Monday Madness

Today was crazy because I took the day off yesterday, did nothing related to my art at all! A friend took me to my favorite Vietnamese place in Folsom, a belated birthday lunch . It was so good. We didn't get to visit long enough & may get together again this weekend. I had my usual bowl of noodle soup & we shared shrimp spring rolls. Yes soup in the summer! I love soup and don't really care that it's hot outside! After lunch, I picked up 2 other friends and we headed down to the river. The 3 of us had never been down Garden Hwy that far along the river before and it was a nice Sunday drive. My husband's band http://spotteddogmusic.com/index.php played at Swabbie's On the River yesterday. (My husband's picture isn't on the site yet as he is new drummer & they haven't changed photos yet) http://www.swabbies.com/index.html . They played 3 days in a row this weekend. I think they are great and I'm really glad he decided to play with these guys! The smoke has cleared up a lot and it was a beautiful day. What a fun kicked back place! The band played outside in a big shady area that was full of tables filled with people. My youngest son raved about the tacos so I told my friends about it. (My husband has played there before with another band & took my son with him) They ordered them, they looked awesome, so awesome it was tempting to have them even though I wasn't hungry! But I didn't have any, I was still full from my lunch. They said they would come back just to eat those! My next trip there I will definately be going hungry so I can try them! As I was waiting in line for the bathroom, a girl next to me said the band was so great! I said thanks & told her my husband was in the band & she should let the owner know! I left before Jim and when he got home he said the owner told him that people came up to him and told him they loved the band, wanted to know when they were playing again and he gave them extra money! A percentage of the bar! Ok I'll take credit for that! It was a fun day and it was nice to get out of the house. I must admit that the people were just as entertaining as the band was! Lots of people coming off the river feeling no pain and kicking up dust on the dirt dance area! It is such a kick watching drunk people dance! We laughed a lot!! It was unavoidable. One lady in her late 50's in particular must have taken tap dance when she was young because she was tap dancing away to the blues music at a tempo much faster than what was being played and still had a Dorothy Hamil haircut! Her legs were brown from her toes to her knees from kicking up all that dust! hahaha

Today I was on a mission! I had to go to the printers, hospital, art supply store, grocery store, my son's work... seems like I drove all over town! I drove my husband's truck which I can't park for the life of me so I park out in Timbuktu to avoid denting some one's car. hahaha When I finally got home and pulled into the driveway I see my little car! What! I just assumed he had taken it and didn't even look! arrrgh. I had to prepare prints and paintings & my wood trees so that I can mail them out tomorrow. I finished up my Indie project & will trade with my Swell Sister Carol tomorrow. I could keep going on it but I've never done a collaborative project before and I don't want to do to much. I can't wait to see what Carol has done on Christine's project! Here's my final photo before passing it on... She's a bit eerie but I like that about her. She is holding a string of dragonflies and has butterflies in her hair.

Tomorrow I have to go to the post office, list some paintings and paint paint paint! I canvases prepared and ready to go! I sure hope that July isn't as slow as June was! While reading blogs I came across "ecrater" a widget that will let you buy paintings directly from my blog, so I am going to start working on setting that up!

Check out the refreshing new recipe of the week!

Life is really Swell!

TGIF!

Last night I went to a Quirky Art group which is a sub-group of The Swell Sister Society. I had so much fun it's a great group of women. I did a picture inspired by Freda Khalo. The owner of the shop we were meeting in told us that we can have an 2nd Saturday art show December 13th! Very exciting! Elizabeth, who started the group, has been working very hard and we now have the beginnings of a website. Also exciting! I just can't tell you how wonderful I think this group is! I am blessed to have found it & be included. I am also in a sub-group "Indie project" which is a collaborative group. Last night at the meeting we swapped projects and I spent most of the day just staring at my large canvas I have to do! I can see that this project is going to really stretch my imagination! I did some work on it. We are swapping again next Thursday. The canvas that was given to me was very abstract as you can see & when I turned it upward I saw 2 women pop out at me, so I am taking down that road. Totally different than the idea I had in my head for it last night! I think I am just going to finish her hand & a few more touches before passing it on. I don't want to do too much as 3 more people will be working on it & don't want to paint over the initial artist's beginnings. I am loving this project and can't wait to see how mine returns to me! Here's some pictures so far. I volunteered to teach a crochet & knitting class on July 3rd for the Swell Sisters, so next week I will be putting things together for that and it should be fun. Maybe I will finish the baby bibs I started a couple of months ago!

I stumbled upon the Ophra show this evening. I normally don't watch it but this episode was on the Laws of Attraction. It was so interesting! I spent this evening making my own "visualization board". Cutting up magazines. I can spend hours doing it. I have boxes of things I have cut out too. I think my board is pretty good, it looks like a big collage, don't know where I'll put it yet but I'll look at it everyday and hope it works! oops. Know it will work! hahaha I'll keep you posted on that. If you like to learn more about this you can go to Ophra's site at http://www2.oprah.com/index.jhtml.

Hope you have a great weekend!

Hazy Days

Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger is advising people not to buy fireworks this 4th of July. Fireworks are outlawed in my county all together. When my parents lived in Sacramento we would go down to their house and do fireworks on their street. I love fireworks. Back home in South Carolina they have big firework stores, you can go in and get anything! I had many a bottle rocket fights when I was a teenager! We didn't really shoot them off at each other, just in each other's direction. We usually get fireworks of some kind when I go home to visit and light them off on the beach. I know that isn't a very "green" thing to do anymore but I'd probably at least buy a box of sparklers! Never too old for a box of sparklers!

Speaking of fire... As I was driving through Napa over the weekend, I saw a little fire up on a hill, it was small, I thought it was just a controlled burn, an area possibly being cleared for new grapes. 2 really old timey fire trucks did pass me on the road but the sirens weren't blaring. (maybe they didn't work, these trucks were old) Now I suppose that little burn has become quite large. Other fires have started as well so the Sacramento valley is just full of smoke. The sky has been whitish gray for the past few days and people are being advised to stay inside as much as possible.

I guess all the smoke from the fires has permeated my brain. I forgot to share that I was featured on http://www.dzfantasy.blogspot.com/!! She did a wonderful article on me and her dolls are incredible. They are so vibrant & make you happy to look at them. You should take a moment to peek at them!

I have bids on 3 of my magical trees! Yesterday I painted a couple of aura angels but still have a little work to do on them. Here's a picture of one of them. I got 5 stars from someone on OvationTV for the one I have listed on Ebay right now. That made me happy. Not sure which site I will be listing these on yet. I finished up my collaborative project to take to the Swell Sister meeting tonight. I am really really looking forward to it! Make something pretty today!

And Now Featuring!....

Yes that would be Me! Wow is all I can say! I woke up this morning to a lovely email telling me that they had taken the liberty to do a feature on me in their blog and hoped I didn't mind! Of course I wouldn't mind at all! Such a nice way to start the day! The blog is http://www.compassmoon.blogspot.com/ if you'd like to take a peek at it. She has a wonderful blog & I will be returning to it quite often. She makes the most beautiful henna boxes on Etsy so be sure to check those out too! I was also featured in an Etsy Treasury for the 6th time! I feel great pride and honor that people are so pleased with my art.

I think there is a lot of confusion about what "folk art" truly is. Typically people think of rustic things, primitives, etc..., however, I view the term folk art as art being created by someone not professionally trained. That describes me, so that is why I call myself a folk artist.

I have been having fun painting the trees on broken wood and my aura angels. I listed 4 things on Ebay today. 3 magical trees and 1 aura angel. Initially I was not going to list the angel, perhaps paint over her, but the more I looked at her the more I liked her. I call her "Compassion". That's what she looks like to me. I posted the pictures of the magical trees on Flickr so they will be shown in my slideshow. I must say that the photos don't do them justice.

Today I am getting ready a very large piece of broken wood to do a collaborative project on with my Swell Sister art group. Each of us is preparing a piece, then we are passing it on to the next person, they work on it, then pass it on. It will ultimately end up back with me. I can't wait to see what everything will look like! I haven't done anything like this before so it's a new exciting adventure! I am also going to be starting a vineyard angel, much like my beach angels. Inspired by my road trip through the Napa Valley this weekend! So stay tuned! Have a wonderful day!

There's a Party Goin' On Right Here!

A celebration to last throughout the year!.... OK Somebody stop me now! hahahaha What a wonderful day! My kids all came over to celebrate my birthday. We had a big bbq & lots of laughter. My husband got me the most wonderful champagne cake!
I have gotten so many lovely comments on my broken wood art! Very encouraging! Thanks so much if you are one of those people! I started one this morning before everyone got here. And hey! Remember that post on glitter? Well......I caved and found that a little clear glitter on the tree tops make them magical! I will post another picture this week. I am going to be painting more tomorrow and will be painting them with different background colors as well as the aqua blue. Not sure where I will be listing them yet so stay tuned! While sitting on the patio my son's girlfriend commented that the trees would be really cool outside as well as inside, maybe on the fence or the patio wall, so I am definitely going to varnish them so they could withstand the weather and paint a few for myself as well! I am changing the recipe of the week today. Hope your week is full of many blessings!

They Say It's Your Birthday!

Ok ! I can't quit using bits & pieces of songs for my titles! They just seem to fit. Today was my birthday. No celebration with the family. I had my own celebration. I ate onion rings for breakfast! That's it, just onion rings and boy were they good! I haven't had onion rings in at least 3 yrs or more.
My car hit the asphalt at 8:45am. I picked up my oldest son & we were off to Rohnert Park. It was a baby shower for him & his girlfriend given by her family. It was a sweet shower & I met lots of nice people. The drive was nice. Going through Napa, Sonoma & Petaluma I noticed how many more acres of grapes had been planted since my last drive through. He didn't ride home with me and the drive back was completely quiet except for the hum of the air conditioner. At one point I could hardly keep my eyes open. Don't you hate that?! I had 2 glasses of Chardonnay at the shower. Well it was my birthday ! Chardonnay casked in oak always gives me a headache. I am so glad that a lot vintners are now using stainless steel which makes it fruitier and easier to drink. It tasted like it was casked in older oak which was a good thing or I'd really be suffering right now. That's what they were serving and I just couldn't resist after passing all the vines along the way. It was tempting being free as a bird for the evening to stop & taste something or browse through Napa or Petaluma but I didn't, just headed back to Sacramento. Petaluma is the coolest town, really a gem, I just love going there and everytime I do I have a great time. http://www.visitpetaluma.com/ It was just too hot outside! My husband played a gig & my youngest son went to San Francisco so it was a quiet day & evening.

Into The Wood Pile

I dove into the wood pile yesterday. I love painting on broken wood that's got a one way ticket to the dumps. I painted some trees and the broken part is the roots. I am going to paint a bunch of these before I list them, sell them individually but take pictures of all of them grouped together on my wall. I think a forest of them would be really cool. I don't draw them out just let them come to life on their own. It's fun breaking the wood and seeing the end result of the break. I love the recyling aspect of them -turning something doomed into something dandy. I have sold many mermaids on broken wood, the broken part being their tails. I sold 3 to someone and they commissioned 3 more, however, they have not paid me for them after several emails, so I will be listing those this week as well.

These are unique & completely my own. So many artist copy from other artists and have no qualms about selling it as their own just to make a buck. I see it everyday. A few days ago I was wandering through the art section on Etsy and saw that someone had listed a painting like one I had done & sold on Ebay a few months ago. It wasn't an exact copy but all they changed was the background colors! I was a bit irritated at first but then let it go, took it as flattery. I think my son was more upset than I was. I know artists look at art all the time and something may get stuck in the back of your subconscious and just pop out later. So my little painting was stuck in their head. That's ok, that's flattering to me. There are a few people on ebay that come so close to the line and my heart goes out to the original artist when I see it. It is taking business away from them when it's something they developed. But it happens and is going to continue to happen.

There was quite a discussion on an Etsy forum the other day. The post began - Would you tell someone that their art is bad? Then compared bad art to bad service from a waiter in a restaurant. That really got people going. I must say it was an interesting read for a change! Reading everyone thoughts on what art means to them. Can there be bad art? Would I tell someone their art was bad? No. Art is Art for Art's sake! Even if you think "dang that's bad!" it is still making you feel something. It might not be something you want to live with but perhaps someone else would. What do you think? I was featured in another Treasury today! The 4th one! Like I said previously it doesn't produce any sales so now I don't expect that but it is a delight. Here's a link if you'd like to check it out. http://www.etsy.com/treasury_list.php?room_id=51615. I think some of the Treasuries are actually art themselves so they are always fun to browse through. If you haven't gone through the Treasuries on Etsy you should! It's a fun way to shop & fun to see the groupings of things people put together.

I am still new at blogging. I read one blog yesterday and it was how they wake up at night thinking of things to write, make a list, etc... I thought wow! Seriously! Should I be doing that? I think it impossible for me to be that structured and would take the fun out of it personally. Heck I just get on here and wing it. I never know what I am gonna say until I sit down & type it! However, I must warn you if you subscribe, I usually end up adding things or a letter of a word omitted or something and come back and edit! $@)(*#! Make it a colorful day!

I Haiku Do You? (Ok Ok I know that's Cheesy!)

Summer tomatoes

luscious ripened on the vine

juicy red divine!

That's my Haiku for the day! I like Haiku. I don't do it very often but when I do it's always fun. Something you just don't think of doing until someone brings it up or you see it. I love word games as well. I spoke to a friend this afternoon that doesn't like tomatoes which is a mind boggler to me! Hence the inspiration for the tomato Haiku. A day hardly passes that I don't eat a tomato or something that has tomato in it! Oh and the smell of a tomato vine! Love that, should have put that down below on my list. So the tomato scare didn't bother me, I'd take my chances! We have some tomato bushes growing now and can't wait to eat them. Actually I shouldn't say "we" because I don't water anything. If my husband didn't water my yard would look like the Sahara. My gramma, who's thumb was very green, came to visit and asked me how I could let a plant die when it's next to the kitchen sink! hahaha Believe it or not it's happening right now! There is a little shop on Etsy that sells Haiku tea mugs. I thought this was a very creative idea, they are simple & lovely. Her shop is www.Felicitea.etsy.com . http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5887974
I guess Tuesday is my day off. I didn't paint a thing, exactly like last Tuesday. I was on the computer all day, trip to the post office to mail paintings, the grocery, talking on the phone, etc.. I found my son's sound machine in his deserted bedroom which I am slowly taking over. hahaha It plays sounds of the ocean, rain, babbling brook, woods, birds, and white noise. The bottom that holds the batteries is broken, the on/off button is broken, it was abandoned, so I've claimed it as my own! I bought batteries while out at the store. Fixed it and have been listening to a babbling brook & the ocean all day while it's sweltering outside!

I added a section today - below on the right- My Treasure Box. These are links to shops & sites. They don't pay me to put them there, they are strictly things I find & love. You might want to see what's in there!

Making the Cut

Well today's painting adventure didn't go so well. Yesterday actually because it's after midnight now. I ended up painting CRAP! in bright yellow paint across the canvas and walking away! I think it was Picasso that said it took him a lifetime to paint like a child. Well I guess I have got some more living to do! haha I tried painting a horse, just a little horse, even tried copying it from the pattern the kids had picked out, it was ridiculous! I couldn't do it! I will paint them something more in my style, still barnyard stuff but more in my style. I could imagine the horrified look on their faces when they unwrapped that as a gift if I had kept on going! I think it would be best to be me anyway. So instead I spent the rest of the day organizing my studio room. It looked like a craft bomb went off in there.
After Jim got home we had about an hour before his band showed up. The band he is lead vocals in, not plays the drums in. They were trying out new bass players. 3 of them showed up. I don't know if they found what they were looking for ..if someone made the cut ( I couldn't resist that one) because he was so tired he went straight up to bed. While they were playing I was on the back patio cutting hair! An "Emo" hair cut! Long in the back & on the sides, short on top, long bangs in the front, then bleached it white around the face & sides. I had my doubts about it at first but I must admit that it looks fantastic on her! Ah to be that young! If I were I'd probably be sportin' Emo hair too! Someone made a post on Etsy tonight - how long is your hair? That has to be one of the oddest posts I've seen yet, but hey people were posting, me included. Oh yeah I did. Also odd. Why would someone care or want to know what stranger's hair looked like, if they were going to donate it, etc., etc... My hair is below my waist, I just had it cut too. It's blond & white. White, pure white, that's my gray, I think I am blessed that way, just looks like highlights, and it's straight as a board, holds a curl for about an hour. So now everybody knows & occasionally Miss Clairol too!

Rainy Days & Mondays...

Well it's not raining darn it but it is Monday! Hum... I am starting to see a pattern with my titles! I do live with musicians so you'll have to cut me some slack! It didn't rain enough for me this year. I miss it. Wish it would rain, not just a sprinkle either. I know there are people that are caught in the floods, having their lives washed away and they would hate to hear that. So my heart goes out to you or if someone you love is in that situation. I don't like rain like that. The first year we lived in this house I thought it was going to wash away. Our house is on a hill, no real ground cover, and there was literally a small river running through our garage. We have spent thousands of dollars fixing the drainage here. We could have sued but never did.

I woke up and had a "I Think This Is Art" award on Flickr this morning for the "Longing" aura angel. That was quite a thrill! I finished "Hope" today and started another. I listed "Hope" on Ebay. Tomorrow after my trip to the post office to mail paintings, I will be starting 3 paintings on large canvases for my new grandson's room. They are decorating his room in a country theme so I'll be painting chicks, a cow, a horse, barns, apple trees. That will be a change of pace & I hope they turn out nice. Great thing about paint is that you can paint over it!

Sweet & Simple

Isn't it funny that the simplest things are often the best things?! Take food for instance. A perfectly seasoned steak & just a simple baked potato (I'm normally not a steak eater that was for those of you who are), a pot of chicken & rice, a perfectly dressed salad, pasta tossed with a little browned butter, garlic, and lemon juice with a sprinkling of cheese, crab or lobster with melted butter, a cappicino with just the right amount of foam .... Then there are the simplest things that just refresh your spirit. A phone call from an old friend, watching children play, taking a hot bath, a walk on the beach ... You get my drift. I'm sure you have a list too and I'd love to hear some of them! I have been priviledged to eat at some of the finest restuarants, visit many places, meet a lot of people, but some of my most memorable meals and sweetest times in my life have been from the simplest things!
While my art is simple, somewhat sweet, I must admit I really enjoy the complicated art. Art that makes you think "what?", art that makes you feel odd, that puts you out of your comfort zone. Unfortunately, when I have done that art, or what I consider to be that kind of art, it doesn't sell, and I end up painting over it, or putting it in the back of a closet. So I am sticking to the art that is simple, that hopefully makes people feel good. Not complicated. That's not a bad thing, but every once in a while I get the itch to go beyond the simple. As I have said I love painting the aura angels, starting with a blank canvas, no thinking, or drawing and letting them come to life, so I painted a few yesterday. If they don't sell I don't care because it was pure & simple fun! I especially love the ones where their eyes, nose or mouth is crooked, imperfect. I did a really sad looking one & her eyes follow you where ever you go. I love that about her & find it's hard not to look at her! Here is her picture. I don't know where I will be selling her yet. She is a 8 x10 on canvas panel. A friend said she's not sad, she's longing. So that's the name! "Longing" I thought it was perfect!
I know this is not a cooking site, a lifestyle site, etc...but I am going to be posting a recipe each week that will simple, easy to do & with less than 5 ingredients. I love cooking so I am going to share that as well as my art. The recipe is at the bottom of the blog. I hope you will try & enjoy some of them! Many blessings!

Freaky Friday the 13th

Anything freaky happen to you today on this Friday the 13th? The only freaky thing that happened to me today is that I came to the realization that blogging may become an addiction, a "A.d.d." thing! I love to read people's blogs. In a way I feel it rude & disrespectful not to. Freaky weird...maybe. It's hard to just take a peek. So blogging has become time consuming and has kept me from painting or housework that needs to be done. Some are so interesting and some have Etsy shops, so I get to read, window shop & see people's art & crafts, which I love. My husband is a lucky guy because I hate regular shopping. I like shopping online though and consider paying the shipping a bonus just so I don't have to go out & spend hours scouring the isles & racks. I've been lucky so far and have not had to return many things that didn't fit or I didn't like. I did go shopping today to the dreaded Costco. Went in for 2 things and came out with a cart full. I took my husband with me and he is the shopper! Our BelAir grocery has remodeled and added an online cart. You go online, pick out groceries you want, they put it in the cart, you pull up in your car and WA LA, like a fast food restaurant! Not sure I would ever use that service, as it would take me just as long going through the site as it would to just go there and shop, however, if I was throwing a dinner party and needed a few things it might come in handy. I must admit I would feel silly sitting in the ecart parking space waiting for the bag boy to wheel out my cart. I haven't seen any pull up into the ecart parking place that's right in front of the store either. I did work on a few paintings today, and sold one on Ebay. No pictures of new art to show you today. Humm...I guess that's kinda freaky!

Yea Sista! Go Sista!

Tonight was the Swell Sister Society meeting. It was so much fun and lots of inspiration. Met new people as well. It was Show & Tell night. Yea scary for me! I would have much rather just looked at everyone else's creations and not participated. I dreaded waiting my turn to pull out my offering and speak to a sizable group. I fretted over what I was going to take for a week. I ended up taking a little 8 x 6 aura angel that I did just today with the left over paint on my palette again! I had a lot of nice compliments on her. A friend pointed out that I subliminally painted the rose almost like a conch shell! hahaha Maybe she's right, I hadn't noticed! I have a lot of fun painting these. I love how they just paint themselves and come to life on their own. No drawing them out or thinking them out, just freely painting, come what may. This one told me she had finger waves in her hair. Making finger waves is one of the first things you had to learn in beauty school, and it was a ridiculously hard task to get them right. I'll admit I love finger waves in retrospect and the old fashioned look to them. My Gramma Mollie had a beauty shop in her home and still did finger waves on of some the ladies in the 1970's! They just got stuck in that style. Nearly all the ladies in her shop had blue hair & if it wasn't blue it was dyed or rinsed way too dark for their age. Her cabinets were full of Fanciful rinses. I must admit that secretly I liked the blue hair. If I commented on how pretty their hair looked they would light up like a Christmas bulbs! Although my Gramma was very busy, worked really hard, she always managed to make her grandchildren feel welcomed in her shop and occasionally did the Charleston dance just to delight us & her customers! Anyway, here's my little finger waved aura angel painting of the day. She still has a little work to be done but I took her anyway.

Something To Talk About

My son Timothy was over last night and said "Mom your blogs are really great but how do you have anything to talk about when you just paint!" haha I always have something to talk about! I don't have a painting to show you today though. I started a painting but it just wasn't working out, so it's a do over. Maybe I've hit a block or something. I hope not! The computer work, groups, sites, blog...are taking more time than I imagined as well. I joined Indiepublic last night and have already met some nice people already, most of whom are from Etsy. If you haven't been there yet you should definitely check it out! I was featured in an Etsy Treasury today for the 3rd time!Yippee! Check it out! http://www.etsy.com/treasury_list_west.php?room_id=12696 That makes me feel so proud & honored, however, I can't say that it has helped my views or sales in anyway. I am actually debating on removing Devoted and putting her over to Ebay. I know it's only been a few days but I am doing this for a living now. Still scary. I received a fantastic email from the person who bought my Aura Angel (in A New Day post) today. It read: Just sending you another piece of feedback - my face lights up and smiles when I look at and examine this painting, the colors,. the layers, the freshness, the happy appeal of just looking at it. It makes me feel good whenever my eyes alight upon it. Thanks! -Linda SO SWEET! I love that she took the time to email to me such a lovely comment. Because I have no painting I will show you a picture of Timothy that was taken by Athina Adair, a link to her Etsy shop is down below. She is a phenomenal photographer!

Paintless but not Pointless!

I didn't pick up a brush today. I didn't clean them either. My bad. I doodled out a few ideas, made ready a few paintings to mail out tomorrow & added a few things to my blog today. You will now see below an "Etsy mini" of what I have listed there. I find that if I paint all day for one or two days then I just can't do it the next. But I got some things accomplished so the day wasn't a pointless blur. I had a few comments on Flickr about my crab painting "Party at the Shacks" that I put on ebay the other day. That is so sweet & uplifting when I get those comments! The same when I get one on my blog! I especially needed them after yesterday. I just love doing those little crabs. Those crabs make me happy! There is alot more detail in those than first meets the eye. It's fun to paint like that too, not worry about having a straight line or this right or that right. People seem to really like those & my roosters too, which I haven't done for awhile either. I haven't decided what I am going to paint tomorrow! I don't know why but when I have a good supply of canvas it's always harder to pick what to paint! I actually watched tv for a little bit today! That's something I haven't done for awhile! I had the tv on and stopped in my tracks when I heard Adele sing on the Today show. I think she is awesome! She has a new CD called Adele 19. Reminds me of Amy Winehouse a bit. She was discovered by being on myspace! I know she is going to do well. It's band practice at my house tonite. The 8 Tracks, also on myspace. My husband is the singer in that band. He is the drummer in 2 others. My studio room is right over the garage so I'm not going to be painting tonite either! But come tomorrow... what will it be? Stay tuned and see!

"Devoted"

"Devoted" is a new painting that I did today. She is so sweet but certainly not a reflection of how I felt today! She did end up making me feel better, she's so calm & peaceful. It was a bad day for me. I had a mean person totally outright lie about a print that they bought on Ebay and left a neutral feedback. I am just flabbergasted that someone would do that. They said the hands were cut off! It was professionally printed the hands were NOT cut off!! So I felt anger, hurt, depressed, I wanted to retaliate, but I didn't. I offered to send the person another one. It's a challenge for me to be good sometimes! to be devoted to doing the kind thing, the right things, to turn the other cheek. I always end up doing just that but it's not always easy!

Museum, Motel & all those Glitters!

I met up with the SSS (Swell Sister Society) artist girls today at the Crocker Art Museum, downtown Sacramento. http://www.crockerartmuseum.org/ It was so much fun. I have too many favorites in there to mention. I could have stayed in there and looked at some pieces for hours. I had my nose almost touching a Renoir of some trees/yellow bushes. Frankly I thought it ugly and he is one of my favorite artists! It didn't touch me in any way other than leaving me with that thought. It let me down. Funny I absolutely hate to go anywhere by myself, especially out to eat, or the movies, however, I can go to a museum or gallery by myself and never give it a thought, be totally comfortable. Anyway, there was a striking piece in the contemporary art section, it was a stained wood piece covered in glitter of 2 girls. The girls were painted in pastel glitter. Crocker did well placing it as a sparkling welcome to that section. They had another piece that had just a splash of glitter. I have often thought of putting glitter in my mermaid paintings, after all they are mixed media pieces, but I chickened out for fear it would cheapen my work. I would never wear glitter on any part of my body...in public on purpose. I'm a Plain Jane. I relate glitter to kindergarten. It's a bit of a floozy. Like excessive gaudy costume jewelery, but I must admit that I love it! I had to go to Chicago for work several years ago and they put me up at the House Of Blues. 90% of the art in the Motel at that time were paintings done in glitter! Real funky stuff. I couldn't keep my eyes off of it! The prices were astonishing to me, after all it was just glitter! I came home and bought some glitter intending to make my own funky glittering piece. But I never did. I did use the white glitter I bought on some christmas cards which made them wonderful! So is it a cheap floozy? Is it a respectable medium? Should I open up my glitter box and see what I have?
I was featured in an Etsy treasury today! Amongst some very talented artist. http://www.etsy.com/treasury_list_west.php?room_id=12373

Really Feeling It!

I feel extremely blessed today. I get so many wonderful compliments from people everyday, which is quite a switch from my previous job and sometimes it overwhelms me. It makes me feel so good. I would like to take the time to thank you if you are one of those people. I got the greatest comment from someone that said each one of my paintings evokes a feeling. That's what art is suppose to do and I was touched by her comment that mine did that for her. I wish I had been keeping all these in a notebook or something. Starting tomorrow I believe I will make a little journal for them. So when I am feeling a little blue all I will have to do is open that up! I sold my little "Love Grows on Trees" today to someone is Los Angeles. It's a beautiful outside, we are going to BBQ, relax, listen to a little jazz, count our blessings and feel great about the day!

Tap Tap Tap Snip Snip Snip

Tap tap tap go the sound of the keys, snip snip snip the sound of the scissors instead of whoosh whoosh whoosh the sound of the brush ! I was so busy trying to get more set up on the computer, checking in on my art groups, publishing photos, looking at blogs & shaving poodles that I got nothing painted today! Took me 3 hours to shave 2 little dogs! They looked so neglected and my yard is full of stickers the size of wasabi peas so I shaved them down to nothing but a top knot! This is not a picture of them after their shave! They now look like those sad poodle art pictures that were popular in the 60's! You know the ones with the big round sad eyes! I'm a beauty school drop out, tried that right out of high school - it wasn't for me, but I've been cutting hair since. A groomer I'm not! But I must say they look a little better! Roadie & Reeda were so good too. Roadie only wiggled when I got to his feet. Roadie is the white one & the puppy love of my life! I don't think there is a sweeter dog on the planet. I sold the beach angel called "Loved" today to a sweet collector in Illinois. Then I was commissioned to do another like her from another sweet collector in Florida so it was a good day! Tomorrow it's off to the post office then...whoosh whoosh whoosh my brush is wet!

Divine Intervention

Ever get the feeling when you do something stupid that an angel had your back? Well I do some silly stuff and sometimes I am amazed at the close calls that had to be divine intervention with a big sense humor! So today I painted my first Jester Angel. No drawing, just a notion in mind, and she came to life on the canvas with a playful soul of her own. I am really getting into not drawing something out first and just seeing what happens! It is so much fun & freeing! I listed her for sale on Etsy. I believe in divine intervention and thank goodness because believe you me I will continue to be silly! NO I'm not telling what I did! hahahaha God Bless & Have a wonderful day!

Dedication To My Friends

I listed 2 new paintings today for sale, one on ebay and one on etsy. My favorite being "Grace", (on Etsy),which deep inside I am dedicating to my friends Joel & Noel, who live in Surfside Beach, SC. (In my last post I told you most of my friends were men!) I hope whoever gets her will love her. Joel & Noel are twins and my mother & sister could never tell them apart! I have known Noel & Joel since I was in grade school and during our teen years, we were the best of friends. Hanging out at the beach, the pavillion, playing pool, listening to music, we spent nearly everyday together one summer laughing, partying and forming a bond that would last for a lifetime. As life happens, we move, we grow up, we don't stay in touch like we should but the love is always there. Noel & I were closer but I loved Joel and there will be a little hole in my heart now that I learned of his death yesterday. With the shocking news of Joel, comes more sad news that Noel is not well either. He will be in my prayers and I am now dedicated to staying more in touch with the people that mean a lot to me, not let the years drift by without saying "how are you?" "I am thinking about you", "I love you". If you read this and you have some friends that you think of often, friends that helped make you who you are today and you mean to call, but you don't, I hope that you will also dedicate yourself to calling and keeping in touch. God Bless

It's Raining Men Hallelujah!

I grew up with 2 brothers. Growing up almost all of my friends were guys not girls, so yeah I was a little bit of a tomboy, my sister was too. Guys were just more fun & easier to hang out with to me. They did more interesting things than girls did as far as I was concerned. So the few girlfriends that I did have I am still friends with to this day! I ended up being blessed with 2 boys, my husband is a musician , both sons are musicians, so as an adult my home has been filled with men! I wouldn't have it any other way. Now I am being blessed with another one. My first grandbaby James Joseph Campbell V. If the baby had turned out to be a girl, I would have been happy too but seriously out of my league! I wouldn't have known how to play with her! Today was baby shower day and the new little one was showered with lots of very cute things. The food, company & shower was very nice. The most interesting thing at the shower as far as food was the big pitcher of water with slices of cucumber. So refreshing! The party favor was a CD entitled Sweet Baby James & featured all the music played at the shower, John Lennon, James Taylor, Al Green, etc... Super cool! I'm really happy that I am gonna be a young gramma instead of an old one! So what am I doing painting lovely prissy mermaids & angels now? I guess I have a little prissy somewhere deep down inside that was bound to come out sooner or later! I just put it on canvas then hang out with my guys!