Like I need more energy

I am frequently asked, "how do you get everything done?" This is the socially acceptable way to ask "are you friggin' nuts?" or "you must be on some good drugs" or "hmm, another manic phase?" Because yeah, I do have a lot of energy and I largely credit genetics (a hearty German background) with my crazed energy level and work ethic.

But on many days I have a secret weapon. My own specially concocted energy elixir.......Ingredients as shown in the picture........plain Kefir, unsweetened Triple berry anti-oxidant juice from TJ's, and magic bee potion. I also add a tiny bit of Sweet 'n' Low because of course I don't want to go overboard on the health thing, ha, ha. And sometimes a little soy protein powder.

This bee stuff is great, or at least I think it is. I realize there is a lot of conflicting research on these things and some people may even be allergic to bee products. But I believe it works for me and therein probably lies the success.

I am using a blend of Royal Jelly, Bee propolis, Bee pollen & ginseng. It comes in the powder form shown and I also have a refrigerated version so you can have a quick swig if you don't have time to mix up a drink. I get the powder at Whole Foods and the liquid version is from Wild Oats.

The only downside is it tastes like dirt. So you either need to hold your nose or mix it up with enough stuff to mask the flavor.

This is me and my 2 brothers. I love the photo and have used it several times in my work. I have no idea what we were looking at. There was a gas station behind our house so I can only imagine.

I am so into the vintage wall paper lately. This swatch was particularly nice; an amazing pattern that reminds me of one my Grandma Hoffman had in her house.

The grass was formed with the "grass" sold in hobby stores for use with train sets and that kind of thing. It is so realistic.

All the new work is finished now. I am exhausted, having done an idiotic amount of work in a very short period of time. Today between varnish, painting sides, doing laundry, packaging greeting cards, and organizing reproductions I also put down backgrounds on 2 dozen more 6x6's. I am pretty excited about some of them as they are a little bit different. And I found some very cool tissue that I can't wait to use. I won't start them till I get back from the show.

We have a problem with our vacuum

This actually could be said about every single vacuum John and I have owned as a couple. I don't know if he had this same problem with his first wife or not.

See, we have cats. When we first hooked up, I had two, he had two. It was like the Brady Bunch, only with cats and no Alice. We are down to three at the moment, but they have a lot of hair. Which they seem to shed at an extraordinary pace. Which leads me to the vacuum situation. Cause even though we do have cats everywhere, I don't like our house to look like there are cats everywhere. We vacuum frequently, the floor and the furniture. Sometimes the bedspread, something only another cat owner would understand.

Our vacuums seem to crap out after only a couple of years. We buy good ones, but they do.not.last. Period. This prompted us to have wood floors installed in the SF condo. Made it much easier to manage the entire hair thing. Of course we had cleaning help then so like I knew anything about how the cat hair removal worked. But I digress.

When we moved to St. Louis, we bought a decent size house with a lot of carpet. Translation, lots of vacuuming. I wanted a brand new industrial strength vacuum. I did some research as I am wont to do and was drawn to the Dyson vacuums. Mainly I liked the story about James Dyson, the pitch was top notch. It seemed like his vacuum problems were similar to ours. The picture showed an honest looking chap (I think he is British) and I liked how he bucked all vacuum society to come up with his own patented design, a vacuum that will not lose it's suck over time (I think this is something to strive for). Plus the vacuums came in cool colors like yellow and purple. And finally, the pièce de résistance.....one of the vacuums was specifically geared toward folks with pets. It was named The Animal.

SOLD.

Fast forward 28 months. It doesn't work anymore. When turned on, it instead makes a very loud screeching sound. The hose is split as in broken. And the thingie ma job won't turn on The Animal attachment.

We took it in to Best Buy for service. Inexplicably, we bought an extended warranty, probably due to the fact we have such poor luck with vacuums. Best Buy kept it for about a week and allegedly fixed it. Got it home, plugged it in and same problem - loud screeching noise, busted hose, etc. There is no evidence they touched it.

John had taken it in the first time so I took it in the 2nd time. This is part of our good cop/bad copy routine. We often switch roles and I got to be the bad cop this time. Not much of a stretch because I was very pissed off at the situation, not to mention the failure to fix it properly.

So I wheeled it over to the service counter and proceeded with my story. The guy stared at me without expression. I told him we needed to get the vacuum fixed again. Quickly. I don't think he got my sense of urgency, probably because he doesn't live in a house with fur covered floors. For emphasis I pointed at the vacuum......."you are looking at a $500 piece of crap right here." And that is when he perked up, realizing he had a nut case on his hands. He promised to "rush" the repairs, 3 days and it would be done.

That was on April 17th. We have talked to Best Buy five times since then but have no defininitive answers. The good cop has resumed handling due to the fact he doesn't want me to stroke out(I am guessing). We have been told they are "waiting on parts."

I know one thing for sure. This vacuum still sucks.

I have a canvas update of sorts.

Fredrix has contacted me regarding my issue with the canvasses. They have a high level of interest in the situation and have told me they will conduct a canvas inspection to see what is going on here. They even contacted me on a weekend. I was very impressed and have great faith they will figure this out and again be my canvas manufacturer of choice.

Fredrix Creative Edge canvasses have been my canvas of choice for many years. I just love the clean side and neat back. Yeah, I realize it doesn't matter what the back of the canvas looks like yet it gives me some perverse pleasure. I order these things in bulk and my heart palpitates when the boxes arrive on my doorstep. What can I say, I am a dork for art supplies.

Lately though I have had a problem with the 12x12 size. It seems like many of the canvasses have a little indentation, a dimple of sorts in the each corner. It is almost as if the stretcher bars are beveled or something and the front of the canvas appears slightly concave near the edge.

Needless to say, this bugs the shit out of me. First it was just every so often I would find one like this but the problem has definitely worsened to the point it is unacceptable. Since I needed to place a huge canvas order, I was very concerned about what type of quality would be furnished.

So I called my ever-faithful art supply source, Dick Blick the other day. Didn't talk to Dick (is there even a Dick!?!?) but spoke with another helpful customer service person who assured me there have been no widespread concerns about these canvasses. In other words, I am the only complainer. Of course. She did urge me to carefully inspect any shipment and then call them back if I found inferior products.

My shipment of 2 dozen 12x12's arrived on Thursday. I finally got around to unpacking them yesterday and started my inspection of the canvasses. It is something I can do with my eyes closed as I can feel instantly whether there is a defect.

Out of 24 canvasses, there were 2, yes, 2(!) that met my standards.

Ugh.

First I got concerned maybe I was being too picky and asked John to look at them. He agreed they were not right. Not horrible, but still not right.

Called Dick Blick again and spoke to another very helpful customer service rep, a guy who is also a painter. He totally understood my issues. And after a lengthy discussion he found a substitute canvas for me and put in an order for 2 dozen to be sent right out. He also said he would send me pre-paid return labels to ship the others back. Thank goodness for that.

But I am concerned about the integrity of Fredrix canvasses now. Honestly it seems to be a bigger issue with the 12x12 for some reason. I have a number of 20x20's and 30x4o's that are absolutely fine. The 6x6's are by another manufacturer and they are perfect. I do not want to stretch my own as this just adds another step to the process and I don't really have the luxury of time on my side. Hopefully the new ones will be fine but I wish Fredrix would get the problem fixed. I think I will contact them myself with my concerns.

Lemon Chicken Stir-Fry

John and I are NPR junkies, especially when we are in the car. We really enjoy the show, The Splendid Table with Lynn Rossetto Kasper. I also subscribe to her newsletter which frequently offers excellent recipes. Here's a link if you want to check it out and subscribe.
http://splendidtable.publicradio.org/

It's a pretty sweet deal for me because I get the email, decide whether or not the dish sounds good and then forward to John. And he cooks it up. Ok, sometimes I venture into the kitchen, but not this time. John did the cooking last night (he is Wok King of our household) and it was absolutely yummy. Wonderful blend of flavor; I love lemon especially at this time of year. Although calories aren't indicated, I would have to think this is pretty reasonable.

So, here's the recipe as shared by Lynne in her newsletter:


Lemon Chicken Stir-Fry
Recipe from The One-Dish Chicken Cookbook by Mary Ellen Evans. Published in 2006 by Broadway Books, a division of Random House, Inc. © 2006 by Mary Ellen Evans.
Makes 4 servings

Lemon chicken most often appears as pieces of chicken battered, deep-fried and topped with a thick, lemony sauce. While tasty, it's tricky for the home cook to get just right, plus the dish is laden with calories.

By stir-frying strips of chicken and adding asparagus, then adding the lemon sauce toward the end of cooking, this recipe becomes a true one-pot—or one-wok—dish.

1/4 cup lemon juice
2 tablespoons honey
1/2 teaspoon grated lemon zest
1/2 teaspoon plus 2 teaspoons minced garlic
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon grated ginger, plus 2 teaspoons minced ginger
1/3 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
2 teaspoons cornstarch
3 tablespoons canola oil
Three 6- to 8-ounce boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, cut in 1/4-inch strips
1/2 pound thin asparagus spears, trimmed and cut in 2-inch lengths
2 large carrots, peeled and cut in 2 x 1/4-inch strips
1 small red onion, halved lengthwise and cut in 1/4-inch slices

1. Stir the lemon juice and honey together in a small bowl to dissolve the honey; stir in the lemon zest. Mash the 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic with the salt using the back of the tines of a fork to form a paste; stir the paste into the lemon mixture along with the grated ginger. Stir the chicken broth and cornstarch together in a separate small bowl.
2. Heat 2 tablespoons of the canola oil in a wok over high heat; swirl to coat the sides. Add 1 teaspoon of the remaining garlic and 1 teaspoon of the minced ginger to the wok and stir quickly. Add the chicken; stir-fry until the chicken is no longer pink in the center when cut with a knife, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove.
3. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon canola oil to the wok; swirl to coat the sides. Add the remaining 1 teaspoon garlic and the remaining 1 teaspoon minced ginger; stir quickly. Add the asparagus, carrots, and onion; stir-fry for 2 minutes. Add the lemon mixture and bring to a boil. Boil, stirring often, until the vegetables are crisp-tender, 2 to 3 minutes.
4. Add the reserved chicken. Stir the cornstarch mixture to blend; pour into the wok. Bring to a boil; boil until thickened and clear, about 1 minute.
Serve with rice to soak up the lemon sauce.

More tales from the road

Yes Virginia, there really is an outlet store for tobacco products. I saw it with my own eyes in Paducah, Kentucky. Too bad I don’t smoke.

Not really.

And Burger King (don’t ask what we were even doing in a Burger King, my tummy later reminded me of why I don't normally eat there) has this new special item on their menu…….Chicken fries. Like fries don’t have enough fat grams, they are now breading them before frying. A la Chicken Fried Steak, which doesn’t involve chicken, neither do these fries.

We also stopped at Hancock’s of Paducah. Anyone who is a quilter knows this is kind of like Fabric Central or Mecca for quilting. I have always wanted to go there. Not that I quilt. Heck, I barely even operate my sewing machine for the most minor tasks. But I like fabric and sometimes use little pieces in my collages.

We were making excellent time on the return trip so I asked John if we could stop and he indulged me. I should have known something was going on when we pulled in and the parking lot was absolutely filled with cars. There was a huge sign on the front of the store that said NO Men’s restrooms inside store…..men were advised to use the Porta-Johns in the parking lot. To which my John rolled his eyes.

Anyway I ventured in to find throngs of women as if a tour bus had dropped them off. I soon found out that Hancock’s was having some kind of once in a lifetime event where they open their back warehouse to sell end bolt pieces for only $4.98 a yard. My first clue was the signage about where to form the line, the # of people admitted at a time due to Fire code, etc. Apparently the American Quilt Society show was due to open (in Paducah) and quilters from all over the country were in town a day early just for this sale, that's how big it is.

To say I was out of my league would be a serious
understatement. I mean folks simply grabbing fabric left and right, stacking their carts high with more fabric than you could imagine.

I can’t convey the huge selection offered between the store itself and the warehouse. It was overwhelming. Pile after pile after pile of these small end pieces. So little time. It would have taken forever to go through everything thoroughly. And I did want to get home and see my kitties. I quickly perused several aisles and was able to score some very kitschy prints. I have no idea what I am going to do with them. Perhaps collage parts from one or two.

But I reallyreallyreally would love to have a blouse out of this one. I am hopeful I can perhaps sew up something cute.

Best name tag I've ever been given.

I am going to wear mine in the studio so I can remember who I am; I had it clipped to my purse all day yesterday, looked like a dork standing in the food line at Burger King but I didn't care.

I love the font they used for my name. Anyone know what this is called?

The show is over, we've torn down, had dinner and are back here at the hotel. I can hear John in bed snoring already but I am a little wired. We will head home tomorrow morning, thank goodness. I miss my kitties.

This was a good show. I sold 30 pieces total. No big ones this time, but lots of mid-range. I need to get my fanny in gear once we are home to be ready for Brookside. We also have to figure out the repro gig because I believe Brookside allows repros and I want to be ready for that.

Once again I met some amazing artists. That is one of the very best things about this art show business, the camaraderie of the artists. We never fail to meet people we really like. The vast majority of the people are so nice, just the best people you would ever meet. For instance, this morning, I was craving some Starbucks coffee. There was none anywhere if you can believe, it's not like St. Louis where there's a Starbuck's every time you turn around. So I glanced across the aisle and saw my neighbor (who I hadn't even met) had some. I walked over to ask him where he got it and he GAVE me a cup. Said he bought a bunch of extra large cups for whoever might want it. I mean how sweet is that!??! Not to mention he had a cup of half and half too.

And Chattanooga. Really a nice town. They are trying to be an artsy town, maybe like Asheville or Gatlinburg? I don't know for sure but several folks mentioned it to me. Apparently they are offering incentives to artists who relocate here. Like if you commit to staying for 4 years they will give you $15,000 to get set up, a forgivable mortgage of sorts. Cool deal. We are obviously locked in to St. Louis since our family is there but I could see doing this if you didn't have attachments. It is a great town in a marvelous natural setting. Mountains. River. Warehouse lofts. Lots of potential here.

Last night we went out to dinner and saw a bunch of high school kids dressed for a formal event. The girls were all in shades of Fuschia, Aqua, Red and Yellow. It was the strangest thing, as if someone had some master plan regarding the colors of the dresses. They were all even the same fabric. We saw perhaps 20 girls total, enough to get an overview. Since we dined at the same restaurant, of course I had to ask one of the girls what was up with the colors. And she said there was no plan. It just turned out that way. I couldn't believe it. At home, we always see kids dressed for formals and most of the girls are wearing black. We didn't see one girl in black, just this amazing array of Spring color. Must be a southern thing, huh?

I am exhausted. Unfortunately I woke up with a nasty headache (again!) this morning. I am getting tired (literally) of this and don't know what to do. It was 5 am. Needless to say I would rather have been sleeping but I suppose it was good I got up because it took me several hours to be medicated sufficiently to handle the show. And yeah, I was a little loopy all day today.

The show is going incredibly well though. I love Chattanooga; the people are marvelously supportive of the artists. It is very refreshing. I am also selling a lot of work which is good.

These are some booth shots. I did a little bit different display this time. I think I like it. Of course now I have a totally different idea that I will consider for next time.

Well, we made it to Chattanooga in record time. Got a very late start this morning due to my pesky headache; kind of a migraine/sinus combo. It took some extra time for me to be human. The drive, once we got going, was uneventful which is always good.

This is the Rest Stop bird, last stop in Illinois before you hit Kentucky. We were eating our lunch in a little shelter area (since it was raining)and I looked up and there she was. Very sweet, definitely the high point of my day.

Other things from the road:

In Metropolis, IL you can see the world's largest Superman statue should you so desire.

And Joe Bob's Flower Shop on Highway 24 in whoknowswhere, KY.

Chattanooga is cute and kind of quaint. It is set among hills/mountains/water (Lookout Mountain which I visited as a kid is here). The town has a small arts district which seemed nice and I am hoping I can check it out later. We are staying downtown near the festival. The show is in a Pavilion which means we have a roof over all the tents creating a little outdoor mall of sorts. Very good idea in the Spring when it could rain at any moment.

Out hotel is an extended stay spot filled with mainly artists based on the number of cargo vans. We got a terrific "artist" rate so we have a bedroom, living area and full kitchen. Huge bathroom. Since I knew we would have the kitchen I brought a cooler with Kefir (which I drink in the mornings) and Super Cee that I bought for John because it has like 5000% vitamin C. And nuts of course, but I always have them with me, raw unsalted ones, cashews and almonds. Basically I am happy as a little clam.

We will set up in the morning then have a break before the Preview party starts at 5pm. Very civilized.

Beauty Queens

This is one of the collages I delivered yesterday to my client, a doctor, who bought 3 6x6's.
Turns out he is a plastic surgeon which may come in handy should I go nuts and decide I want my eyes done or something.

Anyway, this particular piece pretty much exemplifies my odd sense of humor. I think it is hysterically funny to the point I almost didn't want to sell it. I was pleased the Dr. got it. And yeah, I realize not everyone does, like my husband for instance, frequently doesn't get my work.

So when I made the delivery his receptionist was checking out the art and she actually read the caption aloud, enunciating each word carefully. She then looked at me with a serious yet puzzled expression and said, "I'm sorry, but I don't get this....."

If I had known you were going to sleep with me I would have bathed

Sounds like one of my collage captions but I actually just said this to my husband.

He has been in the guest room again due to being sick. I am so happy he is feeling better. Which means he is back in our bed tonight. But wouldn't you know it, the day I completely forget to bathe. I got so caught up in a million different things it somehow escaped me. I honestly intended to work out this afternoon and shower afterwards but before I knew it the day had slipped away.

Here's what I did:
Early hair appt
Dropped off some art at a client's office
Quick trip into Whole Foods to pick up some Bee Pollen, Propolis & Royal Jelly which I am convinced is going to cure John and me of all that ails us (it did give me some energy today like I needed any more, ha!).
Lunch while in the car (don't ask)
Filled up with gas, can you say $2.89!!!! (see what my life has come to, me fueling up the car and I even mowed the grass the other day-I can't wait for John to be fully recovered so I can resume my Princess life).
Inventoried all work for 4 Bridges show
Sorted and re-packed show materials, put stickers on shopping bags
Scanned all the new 6x6's
Packed the collages
Completed the 30x40 that I have been working on off and on for the last few weeks (WOO HOO!!!!!!)
Successfully cleaned paint off my light gray Nubuck Merrill's
Got all the paint out from under my nails
Varnished 2 other pieces
Dinner with John-leftover Chicken Pot Pie(homemade that I fixed)
Caught up on some Tivo
Isolation coat on 30x40

I am too wiped out to bathe. Maybe some perfume will help.

Just lucky to be here

The Show season officially begins for me this weekend. I have a rather ambitious schedule to say the least and I still haven't even heard from the Fall shows. It is insane. Nuts. Crazy. Too much. Out of hand.

I find it exhilarating. Sure it's a lot. As I used to tell my employees when I was an insurance manager, "that's why they call it work." Nice boss, huh? Seriously, I feel so lucky to have been accepted into these shows. This is the best job I have ever had and I am pleased for the opportunities.

The problem with the Art Show market (from my observation) is a flooding of artists combined with fewer sales. At least this is what I am told. Every artist I encounter who has been doing this for years tells me this........"oh, you should have been here in the ol' days....." Implication being that people were spewing forth money toward art purchases. Today fewer people are buying art (so"they" say) plus a lot more artists are doing the shows. The competition for entry is fierce. Costs are higher. And since sales are lower, artists are entering more shows simply trying to keep pace and make enough money to live on. I know a lot of artists struggling this year with show rejections and I feel blessed. Truly I do.

April 21-23
4 Bridges Arts Festival
Chattanooga, TN

May 5, 6, 7
Brookside Art Annual
Prairie Village, KS

May 12, 13, 14
Art Fair at Laumeier
St. Louis, MO

May 20
Marion Arts Festival
Marion, IA

June 2, 3, 4
Summerfair
Cincinnati, OH

June 10, 11
12th Annual Central West End Art Fair and Taste
St. Louis, MO

June 17
Art in the Park
Faust Park, Chesterfield, MO

June 23,24,25
Des Moines Arts Festival
Des Moines, IA

July 22,23
Geneva Fine Arts Fair
Geneva, IL

July 8,9
Art Fair on the Square
Madison, WI

Aug 4,5,6
Metris Uptown Art Fair
Minneapolis, MN

Aug 26,27
Midwest Salute to the Arts
Fairview Heights, IL

Whew, Venus Envy is over. It was wild, risque, over the top at times but mainly just fun. And despite my whining about the late hours, that I'm too old and not hip enough, I will probably apply again next year. I was happy to sell a decent amount of work, nine pieces to be exact. Only thing left to do is teardown which I believe is on Monday maybe? And then I deliver the pieces.

Oddly, an artist friend of mine (not in the show) could not believe I was going to deliver. She said, "you're the artist, tell them where they can pick it up." Well, you know what, that's not how I operate. These people bought the art at a show where it needed to hang till the end. It's not like it's a gallery where they can return to pick it up. So I do think it's my responsibility to arrange delivery and try to accommodate my customers. That's how I operate my business.

Now for some details and high points about the show. If you consider yourself prudish, or on the conservative side, or (God Forbid) if my Mom is reading, STOP RIGHT NOW.

1. Best dressed - this is a tie between 3 people......the blond guy (?) from Friday night wearing very snug black satin lingerie boy shorts with a matching bustier, red thigh highs and 10" platform shoes. Accessorized with a top hat and cut away jacket........or perhaps it was the very fit and athletic woman with hot pink spiked hair wearing all leather, a lace up vest and short skirt, fishnet hose, biker boots........or no, perhaps it was the heavily pierced guy with a shaved head who was wearing an authentic kilt (and no, I didn't peek) with his biker t-shirt glammed up with outrageous glitzy jewelry including a diamond encrusted spider brooch.

2. Best art - well, that would have to be Rhonda or Stephanie Kirkland. Too bad neither of them have websites and too bad dummy me didn't pull out my camera. They both sold some pieces too so we were three happy girls.

3. Best food , had to be Preview party night, sushi was a nice touch. The martinis were top notch too. I so want one of those martini dispensing frozen sculptures for my house.

4. Best entertainment - without question, the pole dancers. They were on our stage tonite, the final act. Two women, hard bodies, no fake parts. I was absolutely spellbound by their strength, their beauty and certainly their humor. Their first routine was a nun/schoolgirl act which was hilarious and yeah, sure it was sacrilegious, but still a riot. I mean when have you seen a nun pole dancing? I found their entire show amazing. And oh do I want a pole now(my birthday is coming up) as I am suddenly ready to exercise again.

Thanks so much to my friends who came.......John, Darryl, Jane, Heidi, Claire. I hope you all enjoyed the show and had a good time. It can be raucous but I trust none of you were too shocked. It's all good fun in the spirit of supporting diverse personal expression. And sorry some of you missed it, primarily my John, Bud, Marian. I wish you would all get over this illness you seem to be passing around. And don't give it to me, ok?

Venus Envy Preview Party

Well, here we are (me and Rhonda) at the party last night. I am wearing the same outfit I wore to Artfeast as it is comfy and I was feeling way too bloated to wear anything snug. Rhonda was casual as always (I don't think she even owns a dress) but some of the artists were really dolled up and gorgeous. It was 92 degrees outside yesterday or at least that's what the car said as I drove to the show. In April.

Rhonda's art is clay. People usually think it is wood. I love the earthy textures and color. John and I bought a piece from her last year which is in our foyer.


This is about half of my wall. The other half is another row of the 6x6's and then a grouping of 12x12's. I sold 3 pieces last night. Met some great folks, had a lot of fun and snagged some MAC lipstick from a leftover gift bag which made my evening.

There were twin ice sculptures of Ketel One bottles, with this luge type thing frozen into the center. You put your martini glass at the bottom and they poured into the top so you could watch your drink as it slalomed (yes, I know that's not a word) its way down to your glass. Very fun, a totally sophisticated beer bong.

There is also a performance piece.....I suppose that is what its called.......a woman who stands in this mirrored area, slightly concealed by curtained walls. She is totally naked and sleek, completely shaved with a pierced labia as her only ornamentation. "Nekkid" we were saying, like blushing little school girls. She is a beautiful large woman, comfortable in her skin (that is a phrase on one of my collages) and stands completely still as people walk around her. She won't talk but her eyes follow your movement. I wasn't watching her all night as she is in another room, but I assume she stood there the entire time and I honestly don't know how she did it. I could not have stood naked before a group of people for 1 minute let alone an entire evening. I feel like I need to learn something from this; if only I could glean a fraction of her strong sense of self and confidence in her body. This might take awhile though, yeesh, I'm 45 and still saying "nekkid."

Time for me to put my overalls away

Each year I've been accepted to Venus Envy (this is my 3rd) I find myself in a momentary(all right, more than momentary) panic before the show. Not about my art mind you, but about what to wear.

There are 3 nights, the first which is a Preview Party, so that's a dressy one. The other two nights are a mixed bag and I have seen anything and everything in the extremely diverse crowd. I do love to costume up(that is what it feels like since I don't dress like this every day) and finding the perfect combination of funky, artsy, maybe a little sexy yet still comfortable and oh yes, it has to make me look skinny when I really have a few stray pounds.....well, it's a lot of work.

So shopping I have been. Trying to put together some inexpensive hip looking options using items on hand plus maybe a few new thing. And I require decent shoes that will give me some height yet are cushy enough so that I can also stand in them for several hours. Not an easy task.

I have collected a bunch of pieces and now it's time for me to work on the ensembles. Then let the voting begin as I model each contender. I am sure John will have ample opportunity to use his trademarked phrase, "that one doesn't make you look as thin as you really are."

At long last.......the big commission.....6 foot x 4 foot.

Delivered and hung yesterday. The client was delighted, thank goodness. Six generations of family are documented in this painting. As I look back on the experience, I believe I have rendered myself speechless.

Word of the day

From Merriam-Webster online Dictionary

irregardless
Main Entry: ir·re·gard·less
Pronunciation: "ir-i-'gärd-l&s
Function: adverb
Etymology: probably blend of irrespective and regardless
Usage: Irregardless originated in dialectal American speech in the early 20th century. Its fairly widespread use in speech called it to the attention of usage commentators as early as 1927. The most frequently repeated remark about it is that "there is no such word." There is such a word, however. It is still used primarily in speech, although it can be found from time to time in edited prose. Its reputation has not risen over the years, and it is still a long way from general acceptance. Use regardless instead.

Wow, I learned something new. I didn't think it was a real word.
Still makes me cringe.

Of mice and men

What a day - Venus Envy install.

I think I might have mentioned my sketches, John's calculations, how prepared we usually are for this stuff. People make fun of us we are so prepared.

Just fugettaboutit already. Best laid plans.

Flashback to this morning: we had the truck loaded. Not knowing the specifics of the lighting, we had light poles, clip lights, plug in halogens and strips, chains and extension cords for all of these. A ladder. Toolbox. Flat tire. Wait, that wasn't on the list.

John couldn't get the spare loose from under the truck so we headed off to the tire place to see if they would put our spare on for us then keep the damaged tire and hopefully fix it while we were hanging the show. It was ten minutes before noon when we entered the tire place. We were due to start hanging at noon. Did I mention we live in the "burbs." Translation NOWHERE NEAR downtown which is where the show is taking place. I called Rhonda, my buddy and best art partner, who I was supposed to be meeting. Told her what was going on. She was already there (naturally) and ready to start. Ugh.

We finally arrived about 1:30 just as Rhonda was finishing up. This show is typically held in an semi-abandoned or at least "un-used" space, this year it's a downtown MALL that is slated for redevelopment into condos. The stores are mainly out of business so we are hanging art in a variety of locations including storefronts and other settings. We had no idea what to expect; some of the spots we saw the other day were rough. There are 50 artists total. And somehow, Rhonda and I were among a select group given the honor of hanging in an actual gallery setting. An art gallery. Like with real lights that worked. Oh my gosh did that eliminate a lot of problems.

Or not. My proposal was based on 10 linear feet of wall. The space I was given was 16 linear feet. Which meant I had to juggle every single piece (19 of them!) to better fill the space so it didn't look stupid. Actually a good thing since John and I were both so mentally derailed by the flat tire that we had walked out of the house without our diagram and precious measurements!

So, as with many things, it all turned out exactly the way it was supposed to be. I quickly made a new plan. John quickly did some math and figured it out. We hung the work. Or rather he hung the work and I hung out. And it looks terrific. There are some touch ups needed, probably a little leveling before the Preview party on Thursday night plus I have not been furnished with my labels yet. Photos will be forthcoming because, yeah, you guessed it - I forgot my camera.

Eyeball Inventory

I prepped a new batch of canvasses the other day. By "prepped" I mean I prepared backgrounds, selected papers, did layouts, glued, glued, glued. I have this compulsion to completely cover the canvas with paper. Which I did. Once they are dry I sand all of them then gesso bits here and there - usually with a white gesso, but sometimes with Daniel Smith Venetian Red.

I knew what I needed because my "eyeball inventory" told me so:

12-6x6's
4-12x12's
1-24x24

Before 4 Bridges.

This is a new system for me. At my request, John made a display gallery in the room off my studio. It is a complete visual of what I hang in my booth (plus replenish stock). So, at a glance I can tell whether or not I have enough inventory. If all the nails are occupied I have enough work for 2 back to back shows. If not, I need to count up my nails and see how much I need of each size. Easy and brainless. It also allows me to see color schemes, compositions and other details of my completed pieces such as whether they hang together as a group. I have found this incredibly useful and look at it several times a day.

When I am staging a show (like Venus Envy, which hangs tomorrow) I use a floor layout. First I see how much linear wall space I am allotted. The I put a tape measure on the floor, extended to the length of my allotted space. I lay paintings on the floor to see what will fit. Then sketch it out. If I have more than one wall, like that bookstore show I did in December, I will photograph the site, measure the linear space, then sketch it out. My lovely assistant (and Rock of Gibraltar) John will then use my sketch to determine the "real" measurements required to hang it all 60" on center. Thank goodness I don't actually have to do that math.

It's eyeball all the way for me.

I haven't talked about my big commission lately. It is done and waiting for my traveling client to return home - standing patiently in the dining room it is. I will deliver on Tuesday after which time I will share some photos. It simply doesn't seem appropriate to put up photos when the client hasn't seen it yet.

Part of my agreement was to furnish high quality reproductions which is why I took the piece over to my photographer. He photographed it and is now making the repros. Yesterday I went over to preview and hopefully approve the quality and color.

Like me, Greg has his studio in the basement of his house. It is a mixed-use space with his camera equipment, framing stuff, kid's toys, computer parts and workout machines all co-mingling. He is totally out of table space and improvises like I do. We walked to the "bed" display surface and I saw the repro. It was gorgeous, very crisp in appearance with highly saturated color. In a word, amazing.

As we were admiring the print I sensed movement out of the corner of my eye. Greg and I both responded a second too late as his exuberant puppy ran into the room and leaped onto the bed. She landed in the middle of the print. We both stood silent, paralyzed with shock. Incredibly, the dog only dented the side, but it is still ruined.

Luckily it can be re-printed. Which has been done and they are now ready for pick up. Whew.

Wear it like you mean it

Another 6x6.
This vintage wall paper is to die for, possibly literally as it sort of explodes into dust particles at the slightest touch.

Studio Music

Nothing inspires me as much as music. I am often asked what I am listening to(other than the voices in my head, ha!).

In the studio I prefer no recognizable lyrics and an ambient yet lively mood. I think you call it chill/dance/trance. I find it in different categories depending on where I am shopping. These are my top 3 all time favorite Make Art CDs. Actually more than three since two of these are multi-disc sets.

Enigma - Love Sensuality Devotion

Buddha Bar V

Ibiza Euphoria


This music has a rhythm that gets in my soul. It also makes me
M-O-V-E which is good. I am an active painter anyway, often flinging paint, always standing, never sitting (suffice to say I don't use an easel). Sometimes I have to take a dance break I get so excited. I just love this stuff.

With success inevitably comes failure or disappointment. Or so I tell myself.

I have been rejected from another show. Oh yeah, I know it sounds better to say "not accepted." I even looked at the dictionary to see if I could play a semantics game and come up with something better.

Throw back. Rebuff, repel, repulse. Spew out.

The Thesaurus wasn't much better:

2 something separated from a group or lot for not being as good as the others. CULL.

Oh, that makes me feel better.......

It was the Foundry Painting show. I sooooo wanted to get in this show. The juror was Victor Wang, who I don't know but I saw a show of his paintings last year. I nearly fell on my knees in awe of his lush and passionate work.

So I put together my favorite group of abstracts. My most passionate and heartfelt work; work I practically bled on. But, well........you know........"not selected." I am not sure what I think about this. I am being accepted by some of the best and most prestigious fine art fairs in the country. I've been recognized in many positive ways. Yet I long for more. I don't think I am greedy, perhaps ambitious is a better word.

b : having a desire to achieve a particular goal : ASPIRING.

Yeah, that must be it.

It's all over but the varnish

Actually the varnish is done too but I want it to dry down a bit more. So, Venus Envy is hereby complete. Which is good since I have to deliver tomorrow at 6:30 pm. I got a fair number of new works done and also will show some older peices. Overall I am very happy with the presentation.

The pics I have posted through last week have been 6x6's.

This is one of the 20x20's. The title of this piece (and caption):

Polly wants more than a cracker

Albedo

Compliments of my friend Karyl, I share this link about Earthshine. This is when the Earth's light is reflected by the moon, so along with the tiny sliver of crescent moon you can also see the rest of the darkened moon at the same time.

It's going on right now and is incredibly beautiful. One of the wonderful things about living where we do (the outer limit of the burbs) is we can see the stars so clearly. I am such a celestial girl anyway, always staring at the moon. And that's what happened last night. We walked out of the fish fry, I looked up, saw the moon and exclaimed as to how stunning it was. Karyl, ever the scientist, had an immediate explanation.

So check it out.

My new purse arrived today. I have been looking for one for awhile. I specifically wanted something practical, semi-small (yet it had to hold all my crap), plus with a long strap so I could wear across my chest to save my neck and shoulder.

Marian has a stable of these Kiplings and swears by them. They are water repellent (!), super light weight and very durable.

PLUS they come with a monkey, how great is that!?!?!?

I ran into John's office:

"Honey, my new purse is here!!!"

"Mmmmmmmm...."

"Look, it has a monkey!!!"

"Mmmmmmmm....."

"And my monkey has a name, " I paused to read the tag. "His name is John."

"I knew that."

Crowning Glory

This is the piece that St. Louis Magazine chose to illustrate the article on Venus Envy.

Page 28. A really nice size image. Get a magnifying glass and if you look really close you can almost see my name. Seriously, I am thrilled. The colors look super and it was quite a rush to see. This one was actually one of last year's pieces and it sold during the event.

Yes, that is really a vintage hair net on the left side along with a vintage hair roller below her feet.

The magazine also named the event the #1 thing to do in St. Louis in April. WOW is that ever way cool!!!

I too enjoy my work

Just not today. I was really crabby. And mean. And unable to do art because I felt smothered. It started in the office where I sort of imploded with all the crap that surrounded me.

So I went on a cleaning rampage. Simply tore the office apart and totally re-organized. It took hours but I felt so much better afterwards. John knew I was fried and he pretty much steered clear of me except when he stuck his head in to discuss possible organization ideas.

Cause here's my theory. I only allow things to get really messy when I don't know where to go with all the stuff. Things that don't have a home, applications I need to consider, requests for donations, pending correspondence, contracts for shows, emails I have printed........all kinds of stuff. If I have a place to store it I will. If I don't I end up with terrible piles. And I hate having to go through an entire pile or multiple miles to find that one application I fear might be due.

We have tried several different systems and none felt right to me. But today John got me this nifty desktop sorting thing. It has sections where things can stand upright so NO PILES. I already put folders in it and labeled each one. He got one for himself too. I am very hopeful it is going to work as it already inspired me to complete 3 show entries this afternoon.

Then tonight our friend Jeff came over to color calibrate our fancy schmancy new printer. The printer I insanely bought thinking I could make my own repros. The printer that takes 9 different archival inks. The printer that has been gathering dust for 3 months because we can't figure out how to make consistent prints that actually match the art.

Well, 2 hours later and we are good to go. We have several absolutely PERFECT reproductions and our monitor is calibrated. John knows how to operate the printer and how to get these results over and over.

Jeff is a genius. No seriously, he probably is.

And my bank account shows that Madison cashed my booth check. Which means I have been accepted into the show. Woo hoo I can't wait as I love that town.

Whew, my day suddenly improved.

Horoscope for: Tuesday, March 28, 2006
Mary Beth,You may be feeling less comfortable as you confront what you must do over the days ahead. It was easier when these coming changes were just a fantasy, for you can be complacent until you need to put your ideas into motion. It's show time, Cancer, so move past your insecurities and prepare to be in the spotlight.

Well this is clearly about Venus Envy. Showtime meaning I need to MAKE the art.

Duh.

I have been working here and there. Yesterday I got a couple little ones finished. I had started them over the weekend. It is slow going though and I am not in a groove and can't really figure out why. I reviewed my inventory and selected some suitable pieces that will be just fine with this theme so I have things to fall back on. I wanted a lot of newer things too. Especially some more 20x20's and I have already prepped the backgrounds for 2 of them but can't seem to move forward.

And whether its for VE or other shows, I need more inventory. I have a lot of upcoming shows. I mean A LOT. Have you seen my calendar lately?
http://mbshaw.com/schedule.html

Bottom line, I need to make the work one way or another. So my muse should be kicking into gear any second now.

On other fronts, I forgot to mention the single best thing from Grape Arts on Sunday,,,,,,,,,,bacon candy.........yep, they have finally done it, made bacon taste better than it already does. Carmelized into crispy candies. Oh my goodness, with that sweet/salty/crunchy thing goin' on I thought I'd died and gone to heaven. We have one of those torches, like for Creme Brulee (which we have never made) and I think I'm going to try it.

And finally, my beef for the day.

BLOGGER.

What gives with you turkeys????? I have tried to be patient and, well, except for that one screamin' email last week I think I have. When my blog was GONE and people were writing to me about it......all the times I can't post a photo when I want to(like now)........fiddling with just the general goofiness and tempermental operations of Blogger. I can be forgiving and have been. What, with your parent Google(yes, I am addicted) I have cut you guys some slack. But you need to get it together. Enough is enough.

Yesterday was Grape Arts, the yearly fundraiser for Art Saint Louis. It is always a good time, I mean what's not to like about very free flowing wine, great art, fun folks. I ran in to a lot of people I hadn't seen for awhile and it felt good to see and be seen.

I was feeling very frisky (yeah, so what's new) and wore my sailor pants. They are the real deal, vintage wool sailor pants that fit me like a dream with a high lace up the back waist and fabulous palazzo trouser legs. They are incredible when worn with high heels and I doubt the Navy had any idea what fashion they were creating. I always wonder about the petite sailor, C.G. Proulx (per the pocket) who wore these before me. And whether it also took him forever undoing the 13 symbolic buttons to go to the bathroom.

I bid on a bunch of different artwork but unfortunately didn't win anything. I was stupidly trying to be polite and aggressive in my bidding which is a big disconnect. Especially the one piece that I reallyreallyreally wanted. Clearly it wasn't going to happen as my opponent was a woman nearly perched on top of the bidding form. She looked fierce and I knew I would not prevail although I did force her to increase her bid several times.

I have an obsession.

Not what you might expect....... I can't get enough of the new stamps, the Post Office's series of favorite children's book animals.........oh my gosh, they are simply amazing. From the Very Hungry Caterpillar to Curious George to Maisy, Wild Thing and Fox in Socks. I remember some of the animals from my own childhood, some from my brother's.

I love these stamps.

I was working on apps today - to more art fairs, the Fall season if you can imagine. And I took a certain delight in selecting a special stamp to carry my application on its journey. The Peoria Fine Art Fair will be escorted by Frederick the mouse. The return (self addressed) guided by Olivia the pig.

You get the drift. These stamps are the best. They give me an inordinate amount of pleasure. I think I will have to buy more of them.

Prettiest Spam I've ever seen

To a font junkie like me, this looks really cool. It is junk email received at my website, mixed in with all the penis enlargement and re-financing offers.

You have to wonder at the purpose????

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The commission is finished and it took a little car trip over to see my photographer friend Greg yesterday. He is terrific, makes my work look amazing and I credit him with getting me into shows, the quality of his photography rocks.

Prior to the photo session, the canvas had to be wired. Naturally I called on John for that task. He asked me to help him by stabilizing the canvas while he made the holes. I am sure it was also helpful that I second guessed him every step of the way, from his hardware selection to wire choice. I was playing total control freak as he worked on the piece.

After it was wired I wanted to see how it hung on the wall, just make sure the balance was good. Even though we have done this like a million times before, never with a canvas quite this large. So he put some nails into the wall and we popped it up there. "Popped" being a total exaggeration as we carefully maneuvered it through the maze that is called my studio to find a spot of open wall behind a door. Not ideal but it worked.

And the canvas did not hug the wall as it should. It was actually sort of airborne if you can imagine that. I was initially calm, questioning the hardware again but John pointed out there was no way this was a hardware issue. We were both puzzled until we took it off the wall and realized the center stabilizing bar across the back of the piece was warped. Totally warped as in it bowed out so far it was actually touching the wall which prevented the canvas from snugging up as it should.

I thought I was going to have a stroke. I didn't take a breath for the longest time. Just waited for some divine intervention I suppose. John talked first, said it was really ok, he didn't think it would be a problem as you couldn't tell if you viewed it head-on. Which was true, however that was not the point.

Once I started to breathe my first reaction was one of anger toward Dick Blick. I mean how could they have sold an expensive canvas - the highest quality they make - with a friggin' warped hunk of wood!??!?! It must have certainly come that way as I do not think I caused the warping. I kept this canvas totally dry, no shower time at all. And this was big time warping, not just a little bit. Which made me also angry at myself that I didn't notice it before. How could I have NOT seen this!?!??!

So the anger turned to tears. The hysterical variety where I was heaving and crying, crying and heaving with snot running down my face. Very ugly. But I am just a little bit passionate about my art and this was "my baby" after all. John patiently waited for me to chill.

Once I calmed myself we talked about possible solutions. I finally decided I did not want to keep this bar of wood. I wanted the warped piece totally gone. John said he thought he could remove it and then buy a new piece of higher quality wood and replace it using metal L-shaped brackets. He assured me it would be better and stronger.

He intelligently asked me to leave the room while he was working. I stayed upstairs and did a phone session with my coach. At one point I saw John leave in the truck and I was dying to know what was going on. I tried to do some breathing. I talked to myself and said a prayer. I told God that I had complete faith in John.

Because JOHN IS GOOD. The BEST!!! He fixed it and it is perfect. He was right in that it is better and stronger than before. It hangs beautifully, snug against the wall as it should.

I am feeling a little "spent." The entire experience just wiped me out. I need to get moving on the next project, start creating for Venus Envy. But I am moving through sludge, slowly varnishing, painting canvas sides, busying myself with brainless work. I have faith this too shall pass. It always does.

My stepdaughter plays Hocky with men. She's the only woman. And she kicks butt.

Now I don't know a damn thing about hockey, but she is clearly in a position of defense and it seemed to me she was responsible for a certain part of the ice, near the goalie. Even though she is half the size of most the men, she covers her territory and any encroachers with zeal. She is quietly aggressive within the rules of the sport. She is fast and gets the job done.

Last night her team played a team from a higher division. The opposing team was one that Beth knew as she had once been a member when they were in the lower division. During her maternity leave, they jumped up to the higher level and encouraged her to find a new team once she was back on the ice. Well you know Beth had a mission last night. And it worked as her new team beat them 4-1. Woo hoo.

We went with Frank and the grandkids. The kids rarely if ever get to see either of their parents play since the ice time for adults is horrible, like games are at 10:30 pm usually, well after bedtime. This was a 7 pm game and we took advantage of it so the boys could see their mom.

Aidan, nearly age 4 now, understands a little bit of the game. He gets the team concept, understood his mom was playing, knows all about goals. Ian is another story. He is 21 months and has no clue but will follow the action on the ice from time to time. When he is not climbing up and down all the bleacher steps that is.

We got to the rink a few minutes before the game and Beth came out to say hello. My beautiful and lean step daughter; she was suited up. With all the padding, her face mask and skates, she seemed so much bigger and even I didn't recognize her. Ian's reaction was hilarious. He stared at her as she started talking to him and gave a cautious smile when he recognized her voice. She raised her mask so he could see it was really her inside and his smile widened but you could tell he still wasn't sure. It was the cutest darn thing. Aidan, truly the big boy, was clearly thrilled by his mom's celebrity status. That and the Zamboni machine.

It was a fun night and this is why we moved back here. To be with Beth and her family and watch these little boys grow up. We wanted to really be part of their lives, not just visiting grandparents who come in to town from time to time and spend a few days with them. We wanted the full experience. And I will say.....picking those kids up at their daycare reinforces what it's all about. Witnessing the uninhibited looks of delight and love when they see Papa and Yia Yia and come running into our arms. Such a rush. There is nothing better.

Human Artefakts

Forgot to mention I am in an online show. Yeah, in the middle of all the stuff I've got going on I created 2 new pieces in response to the theme Human Artefakts. My friend Deb apparently put in a good word for me (I whimpered and whined about missing the entries for this show) and the organizers asked if I wanted to participate. So I couldn't say no. The work is oh so fine and I am happy to be part of this group.

So, check it out:
http://outofsight.co.nz/Artefakts/default.htm

My friend Heather is really smart. I'm not sure she even realizes how much she has helped me. On more than one occasion in fact.

Like the time I had this failed abstract, a 30x40, sitting in my studio. I just didn't know what to do with it. I had painted so much, layer after layer, that I couldn't even look at it anymore. I was out of answers. Heather took one glance and said, "why don't you use it as a background for one of your collages."

Blink.

Wow, what an idea. I thought about it for a few days and realized the brilliance of her remark. And here is what I did:

I turned the 30x40 abstract into a 30x40 collage which I call Cast of Characters. It is sort of a compilation piece of many of my collages. I think of it as a painting where some characters from my collages simply walked onto the canvas. Which is kind of what happened if you think about it. I made that piece about a year ago and it has become my signature illustration of what I can do in the way of custom work and has been an amazing publicity tool for my business.

And then a couple of weeks ago after I had done the background for the big commission. I was suddenly stuck and afraid to paint. I called Heather because that's what we do when we are stuck, we artists; we call each other up on the phone. For me, I turn to either Rhonda or Heather.

Anyway I was whining to Heather, telling her about my block. She used to paint murals and said this happened to her all the time. She said, "give yourself permission to make a mistake."

Blink Blink.

Of course, now why didn't I think of that. Clearly, I was going to make a mistake during this piece. I mean it's friggin' huge. There is no way I would get through the entire thing without incident. And what is a mistake anyway but an opportunity? And I do mean that because I have discovered some of my very favorite techniques while managing my way through a mistake. That doesn't mean I like making mistakes, just that I accept them and learn from them.

So, voila. I couldn't get off the phone quick enough and hope Heather didn't find me rude. I had painting to do, my fingers were itching for a brush. And I gave myself permission to make a mistake.

If you would like to take a look at Heather's website, here's a link:

http://heatherhaymart.com/

Probably not an April Fool's joke

Whew.........I got accepted into Venus Envy. Rhonda got in too. We are both thrilled. But with excitement comes panic.......we were talking today, yucking it up when it hit both of us at the same time......hmmm......this means we now have to actually create the work we proposed.

Hahahahahahahaha.

I had to read my proposal to refresh my memory:

I create mixed media collage paintings using forgotten and discarded photographs, maps, vintage ephemera such as diet books and other paper documents obtained at flea markets and estate sales. The material becomes inspiration for a new piece of art- a layered story merging past and present. I often add a written “caption” for the viewer to contemplate - a phrase from my collection of vintage materials, something remembered from my childhood, or perhaps my own personal commentary. I have found that it doesn’t matter who is pictured or the era involved, we all have more similarities than differences, hence my series is called “Common Denominator.”

For Venus Envy, I will expand on this body of work with a focus solely involving women – themes involving mother/daughter; siblings; body image; relationships; pregnancy; menopause. Wherever the muse may carry me. Although some pieces have previously been completed, it is my intent to offer mainly new work for this event.

I am proposing a grouping of 19 pieces, ranging in size from 6x6 to 24x48. The work will be done on gallery stretched canvasses and hung in a grid configuration per the illustration.




The landscape body is done and available but the others have sold. I don't know if I have any other existing works that address my theme. I'll have to check my inventory tomorrow.

Good thing I'm about finished with the commission cause I suddenly have a lot to do. Delivery is April 1st.

Keeping my fingers crossed

I am waiting on jurying for a show.......Venus Envy to be exact.
http://www.venusenvy.org
I've been in it the past 2 years and it is a ton of fun. There are pictures on the website that will give you a hint as to what it's like. If you click on 2005 St. Louis event photos, you can see my stuff under the ones taken by Kristi Foster. This thing is a blow out 2 day party that just happens to have art hanging around. The crowd is huge and diverse and even more important, they GET my art. The past 2 years I've done a group of pieces specifically related to women. Work that is edgier than my usual stuff. I find it a very exhilarating experience and really want to get accepted again.

The entry is a little different than most in that you have to write a proposal and send a diagram of your "installation." You also include some photos (jpgs or slides) of your art. And the Judges pick whatever they feel is consistent with the mission of VE.

We were supposed to find out 3/15 whether we are in or at least it was going to mailed that day(ok, yeah, I realize it's just the 16th). But nothing yet. I am obsessively checking email hoping we might be notified online because I think they did it that way last year. I am also stalking my snailmailbox. Rhonda(who I met at VE the first year and we have become best buddies) and I trade calls every day, at least once if not more. Still nothing. Ugh I hate this part.

I got a call from the Director a few weeks ago. She wanted me to email her a high quality jpg of one of my images from last year. Apparently St. Louis magazine is going to use one of my shots in the April issue. That sounded promising but when I queried as to whether I am in the show or not, she was coy. Basically she wouldn't say because I guess it is up to the jurors.

In between my obsessive behavior I managed to finish all the gluing on the commission. Woo hoo for that. I have lots of integrative painting to do to blend the background and foreground so it looks seamless. This is where my tissue paper will come it as I have printed some tissues that are duplicates of old documents and letters owned by my client. They are very cool and I can't wait to use them.

We also took Merlyn to the vet today; both John and I went. Had a scare regarding a lump near his throat. Our vet thinks it's a swollen lymph node but gave him some sort of shot and we are supposed to "keep an eye on it." Hopefully all will be ok. We are slightly over reactive with that animal, or perhaps I should say I am. John is too, he is just more internal with it.

Only in St. Louis

Would you find Pecan Pie as a choice at a salad bar. No joke. And the worst thing....it took every ounce of my control to not take a tiny little piece.

I was looking at my friend Brenda yesterday. She is in terrific physical condition due to a disciplined eating and workout plan. That is how we met in fact. We went to Pilates at the same place until I was insulted one too many times by the neo-Nazi trainer. All right, maybe that was harsh(in that she wasn't a Nazi), but I always left each session feeling bad about myself and it just wasn't good for my morale.

Like me, Brenda is off exercise at the moment although she has a pretty good excuse. She recently had hellatious foot surgery to correct a hammertoe (I don't even know what that is but it sounds awful) and bunion. Plus the bone holding her big toe was moved; she has a pin sticking out one of her toes which is kind of horrifying to me.

She still looks wonderful, extremely lean as in you can see her muscles lean, and she is CUT. And sometimes I feel regret because I used to look more like that although never quite so lean because I am still a curvy girl even when I am at my thinnest. These days I have fallen off the wagon - like I eat Girl Scout cookies for breakfast and consider running the vacuum exercise.

Talking with Brenda reminds me why I used to go to a trainer. Because I have absolutely no willpower of my own. I literally had to pay someone to stand there and make me work out. And weigh me and take my measurements and calculate my percentage of fat. Naturally it worked. Duh.

I walked outside a few times last week and then did a couple walk/jog sessions on the treadmill. I need to keep at it to build these habits back into my routine. I'm headed to our workout area (that would be the basement) again today. I think I will lift some weights too.

I especially liked the way I felt when I was working out. And I would like to regain that.

Thoughts for the day

1. Since John has been sick I've been cleaning the litter boxes every day. There are two of them in the laundry room. All the pee is in one and the poop in the other. How exactly did three cats get together and agree on that!?!?!?

2. I went to visit a friend today who had just had surgery. I made a pan of lasagna for her family and also carried lunch in so we could eat together and catch up a bit. She is wheelchair bound for perhaps another week. Anyway, I was driving over to her house and saw the welcome sign that just cracks me up every time.
"Welcome to Town and Country-Wildlife Corridor"
Huh? Tennis moms in their whites? Thoroughbred horses?
Oh, I guess they must mean the deer.
Yeesh.

3. My client came over tonight to "preview" the big commission. And she likes it, woo hoo, how cool is that!?!? So time to get back to work. I can probably finish in the next couple of weeks. I will have my photographer shoot some pics and will post them once it's done.

I need to paint 5-7 new 30x40's for the gallery show I am doing later this year. A few days ago I placed an order with Dick Blick and was thrilled to find they are clearing out the old "Art Store" canvasses. That is the store that was 2 blocks from my condo in SF(recently acquired by Blick)and I know those canvasses well, in fact I prefer them! I was nearly out of so many paint colors that I ordered a ton of stuff in addition to the canvasses and I easily topped the $300 minimum for free shipping.

So, in normal Blick fashion, this monstrous order arrived on my porch less than 48 hours later. How Blick does that I simply do not know. They are so fast. Plus they almost always have everything in stock. As an art store should but you would be surprised how often other stores are out of very pertinent items. Like gel medium or gesso. In fact I have stopped ordering from ASW totally. Sure they have good prices, but they are always out of at least one or two items that I need. And they do not ship them later, if they're out that's it. You just don't get it. And I don't get that.

I unpacked the boxes yesterday and stacked all the 30x40's around the room to look at them. And they seemed so SMALL to me. Seriously. As in I actually measured them to make sure they were 30x40's. Which they are.

Hmmmm, working on this commission has messed me up. In a good way though. Lucky I have 3 more of those really huge canvasses. Because I am itching to do another large piece. And I don't mean a 30x40.

First time for everything

Aaack, I've been tagged by Deb Trotter.

What were you doing 10 years ago?
I was 35, living in St. Louis the 1st time. I relocated here in 1993 (from Cincinnati) to marry John (yes, 3rd time is indeed a charm). We were both in the insurance biz and were golfers. Seems like a million years ago.

What were you doing 1 year ago? We had been back in St. Louis for a year and a half at that point. My life as an artist had taken off in ways I could never have imagined. Grandkids were close by. Many new friends. Life was good, just as it is now.

Five snacks you enjoy:
Oh no, this is going to be hard as I love snacks.
Wasabi Broad Beans (crispy), not the peas, has to be the beans and they are impossible to find. Thanks Claire and Marian for getting me hooked on these. Kettle chips, the lightly salted ones. Kettle Korn at the art fairs. Nuts, pretty much any kind but raw cashews are a fave. Chocolate, dark Dove pieces, Snickers when they are shaped like Eggs, same with Reese's, prefer them shaped like an egg, something about the chocolate to filling ratio is better. Brownies made by my friend Debbie. Large Lattes with nutmeg on top.
That was more than five wasn't it?

Five songs to which you KNOW all the lyrics: Queen-Bohemian Rhapsody, I try to sing all the parts. It isn't pretty. Don McClean-American Pie. Jackson Browne-The Load Out. I really relate to this one since we've been doing the art fairs. Meatloaf-Paradise by the Dashboard Light. All right, I know that wasn't five, but I do see a trend there.

Five things you would do if you were a millionaire:
Ok, first I'm assuming multi-millionaire here as in BIG money.
The first thing I would do is rent this house in Jenner, CA, the one that is located at the estuary where the Russian River meets the Pacific ocean. We rented it years ago and it was simply stunning perched on the edge of the land with nothing anywhere around. You can sit in the hot tub and watch the seals out on the rocks. Amazing views from each room, it is so inspiring and serene. Anyway, John and I would go out there for awhile and chill then he would leave and I would invite all my CA girlfriends who I miss so much. We would have a girl's weekend doing art, hiking, all the things we love. I imagine that if money was no object we would have a similar life to what we have now but I probably wouldn't do as many shows. I would limit myself to a couple big ones and would take some workshops. We would travel more for FUN and immerse ourselves into life in new places. I don't think I would want to own another home but would rent places so I could explore certain areas in depth. Rent a villa in Tuscany for a season; try the coast of Spain; San Miguel de Allende. I want to hike the Grand Canyon out of the Havasupai Indian Reservation and see Havasu Falls. I would invite friends and family to join us for some of our travels. I am sure St. Louis would still be our "base" city but we would find a different home, more contemporary with large open spaces and better privacy than our current suburban location. I would also give Beth & Frank money so they could get a new home and have financial freedom. Probably a condo for my Mom and Dad. College funds for my nieces and nephews. We would hire domestic help again - we've had cleaning and gardening help in the past and I miss that.

Five bad habits:
-eating when I'm not hungry
-getting so excited when I talk that I interrupt or fail to listen to the other person
-my current failure to stick with a regular exercise program
-impatience
-failure to be in the moment

Five things you like doing:
-love to paint
-walks on the beach, hiking in the woods
-being with friends &/or my family, laughing & talking
-having long talks with my hubby when we go out to eat
-reading, all types of books, fiction, art books, fashion magazines
-Yoga

Five things you would never wear, buy, or get again:
-Lip Fusion (check out Nov. archives and scroll down to the "At what Price" entry)
-Strivectin, another expensive beauty product that is a complete waste of money
-a bikini, my stomach hasn't seen the light of day for over 35 years and I like it that way

Five favorite toys:
-My studio is one big toybox
-iPod and the JBL player that I use with it
-Laptop computer

First time you got kissed: How was it?
I can't even remember who it was how pitiful is that.

First time you drove a car: What kind of car?
Deb, I know you will think I am just stealing your answers but I drove my mom's maroon Oldsmobile Cutlass too.

First Date? I have no earthly idea. I was a nerd child so didn't really date much (at all!) until I got to college. VERY late bloomer.

First time you scrapbooked (if you ever have): A couple weeks ago helping Marian and her family make up a scrapbook for Jeff's birthday. It was fun. Especially cause Marian has so much stuff, like a store almost, and she let us just go at it.

First time you fell in love: Hmm, very hard since I was so slow to enter the romance realm. I thought I was "in love" with Ralph Nichols in the 8th grade. And again in High School. And again in College. And again after one of my divorces. No, that last time is a joke because the minute we got together (both available at the same time) I knew it wasn't and never would be love.

First time you cooked for someone: I cooked for Doug, #2 husband. Spaghetti and meat sauce. It was a big hit, he always loved my cooking which is something I remember well since my first husband was a "foodie" and I never did anything to suit him. He always thought it needed another tweak in some regard. Hence I have conveniently forgotten every thing I might have cooked for him. OH!!! I also remember once when I was in high school (??) and tried to make a strawberry pie. Have no idea who it was for, but my mom wasn't home and I was doing this on my own. I made up the dough for the crust and suddenly totally blanked out on HOW I was supposed to make the crust flat. So I pressed it flat with my hands. Needless to say it was pretty thick.

First time you got on a plane: I was 17, it was a small plane and I was taking a flying lesson that was a gift from my parents for my birthday. I knew I would love it and I did. My first commercial flight was my freshman year of college when I flew to NY to visit my Dad's aunt and uncle.

Five of your favorite movies:
-The Gods must be Crazy
-Harold and Maude
-The Usual Suspects
-In America
-The Shawshank Redemtion

Most memorable moment:
This is hard. I don't think I've had it yet or maybe I don't categorize memories that way. But wait, I do remember one time - absolutely charmed time - with John when we were in Cornwall, England. It had been storming all day and we finally found this amazing country inn where we decided to stay for the night. It was a grand old estate complete with a fire blazing in the foyer, dogs asleep near the hearth. We signed up for dinner and headed to our room where I soaked in a hot bath. After a delightful dinner the weather suddenly cleared and it was crisp and beautiful outside. I wanted to take a walk to see the coastline. Our host discouraged us because it was so wet and dusk was descending. But once I get an idea, well, you know....anyway, we headed out, armed with directions. Hip high foliage, all wet, we plowed through it all on a very rugged trail. Neither of us had any idea where we were going but as if by magic, we appeared in a clearing on the edge of a cliff overlooking the sea. The moon was full, the sea wild. It was Wuthering Heights come to life and I will never forget it, the intensity and romance of that moment.

I think maybe I am supposed to tag someone else now? If Heidi, Beth, Denise or Ruth feel like jumping in that would be cool. If not, that's ok too.

Calling all knitters

Wow, I just found this website with video clips showing all this stuff I wanted to know about knitting. Lessons on how to do all sorts of things I was wondering about. I know I have friends who could help me but they are never around at the exact moment when I need instruction.

http://tinyurl.com/9nem7

Very cool. Like having a knitting teacher right here in my house. All kinds of techniques that are shown in the books but I NEED TO SEE IT like changing colors, knitting in the round, socks, cable stitch........it's all in the link above and there are other links to beginning sections that show cast on, etc.

This changes everything.

John is sick. He's been suffering from some unknown cold/allergy/sinus/asthma crap for maybe 6 weeks or more. Now it seems to have turned a bit worse and he has a very ugly cough. He has a Dr's. appointment Friday but that seems oh so far away.

Time for me to kick into gear. I'm not exactly the chicken soup type but I do the best I can. Tonight it was a Red Miso concoction.

One of my friends is suffering from an immune disorder and her accupuncturist recommended Red Miso to help remove toxins from her body. And then there is the conventional thinking about mushrooms and their healing ability with respect to the immune system. Believe me I totally swear by this stuff, alternative remedies. I took a mushroom tincture when I had Epstein Barr several years ago and even my Dr. was stunned with how quickly I bounced back.

So off I went to Whole Foods and came home with several bags of MB style remedies. The more the better meaning we throw everything we know at the situation and hope to goodness something works. I'm not sure if John believes in all this stuff but it can't possibly hurt, right?

First up was the Odwalla Strawberry C Monster. This is a vital part of any healing regimen for me; it has something like 1000% vitamin C. Plus it tastes really really good. Next up was the Gypsy Cold Care tea which helps respiratory situations. Must be prepared with local honey(which we already had) to help the immune system fight local allergins.

And then the soup.......which I made myself, invented out of my own pea brain cooking head. I started out with a mixture of organic mushrooms, sauteed lightly in olive oil. Then a bunch of fresh ginger. An assortment of veggies - bok choy, carrot, broccoli, celery, spinach, scallions. Boneless chicken thighs, glazed with some sort of Asian sauce (ok, I cheated and got this at the food bar). Water, teriyaki and fish sauce. The Miso was in paste form and shouldn't be boiled so I mixed it with water then added at the very end.

Yum. I was startled at how delicious this was if I do say so myself. More like a Miso stew I suppose, very non-Asian the way I loaded it up with ingredients. It even cured my headache. And I still have my fingers crossed that it will help John. He seemed to enjoy it.

And come to think of it, maybe I did make chicken soup......the Miso is so salty perhaps this is the Asian version.

He's on Fire!

My husband got a job a few weeks ago working with our friend Claire doing sales regarding an internet business. It's complicated (not really- I am just trying to stay out of it) but Claire makes decent money with an extremely flexible schedule. Plus she knows the people who own this business. John was lucky to get hired. But he's good and they are also lucky to have him.

So, we moved the laptop into the guest room and he has set up shop. I am still in the office and we share it for our personal stuff (bill paying) and my art business. But he has his own space for his job. And I can still use the office as needed without interrupting him. We worked this way all last week and it felt great.

Yesterday morning I was puttering along when I heard a loud(very loud, it was scaring the cats) beeping sound, like a truck backing up only there was an emergency feel to the sound. I sort of yelled across the hall, "is that you?" and he said yes, it was. Since it continued and it was annoying, I went to see what was going on. I am like that, have to see for myself, very nosy. Plus I wanted it to stop.

It was coming from the laptop. There was no display shown on the screen, totally black. It was not plugged in. We couldn't get it to stop until John finally popped the battery out of the back.

Appears he had gotten up to go to the bathroom. When he returned to the room, he sat down and touched the mouse. He heard a "pop." Static electricity, happens all the time here as it is too dry. But this time that was all she wrote. Our computer is dead, fried, kaput. Because my husband touched it.

Weird, huh? He can be very stimulating but this tops all.

Rescued

When we moved back to the Midwest several years ago I planned to have my studio in my home rather than rent a separate spot like I did in CA. Since most of the homes have basements, it seemed so obvious and easy. What I did not imagine was that so many of the basements had been remodeled in such an upscale manner, totally unsuitable to a studio. I mean I was used to concrete floors stained with paint. And I liked it that way.

The house we eventually bought also had a remodeled basement but it was not as nice as some of the others, no "media" room, thank goodness, no expensive floor treatments. The carpet (yes, it is carpeted) was old, kind of a dusty looking berber imitation, creamy in color if you can imagine. John gave me permission to trash it because he knew I would feel inhibited in my process otherwise.

So, in these last couple years I have pretty much crapped it up although in a semi-controlled manner. If I am working totally messy, like with dripping inks and such, I put down a tarp. For some reason I didn't think of it with this large commission.

It was bound to happen. The worst of the worst.

Yesterday I tossed an entire container of Golden fluid acrylics on the carpet. A 4 ounce bottle. Quinacridone Gold of course. The one color I can't live without; the color I use on nearly everything that ventures into my vision; the color I bought up in mass quantity because I was uncertain if Golden's replacement product would be "the same." In fact, when this happened, I was actually more concerned about sacrificing the paint than ruining my carpet.

Then reality hit. And despite the fact I have been trashing the space, I realized that a one foot diameter stain of paint was going to look reallyreally ugly in the middle of the room. Which is when I got to work with carpet cleaning efforts.

During the cleaning process, I became mesmerized with the beauty of this paint I love this stuff so much. There was a point when it had been diluted across the carpet fibers and was totally gorgeous; the carpet looked better than it ever had! I entertained a brief fantasy about just staining the entire surface to see how it would look. Until I slapped myself back to real life (it is A LOT of square footage) and kept scrubbing.

Oxy Clean is some sort of a miracle product. I don't know how or why this stuff works but it does. And 40 minutes + a roll of paper towels later John couldn't even find the spot.

Oscar observations

1. The women are way too skinny. Like anorexic dangerous skinny......beautiful women just wasting away to nothing with their scrawny ass arms and no boobs. Jessica Alba (she does have teeny weeny little boobs and such a pretty face). Michelle Williams (who just had a baby, this quick weight loss could not possibly be healthy), Keira Knightly (ok, so she's young), Felicity Huffman. What is with these women!?!?!?!?! Thank God for Salma Hayek and Sandra Bullock who looked gorgeously normal.

2. Uma Thurman rocks. Best dress of the night to my humble untrained eye. She is a Goddess.

3. What on earth has happened to Dolly Parton? She looks like an animated figure from a Tim Burton movie.

My refuge

When we decorated our bedroom last year, I knew I wanted a little spot of my own. A place where I could read, nap, write in my journal. This had always been a dream of mine but we never had a house that provided exactly the right "feel."

Because I wanted a pretty spot, lit by the sun. A cozy escape where I could be catlike. I imagined a window seat perhaps?

Although it's not a window seat, this is the next best thing. Other than my studio, it's my favorite part of the house.

Merlyn likes it too.

A few names ago....

Thanks to Jane http://seejane.blogspot.com/ for this Numerology stuff. Love it!!!

You entered: Mary Beth Hoffman
There are 15 letters in your name.Those 15 letters total to 74. There are 4 vowels and 11 consonants in your name.

Your number is: 11
The characteristics of #11 are: High spiritual plane, intuitive, illumination, idealist, a dreamer.
The number 11 is the first of the master numbers. It is associated with idealistic concepts and rather spiritual issues. Accordingly, it is a number with potentials that are somewhat more difficult to live up to. You have the capacity to be inspirational, and the ability to lead merely by your own example. An inborn inner strength and awareness can make you an excellent teacher, social worker, philosopher, or advisor. No matter what area of work you pursue, you are very aware and sensitive to the highest sense of your environment. Your intuition is very strong; in fact, many psychic people and those involved in occult studies have the number 11 expression. You possess a good mind with keen analytical ability. Because of this you can probably succeed in most lines of work, however, you will do better and be happier outside of the business world. Oddly enough, even here you generally succeed, owing to your often original and unusual approach. Nonetheless, you are more content working with your ideals, rather than dollars and cents.
The positive aspect of the number 11 expression is an always idealistic attitude. Your thinking is long term, and you are able to grasp the far-reaching effects of actions and plans. You are disappointed by the shortsighted views of many of your contemporaries. You are deeply concerned and supportive of art, music, or of beauty in any form.
The negative attitudes associated with the number 11 expression include a continuous sense of nervous tension; you may be too sensitive and temperamental. You tend to dream a lot and may be more of a dreamer than a doer. Fantasy and reality sometimes become intermingled and you are sometimes very impractical. You tend to want to spread the illumination of your knowledge to others irrespective of their desire or need.

Your Soul Urge number is: 4
A Soul Urge number of 4 means: With the Soul Urge or Motivation number of 4 you are likely to strive for a stable life. You tend to follow a rather orderly pattern and systematic approach in your endeavors. You have an inner desire to serve others in a methodical and diligent manner. You want to be in solid, conventional, and well-regulated activities, and you are somewhat disturbed by innovation and erratic or sudden changes. Excellent at organizing, systematizing, and managing, you have a way of establishing order and maintaining it. You are responsible, reliable and in the final analysis, practical. Highly analytical, you can see your way through all sorts of situations and generally have a clear understanding of the issues. You are a very honest, sincere, and conscientious individual.
The negative side of the 4 is rigid, stubborn and somewhat narrow-minded. There is a tendency to hide feelings, or to really not be aware of real feelings. Avoid being too rigid and stubborn in your thinking, and try to always see the big picture rather than becoming to involved with the detail. Don't be afraid to take a chance once in awhile.

Your Inner Dream number is: 7
An Inner Dream number of 7 means: You dream of having the opportunity to read, study, and shut yourself off from worldly distractions. You can see yourself as a teacher, mystic, or ecclesiastic, spending your life in the pursuit of knowledge and learning.
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