Friday, October 25, 2013

Parking in the Garage

Ceramic Pieces & Cigar Boxes

Hopefully, I can redecorate the living room tonight and tomorrow. I have just a few dozen more boxes of books to drag inside. Oh, and some pictures to hang on the walls.  Then, there's spackling and touch up painting. Hoping to be parked INSIDE the garage by tomorrow night!

Making a Phonecall

La Bibliothèque

Sidelined Mask

Thursday, October 24, 2013

Welcome Illness



It's that wonderful time, when we all wallow in one another's germs. Otherwise known as, "The School Year"! I like to get sick at least once or twice each year. So far, the symptoms that I have are only of a cold and a sore throat. This is fairly surprising, since several students in the class are nursing the flu.

I have one particular student in my class who continually throws his used tissues on the floor near the wastebasket, but not quite in it. Yesterday, I saw him spitting repeatedly on the playground. I also watched him eat jello without using any utensils during lunchtime. I guess the last fact doesn't have much to do with causing illness, but I must admit, it was very entertaining to observe. He's definitely the Typhoid Mary of the group.

Hopefully, this session with the cold will be short in duration, so that I can go back to visiting my mom while she builds her strength in the rehabilitation center.





Thursday, October 17, 2013

Blessings



This has been a very trying time for our family. My mom received a flu shot, which gave her already compromised immune system, a case of pneumonia. By the time she got to the hospital, her blood was full of carbon dioxide. After wearing a special, experimental oxygen mask for a week, and having oxygen forced into her lungs, she was able to miraculously recover. There were so many helpful and skilled medical workers that took care of my mom.  A special shout out to Neal.  His tireless efforts to make the mask fit, and to clear my mom's airway were amazing. Also, Doug, you must know what an amazing RN you are. What a pro. Our family is indebted.

I am so very grateful for my mom, and I'm hoping that I get more years to demonstrate my gratitude.
My mom has always supported me, and my artistic leanings. For that, I will always be thankful. Thanks, mom, for fighting so hard to come back to us. Our family has been blessed with quite a large miracle.

Sunday, October 6, 2013

Shrines and Lucky Charms

Small Whitewashed Shell Shrine
Large Whitewashed Shell Shrine
Medium Whitewashed Shell Shrine
Orange Tobacco Shrine
Green Baking Powder Shrine
Ochre Spice Shrine
Pink Skunk Shrine
Teal Squirrel Shrine
Shiny Pink Lion Shrine
Shiny Yellow Fawn Shrine
Jar of Lucky Charms





Saturday, October 5, 2013

The Calm Before the Storm


I spent most of this morning thinking and fretting about last minute Open Studios concerns. This is a photo from my first time, when I decided to show my work outside.  


I stopped by the gallery to look at all of the sample work from many of the Open Studios artists. I love the subtle blue glaze on the shoulders of this piece.


This painting was so three dimensional. I love the colors and the imagery.  It's really quite wonderful in person, with nice layering and composition.


Another fantastic piece. A collaged compostion that really stood out from the pack. I saw a man and a woman looking at my piece, and circling my photo in their calendar. I decided to be cheesy, and walked up to them and introduced myself. I invited them to come visit me next weekend. Hoping they didn't erase the circle around my name in the calendar after I left!


Wonderful subject matter, and an outsider art vibe. The use of colors was nice, too. It also stood out among all of the other paintings and prints on the wall.


A fiber art piece with felted eggs and bacon. The bacon was very three dimensional, made with felted yarn. The eggs looked like the felt had almost been steamed. Fantastic.


I really like this piece. It looked like a small sign. It seemed to be painted on wood, or on some kind of small panel.


After leaving the gallery, I ran into this fantastic house. It looked straight out of the Florida Keys. The louvered panel attached to the front window at an angle was a nice touch.


What a treat to see this man's work. He takes an assortment of objects and attaches them together to make ingenious and wonderful sculptures. His house and his yard were lovely, too.


Off to the clay store for a talk with Michael and to buy some materials for use when the madness of Open Studios is over. Now that my shed is all clean, it will be fun to start up again at the end of October. This is Birthday Cake flavored ice cream from the shop down the street from the clay store. It is the first time that I've tried this flavor. It will not be the last.


Navajo Wheel clay is so pretty. I double bagged this and stored it away in the kitchen clay cupboard. Now it's time to shoot some photos of my work out in the garage!

Wednesday, October 2, 2013

Prepping the Living Room "Gallery"

This wall heart is named after the exterior paint color of my house...
Susie Wright made this plate rack...
Hungarian glass jar full of shapes, near a shocking wall divot...
Here is a baking powder shrine...
Fern emblem vase in lovely teal...
Sanded and polka dotted holder...
There aren't many more vases in the shed...
The shrines are at home on the mantle...
Close-up of the center shrine...
Wall nichos on a wall that needs touch up paint...
The blue bookshelf is packed and ready to show and sell...
One final view as we close the door...