeting some collectors who attended the show.  We stayed a lot longer than I would have guessed, but then Heather & I left, flew home, I dropped her off, I finally made it into the shower and I swear I was sound asleep by 9:30pm.  

See that green painting of mine, 2nd from the left. leaning on the wall?  It's gone.  Sold to the most lovely couple, it now has the perfect home.   

And oh yeah, someone tried to buy my rug.

!!!!

At first it was really cute when Merlyn started kissing me on the lips.  He would press his little cat mouth up against mine and it was absolutely the sweetest thing in the world.  Since we've returned from vacation he has been more than needy and morning kisses now involve his very wet nose along with a simultaneous head/face butt action.  Over and over.      

Ugh, nothing like being slimed into consciousness each morning.  

I wonder if it's possible to teach a cat to air kiss.

This is my space for the Open Studio event on Sunday.  We are doing the set up tomorrow.  I have no idea how it's going to work as of yet.  Geez, I barely know how to handle a drill let alone this type of wall.  I mean what's up with that bracket thingie???

I do have the right drill bit and supplies though.  And you gotta love the windows!!  I am working with my friends Heather and Greg and we will actually combine our 3 assigned spaces into one group presentation.   All because we bought a keg of beer to share with our guests and we thought it would be easier to stage one "party."  Imagine that!?!  

So, come on by Sunday from 10-4 and see how we have transformed this space.  There will be a bunch of artists and I'm going to do demos and will have art supplies to play with.  Should be a lot of fun.  

Contemporary Open Studio - Alternative Space

Sunday, July 20 from 10-4

750 S. 4th Street

St. Louis, MO

Contemporary Preview party

Last night was the Preview party.  Here I am standing next to my piece - I love the way it looks like I am holding the name tag in my hand (thanks Darryl for taking the shot!). Yes, I stood right there in the museum and allowed myself to be photographed next to my piece. Cause who knows when I will next be in a museum show and I'm not too proud to be proud, tee, hee.  

This piece is 8" tall by 24" wide, titled Haven Knows - it was part of my show at Jacoby earlier this year.  It is so oddly reminiscent of my Stick a Fork in it Already piece of a couple years ago(click here if you would like to see a picture of it) and this landscape/body shape comes up over and over in my work.  I have come to accept it as a personal symbol.  Stick a fork in it piece hangs in my studio these days.  It is such a highly personal painting as it has a lot of journaling (right on the face of the art) about my struggle with weight, my stomach specifically, and how I really want to learn to accept and love my body.  Haven Knows is an abstracted continuation of those thoughts.  It comes from a more peaceful and grounded place.  

So here I was, at this party, thinking about all this stuff, like I do - brain of mine that I simply cannot manage to turn off for one moment, yee gads.  

We walked out of the museum and what do I find on the ground but one of Jennifer's wish pennies.  Click here to read more about her very interesting project.  The penny I found was about wishing to be thin without being anorexic.  That lil penny has provided a lot of food (yes I'm food obsessed, what can I say-smacks self in head) for thought and how synchronistic I found it just then.  

I have waaaayyyy digressed into other areas here, we can just call this the post that went astray, ha!   

Suffice to say the party was fun.  I caught up with several of my collectors, talked to other artists, just generally had a good time.  And my headband/grey root disguise worked marvelously.  

Summertime/Open Studio this weekend

Thought I would share one of my vacation photos today.  Isn't this a lovely little spot of paradise?

I am relaxed, energized and full of new ideas.  The show at Krasl was good - there is something kind of cool about going on vacation and ending it with a show so you come home with money in your pocket.  The sweet life indeed.  

We drove over 6 hours to get home last night.  Yeah, it's a little crazy, but I've got to get ready for the Open Studio event at The Contemporary.  While we were gone, I got an email that the alternative exhibition building (which is where I am showing my work and I've never seen the space) will be available for viewing today (Monday) from 11-1.  Well  duh, I obviously want to see it, measure my linear feet, check on what type of lighting I need, etc.  So, John and I boogied home as quickly as possible and I'm headed down there shortly.  Thank goodness for laptops and being connected.  It's absolutely vital when you are in biz for yourself, I swear.

I'm also going to check out spaces for my buddies Greg & Heather, who are also exhibiting on Sunday, but can't go today.  Greg has a photo shoot - imagine, he has a day job, tee, hee.  And Heather's van broke down coming home from her Chicago show.  Thank goodness Amie's with her, but their big adventure has gotten a lot bigger as they are now stuck in the middle of Illinois, camping until the van can be fixed.  I feel horrible as we apparently drove right by them last night.  Ugh, we talked on the phone later and nothing could have been done since our truck was packed to the gills and we couldn't have wedged them in if we had wanted.  Plus they more or less need to stay there to bring the van home.  But darn it anyway, wish we could have helped.......the least I can do is let Heather know what to expect from her space, so I will email her photos later today.  And keep my fingers crossed that her van can be fixed for a minimal cost and she and Amie get home soon, safe and sound.

SO....If you're here in St. Louis, definitely mark your calendar for this SUNDAY, July 20th from 10-4 when I will exhibit at Chouteau's Landing, 750 South 4th Street from 10am-4pm.  The building will be jammed with all us "alternative space" artists so it's a great opportunity to see a bunch of art under one roof.  I'm bringing a variety of new works plus I'll do demos and serve snacks and drinks (yes, some of us went crazy and bought a keg!).  Expect an art party.

And, while you're at it, come on down to The Contemporary on Tuesday night for the Preview Party.  It should be a blast; it was last year - 5:30-9:30 at the museum.  I'll be one of the many artists spazzin' out about seeing their work on a museum wall.  

Doors open and close

We are heading out on vacation, woo hoo, yippe, ki- yay, and all that stuff.  A few days in Saugutuck, MI and I should be back to normal whatever that might be.  Then I'm in the Krasl Art Fair on the Bluff.  You can click on the link over there in the sidebar for more information.

I have packed a tote bag of books like you can't believe, most from the library, but a few art books that I own and want to study at length.  I have trained myself to read while John is driving, so I hope to move through a few of them at least.  Plus my journal for writing and my journal for art.  Plus my knitting.  Plus CD's, etc, etc.  You might think I was going to be in the car for weeks the way I have packed.  And I suppose I could also do these things on the beach too, but I know what will happen......I will hear the lull of the surf.....and immediately fall to sleep.

Click on over to Artsmith's to read about a show that I recently attended.  If you're in St. Louis, check it out.  If you're in MI, come see me at Krasl.  And I'll see you all back here in a week or so.  

Happy Happy!!!!

Click here for more information on this incredible quilt.  Sure wish I knew how to make one.   And yes, those are my adorable grandchildren and their parents at the neighborhood parade this morning.  How sweet is that!?!?!?

(ps........this is a part of my self taught Photoshop training.  I know it looks rudimentary, but I am happy with how it turned out)

  

You might wonder where I've been.  I'm still here, just fiercely busy getting ready for my next show, trying to get ready for vacation(I am sooooo ready!) and also juggling to make work for the Contemporary Art Museum's Open Studio event.  Plus my parents were here.  Plus I have pieces in 2 shows.  Plus new works wanted by galleries.  Plus I have a commission pending. Blah.Blah.Blah. It's all good.

I do have news though!!  I am thrilled to announce I will be teaching 2 classes at Artfest in 2009. Yippee!!  Watch my blog for more detail; the Artfest website, with the entire class list will be posted on August 1st.  I am teaching the same Claybord class from last year, plus a new claybord class that will have even more techniques.  They are stand alone classes, or you can do both of them.  Details coming soon...

And in other news, I painted with Kool-aid tonite.  Yep, I really did.  It was a project my step daughter heard about.  So easy - basically you take 2 tablespoons of water and mix with a package of Kool-aid.  We made up 5 colors.  After they are dry, all the painted spots become scratch and sniff!?!?!?  Isn't that cool?  Seriously, it was way fun.  Too bad I can't find a way to work that it into my usual repertoire.

Chris Jordan, Photographer

Every once in awhile I hear about something that makes me so very proud to be an artist.  Proud to be part of something bigger than myself.  Because I like the idea that I am part of an ongoing commentary that has existed for thousands of years.  It is my belief that artists, when performing at their highest levels, offer a mirror to society, through their art.  

Of course I don't do it all the time, but with my Common Denominator series, I have tried to explore something deeper.  Sure, the work is light and funny, but there is more beneath the surface.  It's fundamentally about people and how we are all more the same than different.  People of different times and circumstances, the same, just people.  

And my trash work is a commentary.  An attempt to forge beauty out of trash.  To challenge myself to re-use material, take every day objects, the discards of life - and view them through different eyes. 

Sorry I digressed for a moment there, talking about my own work.  I mainly want to share this amazing video clip with you.  Because here is an artist who is doing it.  Someone who is making art that offers social commentary and allows us to all take a look at where we are.  His work is absolutely amazing and thought provoking.  It's an 11 minute video and is well worth your time.  It made me think.  And think.  And think.  

To watch, CLICK HERE.