Kay Hale is an artist!

2012-03-16T15:38:00.000-07:00

More layers

2012-03-14T10:19:00.000-07:00

so yesterday I got out my recently purchased wax batik "pen". It is electric and keeps the wax hot so you can draw with thin or thick lines. Took me a bit of experimenting. It is hard to see the thin lines I added to both of these. Then I added more watercolor wash. The next step will be ironing off the wax I used to hold the tape down along the edges. The blue one has that dark green brushwork along the edges..that is what wax was left in my electric skillet..so I hope most of it comes up with the ironing process. The rest of the wax will stay until I am done pouring and painting with the inks. Then I will remove it with ironing. The reason I am taking off the wax on the edges is because i re thought my idea of leaving a white border with irregular edges. It will still be evident but I will let the inks diffuse and spread where they will.
Then it is a matter of seeing how it all turns out and embellishing with collage, embossing powders, spray fabric paint etc.
I have a vague idea how this is going to look but the fun of processes is what keeps me doing!!!
Sun is out again today and I plan on enjoying that!!!
Also figuring out my new vegie garden. Will be using all the cement block that is around here and make above ground beds with trucked in garden soil. The soil here is very deficient and I want to start out with a good foundation. Now if i can get some help with the hauling of these block!
Have a great day

more stuff

2012-03-12T19:58:00.000-07:00

2 40"x48" watercolor and wax resist starts..3 steps down and many more to go involving inks, acrylics etc. 2 more to do after these!

messin' around!

worn out

2012-03-10T21:43:00.000-08:00

studio time spent clearing off table surfaces so I could get that huge roll of watercolor paper rolled out and cut. I had bought this roll a while ago..Fabriano not my favorite and so hard to deal with! So I have several sheets of tempered glass that I put on the tables and I cleaned them and the tables and brought out the dreaded roll. It always snaps back and then tears..yikes. But this time I was ready for it. I had several heavy art books, thank you Cezanne, Uffizi, etc.! I rolled it out weighed each corner down then when I got to the other side of the table more books. Measured out 40"x48" cut it out..using 2 more books to keep the corners of newly cut piece from snapping back. I managed to cut 4 pieces, then I sprayed them with water and placed the tempered glass pieces on them to hopefully make the snappy paper lay flat. Now I hope they don't stick together when I go up tomorrow to start painting. I have a frame that has 40x47 inch opening. So I will frame one and the others will get tacked to the wall. I am going to try to recreate the same style of mixed media that I did for the library show and have continued to change up in a smaller scale with collage.
This is a big experiment!!
It was like WORK today! But the weather is fine as frog hair and my mood matched it.
After spending the last few weeks trying to get things organized/cleaned/dunged..I am truly tired tonight!

did some art fun today

2012-03-05T22:14:00.001-08:00

these are all mixed media on paper, not big, not done..
Now for a few pics of my messy studio

Saturday

2012-03-03T10:47:00.000-08:00

winter is here finally and supposed to be gone by this afternoon..that was quick!!!

made up my own recipe..tangerines, grapefruit, green grapes, carrots, protein powder..all together now...yummy!!!

Spent 2 hours yesterday cleaning out fridge, prepping tons of veggies and fruit for the adventure in juicing...realized this morning..I have done no art this week.

Fixed up wooden shelves Hubby made years ago and now they are in my living room. The big set has all my art books, travel books, garden books, how to books, reference books on animals, and naturalist books..no fiction here...oh and room for all my jigsaw puzzles and some of the lps that didn't fit under the TV.
The smaller set of shelves now hold all the dvds, vhs tapes and the hooka!
Yes I own a hooka..given to me by my son. Haven't used it for a long time.

One more set of large shelves need to be upgraded and they will hold all of my plates, bowls, cookbooks, small kitchen appliances hopefully a new wine rack.

Then when it warms up..all shelves and small dining table and chairs will receive wonderful colors of paint. all different, bright and cheerful.

The insurance company told us we had to paint all of the exposed wood on our back covered deck...well how interesting..all of it is under roof and been there for 17 years with no sign of rot. But I do want to paint..just takes money we really haven't had.
We have made 2800.00 worth of claims in over 30 years of living here.
Not much in the scheme of things..but they saw fit to raise our $500.00 deductible to $1000.00 and now for sure we cannot make claims. I would switch but it takes more energy than I have right now.
Besides we get lots of discounts..but I am going to look for another company.

So today I was going to go north to pick up some artwork..but it is cold and I am feeling ..meh...
besides I want to try out some other juicing recipes.

There is a small bedroom used to be studio that I need to put back together as a guest room/office. But that should not take all day.

There you have heard about my week....I think I have been putting this kind of work on the back burner for too long..but it also feels like I have been using it as an obstacle to getting art done....

flip the page on the calendar ...tomorrow

2012-02-29T09:43:00.000-08:00

Yesterday it snowed..and I tracked a raccoon on his/her trip around my property.
Today it is gloomy and there is supposed to be more winter storms this week. Looks like March will come in as a lion. I brought home some good paper for drawing my totem ideas and haven't touched it yet. It takes me so long to get moving these days.
I bought a juicer because I want to change up my diet and get back on track...I have downloaded some recipes but always open to more.
There is a talk tonight at the SLC Main Library with the son of Ghandi. That sounds interesting. Sunday though I will definitely go to the university to hear Ken Sanders (local rare book seller) talk about Edward Abbey. I also plan to see the faculty show too.
I read Abbey a lot when I came to Utah. I especially like Desert Solitaire. I usually read it every spring and it whets my appetite to get to the desert.
I also love Annie Dillard's Pilgrim at Tinker Creek. Although I gave away the copy my brother Ed gave me when I turned 18 to a friend..I bought a new one later. The story of Ed is a whole blog or two..and not sure if I will ever write it.
But I am grateful he introduced me to writers like Abbey and Dillard.

PETITION: Help us reach 500,000 strong telling Republicans to end their War on Women

2012-02-28T08:41:00.000-08:00

PETITION: Help us reach 500,000 strong telling Republicans to end their War on Women: PETITION: Help us reach 500,000 strong telling Republicans to end their War on Women: http://dccc.org/waronwomen

forecast..windy with a bit of art happening!!!!

2012-02-25T11:30:00.000-08:00

so the workshop did not happen and I will have to rethink the whole deal.

But it is ok now that Hubby is back to full time work and my job is just around the corner! Sometime in May I go back to the canyon. I must admit that I have enjoyed this week at home without the ever present hovering spouse and his daytime TV penchant.
Maybe I can hope for some of the art I have hanging around town will sell. In the meantime..I have been conjuring up ideas as per my last post. I do envy artists who work everyday and crank out amazing art. My process is different but I am sure there are those who can relate.

First I have to deal with the myriad amount of chores..but not complaining since it involves keeping my pets up to snuff!
Then there is the coffee which is a ritual for me. I didn't realize how much of the actual making of the coffee was such an important ritual for me..not exactly a tea ceremony..but certainly something that puts me in a different frame of mind.

There is the dealing with knee pain if I know I am headed to the studio..easily dealt with a dose of Aleve.
I was wallowing a bit in depression. Diagnosed years ago with chemical depression and given Prozac which after a time I realized saved me from the abyss.

But you pay a price and that for me was not having the mood swings which at the time of diagnosis were out of control but with some therapy I learned how to minimize the swings and have gone for years without meds.
But I decided to use the Prozac again after my oldest son was diagnosed with mild bi-polar. We wanted to make sure that wasn't what I was experiencing too. But no just some depression. So his very nice doctor prescribed the dose that seemed to help and when I used the last of the refills over 4 weeks ago. She refused to refill it saying I was no longer a patient of hers.
Well that made me depressed..because I hadn't seen her in over 6 months and didn't realize that we were now going our separate ways. But after a day of that I realized I could make do or get another doctor.
Wouldn't ya know that very evening a research doctor came out and said that depression meds were no better than placebos and he had research to back up his claim. Now I don't believe every Tom, Dick and Harry who does minimal research and makes claims that seem far fetched...but it is intriguing. So I will work on more exercise and better diet and see how I do without the meds that made me so even I was dull!
Now don't laugh knowing that I failed the Dr. Oz 2 day cleanse so easily. It was a yuck situation, and I know better what I need to do than anyone.
So now I get to the part of the day where I make the crucial decision to get on the f@#$% computer and then find it difficult to get off.
When the computer is on, the artistic creativity wanes and the will goes to nil and I want to take a nap.

I definitely need to limit time here.
Obviously I am still working on process to the making of art. I have become such a creature of habit that I cannot seem to get to something new until the housework/checking in with Mom, etc. are done.
So then I do use the time between sleep and awake to brainstorm. I write down ideas on my lists..of which are many.

Then I envision what and how I will do the art..before ever even setting foot in the studio.
The actual art making comes quickly after all of this.

I am not sure if it because I know I am wasting time, or if the need to daydream about it all is crucial to what I do..but it is how I work.

It seems hit or miss and I think I can do better. I know I need deadlines sometimes and definitely structure.
Plus I really want a good garden this year and some more chicks..not to put obstacles in my path to more art but to make this property more productive and get me out of the house more.

Did this seem random? Well that would explain why I envy those artists with such great work habits...mine need sprucing up!!!

Still I really love doing art. I love the processes, the experimentation, the results. I love the daydreaming as I slowly awake, the ideas that I get, the visualizations. Yes it not the actual making of art but it is the way I go.
So those of you who produce something everyday..be thankful for your singlemindedness (is that a word?) that keeps you producing and selling.
And for those of us who don't work that way...well if I was younger..I might be able to change the whole way I work..but now I just accept and do and realize that I won't be the artist who paints everyday.
I do know that I cannot have too much on my plate or I tend to shut down..so maybe the workshops were a bit ambitious. I know the open studio and the fact that I have art all over town tends to make me scattered and unable to focus. So maybe I have done what I can and need to accept it and slowly carefully move forward.
You say being careful isn't a road to creativity but I mean being careful with me, my psyche, my feelings, my limits which are many. I have no limits to some things I do and in some areas I have limits that keep me happy and sane!! That would involve not allowing toxic thoughts and people into my space. So those are learned limits, necessary to my flying free in my mind and my studio.
So after reading this over..I am done randomly going on and ready for some art..yay.
I hope you all understand and don't worry because I am good and happy to know who I am. Have a great weekend..I am !!!!

Needing to work..having little will...

2012-02-23T12:01:00.003-08:00

I have spent way too much time at home doing nothing..well making mac and cheese and watching Finding Bigfoot..but it is time to get off the old duff and get some work done. I have dreamed about and daydreamed about and thought about new paintings and come up with 4 series ideas that could carry me through for a few years worth of work.
One idea is influenced by Joan Brown, Gaylen Hansen's still lifes, Rousseau well you name it...It would be a series of large oils on cradled board of everything I love or think about..

Another series is going bigger..way bigger on the watercolor/ink/stamped painting like the ones in my library show. I mean bigger than full sheet watercolor paper..elephant size? Or just figuring out how to use my huge roll of Fabriano paper..although I am not fond of it.

Another series will be a series of drawings..possibly becoming prints (when I can afford to pay my way at the local printers co-op). These will involve animal totems with plants, and toys...I am actually pretty excited about this one.

And another series based on the Faux Naturalist pages I did a few years ago..only going crazier, goofier, having lots of fun and really using collage and drawing and writing to create an actual naturalist notebook quite unlike Darwin, or other scientists, biologists etc.

The watercolor/mixed media on paper will be costly to frame but could be wonderful if I can get to doing bigger!!
The oils on wood, harder for me to envision ....very vague and abstract as yet.
The totem drawings will not be small..hoping to use arches cover and use the whole sheet.
The naturalist journal is an idea that has been percolating for a long time...I am excited to get that one too.

yuck!!!!!!!

2012-02-20T23:21:00.000-08:00

ok going this route is not for me!!! I think that I will include the juicer and several good tasting recipes in my diet but diving in with both feet is quite a shock to the system!
Not that it isn't a good idea to do better with food choices and exercise...I think I need a day outside....

Presidente day

2012-02-20T13:41:00.000-08:00

Today I started a 2 day cleanse that Dr. Oz had in the latest O magazine.

I figured it looked like something I could do for 2 days. Haha..I made the breakfast..quinoa with nutmeg,rice milk, ginger and chopped prunes..well..let's be kind and say that it is an acquired taste.

I know there are things that can be done to quinoa to sweeten or make savory but I am going by the book (in this case-magazine) and crabbiness is happening because I haven't had coffee. The lunch smoothie with almond milk, frozen blueberries, ground flax seed and banana is really good. I finally bought a juicer and tried it out on the snack drink which is kale, cucumber, mint ,lemon, artichoke hearts, pineapple...forgot to put a cup under the spout and juiced pineapple and lemon all over the counter!!!! DUH..so added more lemon and pineapple and got a lovely green juice that now has too much lemon...but I can get behind this recipe..still a snack means chocolate, potato chips, etc. to me so a new world for me. Still need coffee. Went to the store 3 times to get ingredients and said juicer only to have discovered I forgot the red onions and cabbage for tonights vegetable broth. Sigh...it makes enough for 2 meals so I do need to get the onions and cabbage. All of the ingredients are to enhance your liver, kidney, digestive function without leaving you weak and short of amino acids and nutrition. So far so good. I think I feel good because I am actually trying something new. Think maybe my brain will work a little better so I remember to get what is on my list and also add what I need on list? Unlikely but I can hope. Hubby is home for his 2 days off..didn't he just have over 4 weeks off? It seems like he just went back to work and here he is home again!
Anyhoo...I will have to let you all know how the dinner tastes..after I get the onions and cabbage..see if I say and write it enough maybe I will remember it!
I did get my art at the Kafeneio coffee shop on Saturday. Now I have only my workshop to consider..although no one has paid and I think it isn't happening. I need to work on my recruitment for workshop participants!!!!

no one around

2012-02-18T09:35:00.000-08:00

Can you tell we are all busy busy? I hope so anyway.

‘Leonardo Live’ comes to the big screen

2012-02-16T21:06:00.000-08:00

‘Leonardo Live’ comes to the big screen
I saw this tonight..it was simply awesome..how I wish I could have been in London to see this show.

here are pictures

2012-02-12T11:30:00.000-08:00

busy busy busy

2012-02-11T22:52:00.000-08:00

Spent today in studio doing more things for Tuesday's demo/talk. I painted black cardstock for small pamphlet journals and note pads. I also tried a fun way to make some alcohol "marbling". Then I tried another way to marble paper with oil paint...here is how these two techniques work.
Using a good paper..I used the Strathmore 400 series mixed media paper, I painted the surface with one acrylic color ( I used pthalo green),I let that dry. Another wet coat of acrylic paint ( I used the same color) then dropped alcohol with a paintbrush on the wet second coat. weee..that gets funky! I let that dry then put a coat of periwinkle blue down and while wet dropped more alcohol. Now I ran out of time but intend to do a few more layers.
The other marbling technique..I used a flat pan with sides filled with water, mixed up some oil paints with turps until they were good and inky. Then with a brush I dropped colors onto the water. with at least 3 colors dropped I then lay a large white envelope on the water and pulled it up and voila...beautiful!!!
I have also tried marbling with liquid starch and inks dropped and swirled. It was pretty but kind of muted color. Of course real marbled papers are done on a carageen (sp) suspension and the paper is soaked in Alum and water, dried then placed on the swirled marble inks on top of the suspension. There is a big art to this and I didn't feel like buying all of the supplies. So I used what I had and am happy with the results. You can even use foam shaving cream, not gel and fluid acrylics or inks swirled on top. Talk about messy!. But marbling is all about taking advantage of a pigment suspended on a surface. Marbling was used not only for decoration but was security measure. Account books edges were marbled so you could see if a page had been removed. I always loved seeing the end papers of old books.
I also started 8 new bookmarks that only need to be ribboned and beaded.
Then I had an appointment to meet the art director/assistant manager of a new Greek coffee house..Kafeneio. They want to hang my pug drawings and my Black Dog series. They will take 30% commission on sold works which is ok. I will be hung in the front area where you order your coffee and buy Greek pastries. Nice warm walls and a good space. there will be other artists in the seating area which is huge. Mine will be seen by everyone who comes in whether they sit or order to go.
I also have to get a slideshow of my work to show. Finished journals, bookmarks and cards and lanyard art can be available for sale. Then I want to get some very large paintings done for March 23 which is our open studio....
and away I go......

!st pic is a detail of a journal cover. The 2nd pic is Hubby contemplating my art..good boy!

kayhale's photostream

2012-02-08T22:06:00.001-08:00

kayhale's photostream on Flickr.

My Show

2012-02-08T08:52:00.000-08:00

How nice it was to see such a professionally hung show of all my paintings that I worked on. Not too many people made it out on a week night but there is an art stroll in the area on Friday night and that should bring more people in. I had several good friends come by and it was great. Hubby even made it and was on his best behavior which I appreciate! His 60th birthday is today.
Here are some of the pics I took....

My reception is this evening!

2012-02-07T09:41:00.000-08:00

So I am heading off to get my hair/mop cut so I don't scare the people who show up this evening!
I have everything ready to make paper..but no time today!!!
I am excited to see all of this work up together...
I will take pictures and share tomorrow!!!
Got some advertising by emailing the Salt Lake City Weekly. I had done a box for them and didn't know where it was placed. So I emailed the gal in charge of the "Out of the Box" program and she let me know where it had been placed. It is at the Welcome Center right next to the Salt Palace in downtown SLC. A really awesome spot. I let her know I was having my first one person show and she said she would pass it along and lo and behold today the online daily news they send out had me as number 2!
Have a great day everyone...
here are a few pics of some of the show pieces.

Feb. 5,2012

2012-02-05T10:37:00.000-08:00

I called my Mom on the 3rd...hoping she was not being down in the dumps..you see it would have been my Dad's 89th birthday. But she was not. As an 86 year old, frail little old lady..she was in her best form. It was like listening to geriatric stand up!!! She is so funny. We hung up the phones laughing hard..the best way to start a day.

this picture is the last time I saw my Dad alive..in 2005. I do miss him so much.

This drawing got into the Eccles Community Art Center's Black and White Statewide Show. I call it "Wasatch Carp" (wasatch is the name of the mountain range to our direct east.).

And this one did not get in! I call it.."Swallows Over The Oquirrhs" (that is the mountain range to the west of us)

I have been in touch with a new coffee shop in the area of South Salt Lake. It is a Greek coffee shop and they are looking for artists to hang in their place. I responded. They looked at some of my art on my Facebook fan page but now I need to propose which art work, sizes framed for them and I am not sure what ones to do! I have my mixed medias already up at the library until March 30. I was thinking of my color pencil drawings of pugs, fish etc. I would love to do new work but I don't have much to show them yet. So as I agonize over that..I am teaching myself to make paper and to marblize paper...fun stuff. Have a great day everyone. Oh if you have suggestions on what you think I should hang at the coffee shop..look at my older posts..let me know!

a new baby to hold and a day at the studio

2012-02-02T23:13:00.000-08:00

My sons girlfriend has a best friend who had a baby girl (Emma) 4 weeks ago. Today I got to hold the little one. It has been a long long time since I have held such a tiny baby. I must say..I fell in love.
Then I went to the studio and started an assembly line of art journal covers..here are the pics.
I used acrylic paint, stamps..all but one were my own designs, stencils, the birds I made, the others were commercially made. I used ink pads too. I may do a bit of embellishing but I really just need to do the blank pages and sew them up. Very simple.

then I ironed a 2 ply paper towel that I had used to sop up ink for another project. I ironed each ply to freezer paper and then I used sumi ink and drew the turtles on one and used a commercial stamp on the other one. I am going to get fusible web to do this too.

tomorrow I am trying paper making at home. I decided I had better learn a simple way to do it so I can demo it. I will show how that works tomorrow!!!

Jan. 31,2012

2012-01-31T11:55:00.000-08:00

Acrylic paints on 400 series Strathmore Mixed Media paper. Used my own stamps and stencils and some commercial stencils..just having fun.

online class..doodle mania Jan. 28,2012

2012-01-28T20:36:00.000-08:00

weeks 2 and 3 of the free online Strathmore class

got all the paintings matted and framed for the library show to be delivered tomorrow! Only a few mishaps..
broke the glass from 2 16"x20" frames, poor fellow at the hardware store had a devil of a time cutting the glass for me, I had to walk away!

Then I find out he cut the pieces 1/16 " too long. So today I took them back with the frames and got them trimmed.

I decided to play some today, finally got the laptop to work at the studio so I could watch the online Strathmore class and do some fun play.

The good news is Hubby should only have 1 and 1/2 weeks unpaid until cleared to go back to work. He ruined a tendon in his ankle and even though surgery would have been preferable he has to wear a walking boot for 4 weeks so the tendon can scar enough to hold. It is pretty involved but without Workman's compensations ok..he would have had to stay out for 12 weeks unpaid after surgery. So no surgery.
It happened at work and we hoped it would be covered but the few fakers have ruined it for everyone. If they agree to cover the surgery then he can do light duty at work with the walking boot...but without the ok then his company will not allow him to do light duty. I know..it stinks..but if Hubby hadn't frittered away his vacation and personal time...we might have been ok. He got discouraged and would just sit at home in front of the tv. Yes he was depressed and refused to take his meds....so under threat from me he is back on meds and easier to live with.
But just as we start to get some where better with our finances..something happens.

Enough of that..I am really excited about seeing my colorful paintings all hung together. The library uses a really good fellow who professionally hangs the shows.
Have a great weekend everyone

Snow!!!

2012-01-24T11:58:00.000-08:00

a good news bad news kind of week!!!

2012-01-21T10:26:00.000-08:00

Shane and Alisa got the house they wanted to rent. Room for her 2 children and the dog! Shane is way excited to have a garage. Typical man thing.
Hubby and I qualified for a temporary mortgage modification. I know you have heard the horror stories but we went with our current servicer and we have it on paper that foreclosure will not happen as long as we make our required payments..which are a lot lower. This may be too much information, but most of our friends know that we struggle financially when I am out of work..who doesn't? Also..I am rarely embarrassed by much. Financial struggles are not the sum of us. I know this may sound flip..but it is only money after all and although we have learned many money saving tricks over the years..sometimes Life just happens. So our Mortgage company has been super with us and really has worked hard to help us get to a better place. I never thought that could happen, after all the bad news on the market..but so far we are ok.
It is currently raining cats and dogs here and snowing in the mountains..which is good news also. It was 54 degrees here yesterday! An unusual January.
The bad news is my Hubby ruptured a tendon at work in his ankle and workman's compensation is refusing to cover the necessary surgery. Now normally we would use our insurance benefit to pay for the surgery..but this involves 12 weeks of casts, walking boots and therapy and unless Workman's Comp oks the surgery then Hubby is not allowed to do light duty and would have to go on temporary disability which is only 1/3 his regular pay for the whole 12 weeks plus of recovery. And we cannot afford that.
Now his Dr. is unwilling to clear him for work without a support boot and He cannot go back to work until we convince the Dr. that he will be ok until hopefully our appeal to Workman's Comp goes through. It is a mess. His disability benefits wouldn't kick in for 6 weeks which means that his personal time and vacation time would have to be used then we would have at least 4 weeks of no pay. All the work we have done to get our mortgage modification and catch up every bill would be null and void.
So that is the bad news.
More good news. Although I had to cancel the first workshop..an artist friend got me a paying gig of giving a demo at Intermountain Society of Artists meeting in Feb.
I did not get chosen to participate in a show I have wanted to do for a long time..but I can reapply next year.
My paintings for the show in Feb. are done, and mostly framed. I need to cut some mats and I am ready to deliver!!
The worse news though came on Jan. 19,2012. My Mother's best friend, June, died.
She and her boyfriend in high school introduced my Mom to my Dad. Her brother Bill and his family, her family and ours camped together for years. She had 4 children, Bill had 4 children and we were 5 kids and we all played together. June was such a sweet lady. She had an infectious laugh. She truly loved her grandchildren and great grand children. Up until the day she woke in pain with a pancreas infection she was driving, visiting friends, hiking, babysitting at age 86. The infection laid her low and after a month it killed her. My Mom of course is devastated.
Here is a photo of them together on a hike in 2008. Never at a loss for something to talk about, like sisters they were. I was privileged to know her.

June has the reddish hair, my lovely Mom is wearing the sunglasses.

January 18,2012

2012-01-18T10:12:00.000-08:00

I had 7 people signed up for my workshop but then things began to fall apart. Five had to drop out for various commitments and so I was left with two and had to cancel. I need at least four to make it work financially. But actually, although I needed the money, I am ok with it. I was kind of having some anxiety and trying to get things done. I will do this workshop in March and a different one in February (which I already have some signed up). It is going to be a bit harder to get commitments than I thought. I am thinking of putting a Paypal thing on my Facebook page so people can pay as they sign up.
Yesterday I wired up 18 frames for hanging in the February show. I am getting excited to deliver the paintings. I just need to mat some small works and the four 16"x20" works. I currently have them in the frames without mats and although they look good...they need to fit with the smaller paintings already matted. I borrowed a mat cutter from a friend who bought it unused from someone for $20.00! Now I need to figure out how to use it and hopefully there will be no more bloody fingers!
Supposed to get snow this week, and rain! It got bone chilling cold over the last two days and today it is in the upper 40's. Strange January weather.
My oldest son, Shane, has decided to rent a house locally for a few years instead of moving to California. He still wants to be there but wants to go in a better economic climate. I hope he and Alisa get the house they have applied for.
My son Thomas has written a review for an independent film. He is a good writer and was asked to review this unreleased movie. His blog is meezookeewee.blogspot.com

Jan. 5th,2012

2012-01-05T15:53:00.000-08:00

It feels strange writing/typing 2012.
I signed up for a free online Strathmore class with Tracy Bautista. It is a lot of fun so far..still time to get in on the first week everyone! Just go to Strathmore website..you will find it there.
Posting pics of what I did the other day..it is mixed media on Strathmore 400 series artboard. I had some hanging around..got it for a steal because the packaging was dirty. Turns out that this is the support that Strathmore is promoting through these free online classes. So I didn't have to buy it or try to figure out a substitute. I did have to change out a few materials because I wasn't going to the store with no money!!! But since I am an art supply hoarder..then I was ok.
It is a class I am using to get me busy. I always thrive under deadlines or assignments.
I call this one "The First Birds". The birds are from stencils I made for another project. The feathers started out as stencils using my chicken and dove feathers.
Of course the stencils got covered up because I was having fun spraying fluid acrylics around!

the others are details. Then I decided I wanted to try out some crackle glaze I picked up a while ago...never stop when you can add just one more thing!!!!
So I can see me doing more of the doodles as Tracy called them but it seems similar to what I am already doing.
I have never been a fan of Strathmore papers..prefer Arche it takes a good lot of abuse..but I am impressed with these 4oo series boards. They have a smooth surface and did not want to warp..of course it never got real wet..I will put it to the test on my next one.

Happy New Year

2012-01-01T11:30:00.000-08:00

The hopeful and dreaded 2012 is here!
Here is to the hope that it will be a wonderful adventure and the weird ones who think the end is near are wrong. Even if the Mayan predictions are true..oh well..I hope I have lived my life to the best of my abilities!

That said, I posted an event on Facebook of a one day workshop making art papers for the last Saturday of January. Already have 2 students and just need 2 more to actually hold the class!!! Of course one is an artist friend and the other my son..but I was totally surprised by their desire to come and pay to play!
This particular class will be making and taking some papers that can be used in a lot of ways..from scrapbooking to book binding,journal making, collage and painting backgrounds..I will try some marbling effects so I can offer that. There will be mediums used and textures made, some collage. I read an article about Penny Brown who has done some interesting things with watercolor and other things on Rives BFK printmaking paper. So more things to experiment with.
I am even going to make some jewelry from bits of colorful 300# arches paper that was cut off some bookmarks I made to make them a better size. I kept these bits because the colors were so beautiful..and I am going to incorporate them into some jewelry.
So I will demonstrate many things and then we will go at it and play and make grand messes.
Also I will be providing lunch.. I figured this would be a good way to get people in too. It will be very healthy and taste good too!!! We can have lunch out in the lobby area which has a refrigerator, microwave, table and chairs and a nice counter area.
My studio will have to be moved around a bit but very doable.

I need to organize my thoughts because I get excited then don't know where to focus first.
I will be holding workshops on the last Saturday of every month this year unless something happens.. 4 students at the minimum my rent is paid and then some.
The other plan is developing..I have run it by Hubby and he is fine with it..
I have been researching Crowd Funding, for those of you who have not heard about it..it is a way of getting funding for projects that you want to do.
There are several sites, 2 of the most well known are Kickstarter and Indiegogo. They give you 90 days to 120 days to get the funding you ask for on their sites. You provide the dream..be it helping children with an afterschool program of some sort to renovating the local park, to taking a trip to research your next art project. You create the vision and get people on board through the site you choose and also you bring in as much interest from your friends, peers etc. leading them to the site where you have hopefully presented your dream in a way that gets them excited to help you achieve it. If after 90 days or 120 you have not received the goal funding through donations, then no money has changed hands and there is no risk to investors.But if you do get people to donate up to and beyond what you have asked for then you can get the funds with a small fee to the site and proceed with your project.
Now I need to do more research but it seems the more visual you make your vision to site goers then the better your chances are of getting funded. People apparently can donate in any amount that is comfortable for them. So videos and slideshows of your ideas are a good thing, along with a gift to donors of a minimum amount. I would think that would also cement the ideas and plan for the artist/person with project. Even if it doesn't get funded..then you have a plan you can refine, and possibly present elsewhere.
So I was trying to come up with ideas..and this is my favorite. Our house needs lots of cosmetic work and I want it to be beautiful in an artistic way. Colorful, a mural on the North wall, outdoor sculptures. Something that won't upset the neighbors too much but is enough to make people who pass by happy.

(Not this house, but cute!)

I need to go to the city and make sure what can be done within the boundaries of what is allowed but since the house is not a part of any subdivision or PUD development and on a State Highway..well we should be free to use color the way we want. Of course we want it to be tasteful but it has to be fun too. (A gallery of sorts) I have many sculpture friends whom I hope to enlist in borrowing their outdoor pieces they have no where to put or at least help me build some of my own.
This all will involve making a detailed "storyboard" of what I envision and hopefully a fun video. I don't plan to become a kitschy roadside attraction but with all the drab taupe/beige subdivisions going up all over..there needs to be some color introduced!

( not these but wouldn't that be awesome?)
So if nothing else the idea has made me happy to think about even if it never actually happens the way planned.
The sun is shining here..have a wonderful New Year!

More outdoor or just wonderful sculptures

a change..I hope

2011-12-29T14:57:00.000-08:00

Today while I felt the tears coming again..yes I am on my meds again so that should help..I got the distinct impression that I should pray. Now for those who personally know me..you know that praying is not my automatic go-to choice when life gets upside down..suffice to say that living in Utah I was a convert of the prominent religion, then I unconverted (!?)to the dismay of friends and neighbors, and have been a pariah ever since..I chafe under the idea that any religion forces you to conform..so rather than get too deep into that dark side of my night..Praying is not my usual activity.
I also hate to ask for anything because if indeed there is a higher power hanging out and listening..surely he would give more apt attention to those in great need, not those like me who mess up their finances all by themselves, and get sad because life isn't all sweetness and light ( yes I know the story of the sparrow)..so I talked aloud with the idea and said "what would I ask for if I pray? Money,thinness,less knee pain,a job, someone to buy my art?" Then of course the answer practically shouted in my ear.."GIVE THANKS!"....
And you know what? That made so much sense..I began to cry..
I know, I know..I have sure been crying a lot these days...
So I am not joining a group, or getting to a nunnery, I am not less of a liberal,Democrat,weird artist..I just want to give thanks for all I have had, all I have and whatever the future brings.
So my other thought I just had was..live in the moment and be thankful for whatever that moment is holding. Old concept, nothing new here, but a timely reminder.
So if you ask what religion I prescribe to..I might tell you ..The Church of the Hairy Dog..or..the church of turps and brushes..or maybe something animist, or whatever I feel that day..my apologies to the church goers here..because I appreciate you and your prayers!
I just chafe at the order! But I think I need a new name for my "live in the moment thankfulness".
So right now I am thankful for all of you dear bloggers..a great community..

Today

2011-12-27T08:59:00.000-08:00

some days there are too many feelings of loss.
I still cry over my sweet Frankie pug who died so suddenly a few weeks ago. I think his death also conjures up the many feelings of loss over the last few years..everything from my Dad dying to graduating from the warm safe haven of the University, to my artist friend having to move away from across the hall from my studio, to the news my oldest son plans to move to California in the spring.
Not to take away from the loss of Sweet Frankie..he had taken my heart the day we rescued him from the Pug rescue.
Maybe the cloudy day and the cold doesn't help..or the fact that our very old sick cat went out a few weeks ago and never returned.
Sometimes life is just one loss after another...still we go on because we must.
So bear with me as I shed tears for my Frankie Pug, my Dad, and all the many who have passed this way and touched my life. Didn't want to be sad today but here it is.

Merry Christmas Everyone

2011-12-23T09:31:00.000-08:00

Just wanted to say Merry Christmas, Happy New Year and Happy Holiday season to all of my Blogger friends. Your kind words and comments have been appreciated.
I do hope all is well for all of you. I am posting random photos today...hope to have some new art photos after the 25th.

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Dec.22,2011

2011-12-22T18:05:00.000-08:00

more photos from Prague

Dec.21,2011 Prague

2011-12-21T11:00:00.000-08:00

I visited Prague in 2008 and I long to return..it was so vibrant and lovely..here are some photos of wonderful Prague...enjoy

more tomorrow
ahh the sun just came out..the first time in several days!!!

Dec. 20,2011

2011-12-20T09:46:00.000-08:00

today is gray, the cats are in a pile on the deck, I sit here with hot coffee and flannel shirt. Not too fond of cold gray/smog days. But there is supposed to be a big storm..we hope tomorrow to sweep out the smog and leave us with some snow...that will be nice!
I finally remembered to take photos of my studio since the new paint job. It is in a bit of a mess since it is a working studio and I store all of my art there..But here is where I work on the big stuff....I also show the hallway I painted and my door with the chili pepper lights..everyone needs chili pepper lights..don't you think so?
I am hoping to get there today, later..and listen to my Dvorak cd and do some dreaming in paint..

the last photo is looking down the other end of the hall and I wanted to get Denise's door. It was supposed to be periwinkle blue but looks purple to me!!! It inspired my use of the orange and purple highlights in my studio!!
wish I could lay some laminate flooring in there..it would be nice on my feet!

Have a great day

Dec. 16,2011

2011-12-16T11:36:00.000-08:00

Cold...smog/fog...cold
I realize many things about my art.
Some days I do by rote and am usually not having a great time doing art.
Other days I seem to dig deeper and what comes are ideas upon ideas..
The worse part is if I act on those ideas and I make mud...
Down down down I go into the rabbit hole of questioning myself and my motives..
But sometimes those ideas become something I like, possibly love..I may not know it until days later that I am loath to part with the lovely thing I created and I want to do more.
Those are the days I live for.
Not the days where I worry about money and can I ever sell art. Or the constant driving for ideas to make the $$ by teaching, or selling out, or just plain obnoxiously pushing my art until I am sick of me!
It seems childish to want to do art just for me..but it also is a profound thing..to do art for the love of art.
The Yellow Rooster I posted yesterday led me to thinking about why I did it.
Other than I was already paid to do it..it had to have colors to match her remodeling job, new rug,etc. The first one I did as part of some experimenting and had way more fun doing it.
I kind of like doing chickens but it made me kind of ill to think that what I would do for the joy of it and the love of the little pteradactyls in in my yard..turned into a money issue and not much at that!!!
I appreciate this client..even though she only buys small things. She loves my animal paintings and I love that she does.
I just am not entirely happy with this small commission, it felt odd to do it because it was paid for in advance.
Now how strange is that? Don't as artists we all want to have someone want our art badly enough to commission something? I thought I did..but actually I don't. And it isn't because I am an elitist, or stupid..well maybe stupid.
I just want people to like what I come up with in my own head and hands well enough to buy it because they liked my vision. I am sorry to say that this little Yellow Rooster did not have any vision for me except doing it because I had to.
Now don't get me wrong..as an adult..I am well aware of the "have-tos" in anyone's lives. I have plenty..but I really want my art to be separate from that..as unrealistic as that sounds.
Take for example my current workings for the Feb. show. I am so excited about this that I am doing more work than can be hung in the space..I am in a zone and even if
some turns to mud, or doesn't represent the subject..I am learning and hopefully improving my technique and my vision. It may be that what gets hung is far from the original portfolio entry..and I am not worried.
I do know that hung together they will be striking and hopefully interesting to viewers . I know I am constantly enjoying some of the effects I have managed to do.
So I am posting some of what got me going in the first place..photos taken of the cosmos by Hubble, and some of what I have done already. The show is called Between Earth and Orion.

this is by no means all of what I have done, some of the smaller,tiny pieces have sold..but is a sampling of what I am doing and having a great time doing it. Have a nice day

Dec.15,2011 Rooster!!!

2011-12-15T21:39:00.000-08:00

Last Chicken painting for a while..a client wanted one with different colors and I hope she likes this one...The Yellow Rooster.

She had already bought this one

Dec.11,2011

2011-12-11T16:35:00.000-08:00

what I have done today..besides 2 other starts for paintings and a large sketchbook page.
Also writing up info for workshops. I am going to try doing one a month..4 hours each, and doing fun stuff...It could be fun!
Went to the Timpanogos Cave Christmas party yesterday, it was fun then spent the afternoon learning how to make Armenian style baklava! Yummy

Dec.10,2011

2011-12-10T19:24:00.000-08:00

tis the season

Dec.7,2011

2011-12-07T09:51:00.000-08:00

This is the 70th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor.
This event is what sent the greatest generation into a war.
I have written before of my Dad's service in the South Pacific as a Marine.
So today I honor him and all who fought bravely for the freedoms we have forgotten to cherish.

On to other things. The other day I wrote a bit about the "UP" House from Disney Pixar's animated movie. I am posting a few pics of the house built in Utah. This is the one the neighbors want to have painted in earth tones.

Please note I did NOT take any of the photos..I Googled them, taking no credit here!
Have a great day

Dec. 5,2011 Hi!

2011-12-05T22:49:00.000-08:00

I have nothing..well maybe...
It is really cold, it snowed a bit yesterday yet people were mowing their lawns today!?!
The stars were are brilliant tonight but it is too cold to watch for long.
Have you ever Googled your name just to see how many people have your name, or find obituaries with your name?
I have been seeing a lot of shows on PBS about glass art, blown glass, stained glass.
I was privileged to have a teacher at Kent State University who was a famous glass blower. He was terrific and when I wrote him a letter a few years ago..he returned with a wonderful letter. Henry Halem, a real character.
One of my art peers at the studio complex has "fans" who bring him wine. Tonight he was gregarious and doing wonderful art and had two empty wine bottles!!! He was definitely happy and being very creative. I like wine..maybe a little more and my art could get better...or not
I have found myself not doing the little things that I always liked, lighting scented candles, having a glass of wine, treating myself to some small indulgences..tonight I lit some candles the first time in two years! And it has been very nice.
Driving around the towns on a clear, cold night to see the lovely colorful lights of Christmas was always a small tradition. Hubby and I did it tonight and had to go into neighborhoods of large mansions to see colors, everyone else around here puts white lights on roof lines and they are all the same..where is the joy in that? Possibly HOA restrictions?
Have you seen the "Up" movie? Some builders decided to build the "UP" house here in Utah and it is wonderful. They replicated it completely inside and out even down to the hose holder outside. The neighborhood is up in arms over the colors...they don't want to see the multi colored home over their morning breakfast and want the HOA to make the new owners paint it earth tones..I guess they would change the color of flowers, sky, grass to earth tones too if they had their way...Utah..the beige, taupe, mocha colored state.
I was sure I had Frankie the Pug in bed with me last night..disappointed to find him still gone..must have been dreaming.
When my beloved Dad died in 2006 I wanted nothing more than to dream of him..but I didn't. And I dream in technicolor, with elaborate plots and scenery..I love to dream..so the past two weeks he has been in many of my weird but fascinating dreams, always as the father I remember as a teenager which makes sense as I dream of myself as a young adult all the time anyway..a literal dream come true to see my Dad.
I walked into the studio this evening and was pleased to see I liked the way it looked..guess I should take some photos! The green walls are soothing and the accents of purple and orange are just right! It has taken me a while to like it..and I am glad I do.
Well time for bed...hope you have nice dreams

Dec. 2,2011 Art sale tonight..

2011-12-02T09:37:00.000-08:00

This evening several artists in my complex are participating in a holiday show/sale. I have been working on small paintings, gift tags, Christmas cards, book marks....
But really hope to sell not only small things but large things also!
I do have a lovely lady who comes in and buys art. She requested chicken paintings and I hope she likes the two I have done. One is 8"x8" on gallery wrapped canvas and the other is on 12"x12" gallery wrapped canvas. I had fun painting them. They are colorful acrylics.
I was going to bake some of my delicious cut out cookies with butter cream frosting...but my heating element in my stove blew up!!!! Yikes. Luckily I saw it happen and unplugged the oven..I really wish I had a gas stove. So I will be buying a few goodies to take along...not as nice but what can I do?
So now that the literal sparks have died down...I just need to get to the studio this afternoon and set up. I finished white simple frames for the paintings I have been doing on canvas board..not my favorite surface but these were on sale and better quality than most.
I will attach the paintings to frames and hang them and other than moving a few things around I will be ready. I found a wall hanger with hooks for my lanyard art and it is ready to hang. Yay for thrift shops...found 2 baskets and one wooden box to put the small paintings and cards in for display.
I will try to remember to take pictures of the studio!
Anyway..here are the chicken paintings..enjoy and have a great day!

Nov.28th,2011 Christmas cards

2011-11-28T19:58:00.000-08:00

What I have done over the last few days...puppy Santas and Angel Kitties...

Sunshine

2011-11-26T09:27:00.000-08:00

Today it is cold but beautiful!!! We still have golden leaves that fall and the yard has a nice crunch to it with the frosted grass. The Canadian Geese that hang out down at the pond have been taking their practice flights for the last couple of weeks and I sometimes see them fly over me honking..
The mountains have white white snow on them and the sky is so clear it makes your heart ache.
The feral kittens greet me with meows all around, and run in a crazy pack to the shed where their food bowls are. Each has an interesting personality and way of being..they are wild but choose to live here.
Amy runs in the front as if her life depends on it...running full out and beautiful...her face seeking mine for approval...run Amy run, I love to see her stretch and move with such grace.
It is hard at these moments to not see the world as a glorious place. So today I intend to revel in that feeling.
I hope you all have a wonderful day.

no job, but a good day.....

2011-11-23T17:28:00.000-08:00

well got an email thanking me for my application for the spa job..and once again...no job. Of course I have gone over the interview many times and decided that maybe I was just not playing the game the way it should be played. Maybe I am too much myself.

.but since I fought for me to be me for so many years..I don't see myself pretending to play any one's game any time soon..guess I better get selling art!

That said..today I worked on some nice bookmarks which will get embellished with ribbon and beads, tea dyed package tags which will get stamped and embellished, bought molding for Hubby to turn into simple frames for small acrylic paintings, bought cards and envelopes which will get stamped and painted and embellished. I will design at least 3 stamps or stencils for the cards, one will be a dog, the other will be a bear and I am thinking of a chameleon too. These will be put into sets for Christmas/holiday cards. I also want to find some plain Christmas tree glass balls to paint and embellish. So I have some work to do..
fixing sweet potatoes and dressing tonight for Thanksgiving tomorrow. I cheated and bought frozen pies...Saves some time...Turkey and mashed potatoes tomorrow, vegies, wine, mmmm can't wait!

So this holiday is of course in thanks for the Pilgrims being saved from starvation by the local Native Americans. Of course not long after and for much of our Great county's history we have waged war on the native Americans, killing them, displacing them, stealing their lands, killing off their bison herds, giving them small pox infected blankets. I did read today that a tribe was getting back some of their ancestral lands in New Mexico, after it was stolen from them by the US govt. reneging on treaties 125 years ago! So no good deed goes unpunished.
In thanks for the hated "Indians" teaching immigrants how to eat corn and turkey we eat turkey until we lapse into a stupor and watch lots of football games

and "Peanuts" specials.

I usually watch the Macy's Parade in the morning while getting said turkey ready for dinner.

As children we learn that the turkey was in line to be our revered symbol of freedom..but of course the Bald Eagle.

.who is very pretty became our symbol.

Not to be mistaken for the Turkey vulture

Of course that means every school age child learns to draw a turkey

participates in plays about the pilgrims,

and learns to eat a little pie with their whipped cream.

Our President always pardons one or two turkeys

So I intend to enjoy Thanksgiving day...by eating a lot, and watching football games, and being thankful for all of the good things in my life.

Here is hoping that no one acts like a turkey..except in good ways

Have a Happy Thanksgiving.

Nov. 19,2011 I am one of the ????%

2011-11-19T10:54:00.000-08:00

Those crazy creditors..think they can squeeze blood er money out of a turnip, or my wallet.
Somedays I just don't want to look inside the tidy little envelopes with windows, go fly a kite while I drink coffee and paint...that is the ticket!!!!
It is a little rebellion of mine..no need to freeze my buttocks off in the park with the 99%..I just pay my bills when I chose....hmmm sometimes that works against me..but I heard the tents were full of pee and poo and drugs so I will be at home performing my own rebellion by picking from the hat which 1% will get paid today..get in line..it is a long line, better be nice because this dollar won't stretch like you all think it should.
I also practice passive aggressive rebellion by sending the credit card offers back in their own postage paid envelopes...my Dad did this and we all carry on the tradition of making these vultures pay their own postage for naught!!!!
Yeah that will change the financial world. Still it is a satisfying if little rebellion.
Yes..I pay my bills, yes I owe them, but somedays..I just want to see more than .65 in my checking account for more than a day.
So today..instead of paying people and kvetching about money or lack of money..after all it is just money! ..I will paint some little paintings. Tomorrow I will go to my neglected studio to prepare for the holiday sale and steal back my hallway space for my paintings..awwww selfishness..somedays it feels so good.
Oh and it snowed last night..but it is melting off the cars and I will sit inside with my unpaid ...no wait I did pay...gas heat and watch it melt so I don't have to scrape the windshield.
Lazy girl

I took this photo in Europe in 2008..why post it today? Because this whole post seemed a little prickly to me....haha. I laugh at my own small jokes too.

11/18/2011 more art

2011-11-18T11:03:00.000-08:00

A good artist friend called me on the small paintings I have been doing. I emailed her photos of them and she emailed back.."What are you doing?".
She is worried that I have no longer gone deep and used my brain to create more clever and meaningful art. I know in one way she is right. I started with the Bee painting for a friend's granddaughter and sort of went on from there with fun in mind instead of trying to dig deep for subject matter and composition. I admit they are somewhat shallow and goofy but I have had fun and it has kept me painting while I mull over what direction to go in next!!
Still sometimes it is hard to keep trying to think about art. I was always accused of over thinking by some of my college professors. They wanted me to be more spontaneous and personal. And now I seem to have gone the other way!!! Hopefully I can find a middle ground of mature themes and whimsy together.
I also think I have worried too much about what financial success I have not had in art. Also I have gone through a lot of times where I wanted badly to be recognized in shows, or competitions. I have even fallen prey to wanting lots of comments on my posted art whether here or on facebook.
I think this speaks to a serious lack of self assuredness. I can act assured and mature but deep inside I just want everyone to like me and my art!!! Wouldn't you think at my advancing age and life experience that I wouldn't need such kudos and accolades, recognition for whatever? Still I recognize this problem and try to set aside those childish thoughts by just doing art and being myself.
Many times I see the apparent freedom in ideas and styles that many artists have and I am envious yet I know that I do my own thing and should do my own art.
So even at 58, there is much to learn and so much more to do. I am just trying to keep doing art.
Forgive me my self indulgence on this post. I figure I am not alone in the underwhelming lack of self esteem. I think this is a product of working alone and being alone too much. More job hunting today!!!
So with my friend's words in my head..I did this 12"x12" painting yesterday and yes...I did have fun. I call it "Sailfish Constellation". It is acrylic paint and glitter!!! Something about sparkly things just makes me happy!
No need to boost my morale, this is something I deal with a lot and sometimes just writing it down makes me see things in a better light. But thanks for listening have a great day.

11/14/11 Job interview and Narwhals

2011-11-14T09:57:00.000-08:00

I have a job interview tomorrow. I got it because my friend who works at this spa at a ski resort recommended me to her boss for the front desk. Then I applied online and heard nothing. Then my friend's boss asked if I had applied. Then she began to email human resources to get me pushed through. Then today I received an email from my friend saying they had heard nothing from HR maybe I should call them...I did and was set up for an interview tomorrow at 4pm. This is the only response that has happened with many job applications since September and was due to the fact that my friend intervened! I don't have the job yet..I worry that I won't have the right clothes or the right answers...but whatever. It is a ski resort and somewhat laid back. But these days I don't own good clothes..well professional type clothes...I have decent clothes!Some without paint on them! I need a haircut but can't afford it right now. Yikes..I am usually not so worried about things but I need the job and it would work well with allowing me to do my summer job too!!! I could actually be employed all year round with both jobs!!!
But selfishly..I have to admit that I prefer not working an outside job...I would rather paint...but I am not with a silver spoon in my mouth...I need to bring in the $$ when art is not selling..so this will allow me to pay my studio rent, help out and keep me on a structured schedule that does help me do art if I am not too tired.
Yes the sound of some ambivalence but I do want the job. Wish me luck.
In the meantime...I have been living in my childish world and painting fun and goofy paintings with glitter of course...here is another one.
Called "Night of the Narwhals" I love to see documentaries on animals I may never see in real life. These two look a bit lovey-dovey and if it weren't for the looooong horns would probably be smooching under the starry night sky. This is 12"x12" acrylic, glitter and glue on canvas board.

11/12/11 An Island Holiday

2011-11-12T10:33:00.000-08:00

11/11/11 Veteran's Day

2011-11-11T10:54:00.000-08:00

an 8"x8" acrylic painting I did yesterday. White Whale,Full Moon and Jupiter

Today I hung my flag to honor my father,Uncle and Father-In-law who all fought in WWII and are no longer with us. Raymond Earl Hale (Marine), Charles Everett Hale (Air Force),James Paul Mitchell (Army), my brother in law who is now gone, James Gordon Mitchell (Army), my brother Charles Thomas Hale (Army), my husband, David Paul Mitchell (Army), my Uncle, John Walker (Army).
I also honor all the past relatives,ancestors who fought for this country in the Revolutionary War, The War of 1812, the Civil War (both sides), and WWI.
I hate war...but I am proud of my relatives who fought for freedom.

Nov. 8,2011

2011-11-08T10:10:00.000-08:00

Two small paintings I did in acrylic and glitter and glue!(12"x6") On cradled board.
"The Yellow Boat" The Sweet Sally is tossed about on a pretty sea, while below her the blue and green fish hang out with the starfish and sand dollars.
"The Red Buoy" A red and yellow buoy floats above the pod of small orange whales while the clams sit in the sand. Done for fun!

Nov.6, 2011 finally painting again.

2011-11-06T17:54:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I spent time at the studio doing 25 2"x3" paintings for Lanyard Art.
Also had to dampen 3 paintings on Canson artboard and sandwich between glass and add weight..the board tends to curl.
Today I painted background color on 6 square canvas boards and 2 cradled boards I bought from Hobby Lobby the other day. I have wanted to a small painting a day in November to have new work to sell at the Christmas show I am participating on December 2.
I started a silly painting on one of the boards of fish, waves, a yellow boat with a red and white striped sail, sand dollars and starfish. Colorful and fun...although now I am considering using a wash to tie it all together and calm down the bright colors. But I can't think of the color that would work..tempted to use a washy gold. Using acrylics.
Decided to try a transfer with acrylic Gloss gel medium. Waiting Waiting for it to dry so I can soak off the paper and see what is left to add to the next painting!
So I will take photos tomorrow but in the meantime..here is some of the lanyard art I have already done.

and the winner is.....

2011-11-02T21:44:00.000-07:00

I tossed the names and Linda of Vulture Peak Muse came to the top !!!! So Linda email me your address and I will send Mr. Fox to live with you! Hope you like him.
Have a great day

Oct. 29,2011

2011-10-29T13:12:00.000-07:00

I finished this 6"x6" acrylic painting. I will give it to one of my followers on Weds. Nov. 2,2011. If you follow me and want a better chance..comment on this post and I will throw another entry in for you.
My husband thinks he looks bedraggled..but I was having fun with color..hope you all like Mr. Fox.

my apologies....

2011-10-27T09:58:00.000-07:00

I have not drawn for the last little artwork which still needs a bit of work! Hope you all don't mind if I wait until next week. Seems like some weeks just are at a standstill!!! I will choose some photos I took on Monday..enjoy

Losing Frankie..Oct.25th 2011

2011-10-25T23:42:00.000-07:00

Our rescue pug, Frankie died tonight. He had a heart attack and was gone very quickly. Frankie was a great dog..one of those funny, quirky, happy dogs. he was bigger than most pugs and had such an ugly little face that I loved to see. I always thought he resembled Winston Churchill ( no offense meant..especially since he loved pugs too).We got in touch with a Utah pug rescue lady who called us when Frankie came in..as all puggie owners know..one is fun but 2 or more is even better!!! This was a few years ago. We drove 100 miles and brought the sad puggie home. It took him a while and he always had great manners..before he realized he could be our pug boy. he was so sad for a while...but then he began to get happy and he was the happiest dog I ever met. He knew he was home and would never have to go away. Sweet Frankie.

What I did last night.....

2011-10-22T11:52:00.000-07:00

A friend of my son's girlfriend is having a baby. This is part of her gift for Baby Emma who is due soon. "Wren"

and the second winner is..........

2011-10-21T09:39:00.000-07:00

Ok I picked a name out of my followers and it is...

Nora of A Splendid Day!!! Congratulations.

Nora email me your address...(yes I know it is in the Netherlands!!)...and I will send it to you. My apologies to Carol C. I have had your little painting traveling around with me and forgetting to drop it in the mail....I will apologize and get with the program.

Nora won the cactus painting. Maybe it will give her warm thoughts during this winter's cold.

I wanted to post the next and final giveaway painting but I want to do a little work on it first....so I will post some other art and tease you a bit while I finish up the next one..... Have a great day..

this one is another page from my oversized naturalist journal pages

this is called Night Runners

Giving this away.....to one of my followers

2011-10-15T07:17:00.000-07:00

If you are following me..you are in the drawing, you can comment here or on last 2 posts and get an extra entry. If you want to be in the drawing you have to follow me! Leave a comment if you are new! Good luck..drawing out of an old cowboy hat on Weds. next week.

I am off to a printmaking workshop...

win this art.....and other things are happening

2011-10-14T09:11:00.000-07:00

this is what I am giving away to one of my followers next Weds. so get an extra entry by commenting here, you are in the drawing if you are following me. Good Luck

spending more time in the studio..which is a great thing. Working on 5 paintings..hoping to use them for the Feb. show. I will post some pics in a minute.

I am sure that no one who doesn't live in Utah would think of Salt Lake City as a haven for the arts. But as the only "metropolis" in Utah it really has a lot of art related happenings. I read that SLC has more art venues for it's population base within city limits than most larger cities in the US except New York City!
Hard to believe? Not really. Having become a part of the community of fellow artists..I am inundated with invitations to attend art events.
So many in fact that I cannot do even half of them. If I lived in the city or closer I could possibly attend more but my energy or lack of tends to keep me home more than I like. We have gallery stroll every 3rd Friday in SLC, strolls in Park City and Provo too. We have an arts council that is actively engaging disabled artist, marginalized artists, emerging artists. We have an art museum on Univ. of Utah campus that regularly brings in International artists and retrospectives besides having a lovely permanent collection that their young benefactors fill with wonderful contemporary art.We have too many galleries to count. We have events for giving grants, for sharing creativity, and parties too. The Farmers markets are as much about art as they are of produce. Even the library system is a major supporter of the arts. The fairly new and wonderful Main Library has several galleries and even art shops and a co-op. Speaking of Co-ops there are some here. And of course the many established artists studio complexes which invite the public in on a regular basis.
Outside of the city we have a wonderful art museum south of where I live in Springville, Utah which has annual salons and many shows and and a terrific collection of Russian art. BYU in Provo has a major art museum that brings in wonderful international events.
Further south are artists communities in Spring City and Helper. Plein air events go on all summer and fall ...just was invited to one in Zion's National Park.
There are day when I despair about the politics and predominate religion influence in this state but in the end..I thank my lucky stars I landed here in 1973 without an inkling of where this was or what it was.
A diverse population and getting more diverse is helping change the outlook here. The landscape is not only diverse and unusual but like no where else on earth.
Yes..I must admit I love Utah.
Here are a few more paintings that I think are finished..enjoy and have a great da

And the winner is............

2011-10-13T16:54:00.000-07:00

first...I have to admit that I posted the little artwork upside down...although it works any way it is hung!!!
I have 56 followers! I eliminated my son and my other blog that I never use, added each person who commented an extra entry...so 54 + 4 = 58 entries in the hat....
OK the winner is Carol C. who has Doing Is Becoming.
Carol email me your address and I will send out the art!

In the meantime...never fear...more art to be given away....comment and get an extra entry, otherwise your name goes in the hat if you are following me!

this is a 2" 3" watercolor on paper in a mat.

art giveaway!

2011-10-10T19:04:00.000-07:00

So since I have had only one response for my little art giveaway...I am just going to take a name from those who have been following me and two for the one response and everyone into the hat on weds. Will do it again over the next two weeks...if you comment..you get 2 entries! Does that sound fair?

Oct.8,2011 Giveaway! Giveaway!

2011-10-08T09:32:00.000-07:00

Today I have picked out a small painting to giveaway. Follow me here with a comment, and/or like me on Facebook at The Art of Kay (with a comment so I can get your name)

. I will draw on weds. of next week..literally out of one of my many hats.
This little artwork is done with watercolor, ink, and handmade stamps and is matted. I hope you all like it!
I will be doing 2 more drawings, 1 per week for the next 2 weeks. If you want to let others know that is ok but I just want to do something for all my wonderful blogger friends.
Plus one of the drawings will be a painting done just for this drawing..look for that one

Oct. 5,2011

2011-10-05T17:23:00.000-07:00

This is a 12" x12" acrylic painting on canvas done for a friend's granddaughter.
Put new items on Etsy for sale. This weekend I will finally have a drawing for some art..stay tuned. I know I was going to do this in April..but then I got my job and had no time or energy..so excuses aside..now is the time.

Oct.1,2011

2011-10-01T18:13:00.000-07:00

I do not have a lot to say! Now that is something. forgot to take pics of the studio..so here is something

a fellow artist's brother built this caravan..totally awesome

Naturalist Journal Pages

2011-09-28T14:38:00.001-07:00

Naturalist Journal Pages, a set on Flickr.

some fun stuff

Sept. 20,2011

2011-09-20T09:19:00.000-07:00

took on quite a job, painted hallways at studio, and yesterday the interior of my studio. Today I am looking for some golden yellow and purple to paint the pipes on my wall. The halls are adobe with sage green trim and the studio is a yellow green with natural wood trim. I figured since I didn't have a lot of new work..clean walls will at least help what I hang look better!!!
Pictures later.
The open studio event is this weekend. I am trying today to not tire myself out so I have enough energy for the weekend. I have found myself having to conserve my self physically and that is a bit distressing. Hoping that losing more weight will help but I realize that as I get older..I do tire more easily.
Today i plan to hang out close to home and do small things for the studio. I am doing what I call Lanyard art..kind of dumb but fun.
So hoping to get to studio later and start hauling home some stuff. I really have too much there..it can be distracting.

Sept.18,2011

2011-09-18T07:22:00.000-07:00

How did we get here so soon?
I wait for fall colors to dazzle my eyes.
In the meantime I walk quiet paths to the mountain with my only companions, the scolding robins.

Sept. 8, 2011

2011-09-08T09:00:00.000-07:00

A Gyrfalcon, Shadow the Great Horned Owl, Looking at the canyon from my front yard in the early morning.

Aug. 27.2011

2011-08-27T07:35:00.001-07:00

nevermind.

August 23,2011

2011-08-23T14:23:00.000-07:00

figured out the phone. Got the app for taking credit cards approved. Getting chores done and knees feel good today.
I did try the watercolor batik technique I read about in a magazine. I realized that it will take much more planning, drawing, forethought than I had given it to begin with. I will take a pic tomorrow when I get to the studio.
It is hot as blazes here. Should be in low 80's but is in high 90's. So me and the dogs are chillin in house with ceiling fan and window air conditioners!
When I did the experimental watercolor batik, I was in a hurry and easily frustrated. That is when I did a bit of soul searching and decided I needed to slow down, try harder to pay attention to details and do a lot more art!!!
I have a tendency to jump in the deep end,make messes, then have to find my way out, or repair, rethink, redo.
I never thought of myself as impetuous, or impatient but I am!!!
I also have been buying some interesting books.
Now don't laugh..but last year I went to a small art reception for a young woman and an older woman, I did not know them or their work. They both did fantasy type art..dragons, faeries, enchanted things. I was amused, and intrigued. I wouldn't say they were the very best at that kind of art..but it was appealing. It wasn't long after that I did my Green Man series.
I felt like I was taking a weird turn and sat back on all of it..until the other day I was at a craft store and saw two enticing books. I picked them up barely looked inside and bought them. Talk about impulse shopping!! One is the Fairy Artists Figure Drawing Bible and the other Dreamscapes Myth and Magic, Creating legendary creatures and characters in watercolor. I admit that the cover art was lovely and I wanted them like a child wants something. I realized..I could buy these and make no excuses, ask no one's permission. So I laid out the cash!
Now I am usually of a sound mind, and have been known to laugh at the people who chase after Big Foot, Yetis, Faeries, Little people. But I have to admit a deep seated longing for believing as a child would and seeing, or feeling the magical presences in old mysterious trees, shady glens, stormy canyons. I have read C.S. Lewis and the Lion, Witch and The Wardrobe, Lord of the Rings, and many other- worldly adventure stories. I feel like a kid when reading them. I remember times as a child reading wonderful tales, hiding trinkets in holes in trees for Faery children. Feeling watched over as I played in the woods near home, imaginary friends. I was a dreamy child, and every once in a while, I feel the same dreaminess, while looking up through trees to the clouds, watching birds, seeing wildlife up the canyon. I love those moments, and wish I could hang on to them longer. I then decided to go to the bookstore and see if I could find more lovely dream books and I came home with How to draw and paint Fairyland. By the same author as the Fairy artists Figure drawing bible.(Linda Ravenscroft) Isn't that a neat name? The other book is by Stephanie Pui-Mun Law.
I find myself taking them to bed and poring over them until I feel sleepy..hoping I will dream of magical things. Does this mean I will start doing Faery art? Dragons, Hobgoblins? Possibly. Once again I search my thought processes and realize that if I chose to do something like these books describe..I want to make sure it is mine and my way but well done. (magical beings in American Fork Canyon? Or in the red rock canyons of southern Utah? It could be fun. Like my using glitter in my mixed media works..I know I risk not being taken seriously but do I care? No.
I just want to find the dreamy child and create beautiful, appealing art.
This past year I guess I have been preparing for this change because I have sought out my favorite books from childhood. I just finished reading the Secret Garden. I am still trying to find books that I read long ago and cannot remember the titles. I guess it helps me find my childhood, my buried soul, my quiet self.
So I am looking for 2 books I used to take out from the library. One was about a young Native American and his friend, a skunk. The other is about dolls who live in a garden and talk to each other coming alive I remember.
If this seems like wishing I was a child again..well yes and no.
I was a lonely child and I would not want to feel that way again. I wanted some things so much it hurt. A pony, to live out west, thankfully I made those things come to pass and I don't feel such anxiousness any more.
But finding that inner calmness and willingness to see magic in a living world..now that is worth seeking I believe! I think I want more fun and more play and this art seems like it could help me create a world that could lead to a freedom of thought and creativity. Just sayin!
So here is a painting I have posted before..you see I think of animals as individuals and I think the art I have been doing is leading me to child-like freedom.

aug.15,2011

2011-08-15T21:31:00.000-07:00

my Saturday today!!!
Finally a chance to figure out the smarty pants phone I bought. Geez..touch screen is touchy!!! But it has some wonderful features.
I wanted one so I could use a gps app for geocaching. But can't get it figured out yet.
And I can download an app for taking credit cards at the next open studio.
Not that I needed to justify the purchase. I waited over a year for an upgrade so I could make sure of what I wanted.
And I downloaded some classics so I have books to read. I sure have been tempted by all the tablets out there. but this will have to do for a while!!!
Saw a bat yesterday at work. what a cute little thing.

ok..didn't know how to put a good bat photo up so I did the next best thing..Jesse James as a bat for Halloween!
2 pics of American Fork Canyon

August 6,2011

2011-08-06T19:06:00.000-07:00

a banded alder borer, watercolor, ink, acrylic on paper..6"x6"

August 4,2011

2011-08-04T13:03:00.000-07:00

Knotty Greenman, watercolor, ink, gesso on paper.

August 1,2011

2011-08-02T18:29:00.000-07:00

cloud pics and kitty pics, enjoy

July 31,2011

2011-07-31T04:40:00.000-07:00

Always making new friends...here is Goliath, the Gila Monster

July 25th, 2011

2011-07-25T18:22:00.000-07:00

today was the birds of prey show...did I say I love my job?

July 24th,2011

2011-07-24T07:08:00.000-07:00

Today is a Utah state holiday..Pioneer Day. Of course they will celebrate it tomorrow! I used to feel left out because I was not of Mormom pioneers..then I thought about the fact that my family came to the US in the mid 1600's and basically paved the way for the later "pioneers". When my family came Pennsylvania was a wilderness with nothing but forests and native Americans. They built their homes far from any real settlements and made it on their own. So no need to feel left out!!
Those were the Russells, the Swigers were German imigrants who settled in the western hills of West Virginia. My grand dad was born in the family cabin that is still on top of a mountain. My Dad's family settled in Tennessee. They were from England and Scotland. Technically we are hill people!
Enough family history.
Yesterday a fellow came with his Golden Eagle, Holly. She is beautiful! My old pal Smokey the Bear showed up and delighted the kids. Tomorrow the "birds of prey" guy comes back with more. I get really happy to see the animals. Here is a pic of my closeup encounter with Miss Holly.

Smokey and the fun ranger..Roberta!

July 21, 20011

2011-07-21T07:33:00.000-07:00

Wow hard to believe it is the end of July so soon!! I spent the last 2 days off cleaning, running errands and finally getting to my travel journal to send to Peggy Krantz..my apologies Peggy for being so slow! It seems that my energy level is low on days I work and so my evenings are a bust. But I feel better this week..losing weight is helping.
Picked some apricots but they are kind of sandy and many have those darn earwigs in them!! So they are a treat for the horses and chickens.
Had to do my laundry at a laundromat this week. Now there is an interesting way to spend time. Our washer is on the fritz and so I washed at the expensive washers and line dried my clothes at home. I really like pegging out the laundry. It is a zen like experience for me. Sends me right back to childhood and hanging out the sheets for Mom.
I also managed to finish 3 journals. One is the traveling journal, the other two are gifts for my sons' girlfriend and her 7 yr. old daughter, Lily. I am going to do a quick colorful drawing in each and hand them over. The travel journal has one page started. I cheated and glued a small fish painting to it and will finish it out to the edges tonight. Then into the mail it must go.
The long beads I made myself from stamped cloth.
Anyway..enjoy your day everyone..off to work I go. TTFN

July 13,2011

2011-07-13T07:31:00.000-07:00

Beautiful morning, couldn't sleep so took photos of the morning clouds.
Unfortunately found a missing chicken. We think a dog got her.
Poor thing..she was an independent chicken and it did her in.
Plenty to do so enjoy the pics....

July 12,2011 oh knee

2011-07-12T13:45:00.000-07:00

my orthopedic Dr. today gave me some good news and some bad news. My left knee looks ok for now. My right knee needs replacement! After seeing the xrays..no wonder it has hurt so much! No more cushioning..just bone on bone. So after my job is over in Sept. I will schedule surgery. In the meantime I want to lose some weight so I lessen any risk factors for surgery.
So I am tired and going to take a nap then I will finish my traveling art journal. Friday is the reception for the 12x12 show at the Hive Gallery and my oldest son, Shane, will go with me. He has also agreed to help me in my fitness quest..he knows a lot about healthy habits.
Going ack to some old art..enjoy.

July 9,2011

2011-07-09T18:06:00.000-07:00

wow..just tired. and sore. Back, knees and foot. Hopefully I will find out Tuesday what is in store for the knees.
Drove up to Tibble Fork Reservoir the other day after work while it rained. Hence the new header photo. The backside of Mt. Timpanogos is in the mist.
The garden never got done, the weeding has not been done. Can't get onto knees to do gardening. And too tired from work. But did get the 3 12x12 paintings to the Hive Gallery. The opening reception is July 15th and I hope I can get there.
\the cranky old farmer finally decided to deliver hay and he was so nasty I had to think that he was not feeling well. He did admit to falling back into a ditch and stretching muscles around ribs. But he is always nasty. He does have good hay though. But not sure I want to put up with his cussedness for such expensive hay!!!
Reading the latest Watercolor Magazine and an article on watercolor batik interested me. I think it is an approach that will work well with my type of painting.Using paraffin wax as a resist..the author of the article used a good translucent rice paper...and of course watercolor paint..the results are wonderful.
well not much going on...hope you all have a great week.

July 3rd,2011 Kim's birthday

2011-07-03T07:32:00.000-07:00

My little sister has a birthday today. She is my best friend, cute as a button. We are polar opposites but we love each other so much. I miss being with her. She came out last August just to drive up to Sheridan, Wyoming to hang out while I did an art workshop. She lives in Ohio and is currently living with my Mom. She is a strong person and a pretty good advocate for Mom. She has 2 sons as I do and they are terrific men. She is working this summer at the Kent, Ohio KOA campground..I suspect because she gets to drive a golf cart around to clean!!! She also works during the school year at Kent State University. Happy Bday Kimmer Monkey!
Yesterday our head ranger Mike dressed up as Smokey the Bear..here is the pic taken with me! I am at my info desk at the visitors center with my little bookstore behind me. Notice that I have taken complete ownership of my little space!
Have a great day..off to work I go.

June 30,2011

2011-06-30T07:21:00.000-07:00

finished the 3 paintings for the Hive Gallery 12x12 show. The more I worked on them..the more decorative they became. I really like the Gila Monster one which I call "Desert Treasure". The quail one is "Sun King of Quail Love" and the Stellar Jay one is "Mountain Jewel". I couldn't leave well enough alone so I added 3d bits to each. I never know what is going to happen!!! I am happy to have gotten them done, the box done and retrieved my Mom painting. Now I can get the traveling journal done and sent and work on new things.
I am not sure when I go to part time but this holiday weekend will be busy busy!!! Hope everyone has a great day.

June 28,2011

2011-06-28T19:25:00.000-07:00

Did 2 small plein air paintings today for the Wasatch Plein Air Paradise in Midway Utah. This is a fun event. There are 6 days of plein air painting, 2 paint outs, dinner and prizes. I have done it now for 3 years. This year I could only do today.
So I did 2 small paintings and forgot to take pics of them before I turned them in. I have been so tired that I got them done quickly with a small palette knife and went home..took a shower and a nap and Hubby drove me back to deliver the wet but framed paintings. I will finish my 3 paintings for the Hive gallery tonight and tomorrow and deliver them after driving 60 miles to retrieve my rejected painting In Ogden!!
I saw 2 Sandhill cranes today! And a group of swifts hung out with me and redwinged blackbirds and an old fat gopher. Fun!
I haven't felt like doing much on line as I have been so busy. So hope to catch up soon.
I put a pic I took of my box for my header. It looked awesome with the other boxes..I will post them too.

June 22,2011

2011-06-22T08:13:00.000-07:00

June 20,2011

2011-06-20T07:29:00.000-07:00

June 19,2011 Box is done

2011-06-19T21:29:00.000-07:00

too dark for pics so I will take some in the morning before work. Needed some help from Hubby to screw postcards onto box..I am so not a power tool girl..but I learned. All clearcoated and will cure on the deck until I get out of work tomorrow..then it is delivered and I can get to my 3 12 x 12 paintings.
need sleep goodnight

June 17,2011

2011-06-17T07:35:00.000-07:00

I got the box itself painted and I think I like it. I am painting the postcards that will be attached to each side tonight after work. Then they will be attached to the box, the whole box will be clearcoated and on Monday evening I will deliver it up to the City Weekly offices and on to the next project!!!
Here are pics of the box after Weds. night.
I nearly undid the whole project by spraying the wrong color on it!!!
I thought I had 2 cans of clear coat high gloss. But they are black high gloss!! ( is this from lack of sleep?)
Anyway I tried shaking the one can til the ball rattled but it wouldn't rattle..so I tried spraying over the red rock areas anyway and it seemed rather dark. So I quit after doing all four sides and then realized that I was lucky the paint hadn't mixed so I had not obliterated my painting under black!!!! Yikes!
But in the end..since it is a night scene..I think it helped. I went back and brightened up highlights and sprayed some accent color on the grasses and it seemed to be better. So luckily it is not ruined yet. There is still the possibility though so I need to get my act together. I am posting pics of weds. efforts. The sky bits have embossing powder in places..adds a bit of glow. I used plastic wrap on the dk. blue acrylic paint to create the textures for the night sky. These pics don't show it as well as it turned out. Have a great day..the finished product will be posted soon.

June 12,2011

2011-06-12T18:37:00.000-07:00

Not a sunny day..but nice and quiet for a while.
Work was a bit crazy yesterday.
You would think that the cave would not be there tomorrow!! Sold out tickets and people did not want to believe it. The Loop road is still closed due to snow and people did not want to believe it. Line forms at the left, and people asked to skip the line.
The trail safety ranger has to give you a safety message before you can climb the mile and a half, 1100 feet vertical gain path to the cave, and people didn't want to hear it.
Sadly these warnings of some danger go unheeded with disastrous results. The reason for the safety ranger is last year a maintenance worker on his motorcycle went over the edge and fell 500 feet to his death. The same summer a little girl fell 100 feet and was injured. Hence new safety measures.
I tell the parents and so does the news every night that parents should not let their children near the swollen rivers..and yet..5 children have drowned in 2 weeks. One was up our canyon. So sad that an 8 yr. old boy died because no one listened to the warnings. Now the bereaved mother who jumped in after him and nearly died herself is telling everyone to stay away from the rivers. I feel for her. I wonder why no one can see the danger.
I get parents everyday asking if the river is dangerous..I wonder if they hear me.
Part of my job is running the bookstore. The other part is giving out information.
Yes the road is closed a few miles up the road..no you cannot go through, because there is 12 feet of snowpack still on the road, why can't I go ahead and try, what about "road closed" don't you understand?
Somedays it is hard to not think of the crowds as stupid. After all I am not the world's smartest person. This is probably the hardest part of any customer service job.
Thanks heavens for the wonderful crew who though they get disgusted sometimes they maintain a helpful attitude and we all get through it and come back the next day!
Did I tell you I like my job a lot?

Now a different thing..Central Park in New York City is banning musicians from Quiet zones. These zones were newly signed and designated in areas where musicians have played for the public in a time honored tradition since the park came into being. One of these quiet zones is the area called Strawberry Fields in honor of John Lennon. Does this seem odd? Lennon being a musician? Well I am wondering about the quashing of the arts in the USA. Funding for arts in the public schools is disappearing, some Republican states no longer fund the arts. These all go back to the erroneous hard feelings the right wing fundamentalists have over Mapplethorpe's provocative photos of nude men in the early 80's that were shown in an NEA funded show. People thought the NEA had overstepped it's bounds by funding thereby condoning gay lifestyles. The NEA was defunded and crippled. The censorship of art has gained a foothold in our country. I just think it is up to the individual to censor..in other words..read the signs, read the reviews, decide whether you want to see the art. If you are offended..then turn around and walk out and get thee to the nearest Thomas Kincaid store and soak up the maudlin, easy on the eyes, no meaning art prints there.
My young artist friend had a show at the University in our gallery at the art building. A sign was prominent..warning of possible explicit material..yet someone went in found the 2" by 3" drawing that was offensive...amongst a room full of ephemera that was gobbed all over the walls and floor, and this poor soul went to the office and complained. My friend's adviser was contacted and she took the offensive drawing down and eventually told the artist! There was no discussion, no
explanation..just instant censorship of a show that had been posted to warn the poor virginal art lovers so they could make the choice to see or not. The joke was on them though. My friend turned it over and reposted the drawing on the wall where it stayed. All were invited to find it. But the lack of concern for all parties involved..even the artist was concerning to me. Where was the outrage for the censorship? Am I wrong to be offended? My friend who is 25 at first was not offended but amused that I was incensed! I found some articles about censorship of the arts in the US and gave them to him and his adviser who is also a friend. eventually he began to see that he had been censored and not in an informed way.
I think this could have been a teaching moment for all concerned. Why is there not a class to address those concerns and how to deal with it?
So I am going to try to find the photos I took of my friend Travis Nickolai and his sign!
Hope I didn't bore my readers! Have a great week.

I found a pic of one of Travis' earlier series of gnomes on butcher paper. He used wheat paste to "tag" abandoned buildings with these guys.
Well I have spouted off. I may not like some art, it may offend me, but that becomes my problem and I can deal with it for myself without trying to bash the artist or others with my ideas of what should or shouldn't be hung on a wall.

June 10,2010

2011-06-10T07:28:00.000-07:00

First payday in a long time today!
10 more days until the Box has to be delivered!
I am posting pics I took of the box on Weds. but it looks different now! I decided to bring the sky down to half way covering much of the red rock. The animal sketches just weren't right to me. I wanted something more meaningful. So now they will be painted over as the red rock with petroglyphs and there will be cacti along the bottom.
Then I am cutting out oversized "postcards" from wood, painting them to be animals overlapping the backside of postcards with text, and addresses. These will be attached to all four sides with sheet metal screws. They will be addressed to my Dad.
This way I can use indigenous animals and still add another layer of meaning to the scenes. The sky which I used the light blue spray paint to cover the upper red rock you see in these photos will be a night sky with stars, constellations and cosmos type clouds.
So I am posting the older photos and hopefully take more later to show the changes. This will all be sprayed with a High gloss clear coat to really bring out the colors.
Turns out I am one of only a few who is as far along as I am! This is a group of procrastinators!!!
Have a great day..I am off to work.

June 7,2011

2011-06-07T09:12:00.000-07:00

I signed the contract for the library show last night. Celeste from the Sprague Library was funny and efficient and a fan. She decided to keep my little portfolio for a while longer because she liked looking at the colorful images! So I have to have all info..price list, titles,etc. done by Sept. 15 for the advertising. I will deliver 16 pieces by the last week of January, 2012. The show will hang until March 30,2012. They supply the refreshments for my reception and the postcards and some advertising.
Hubby has been cradling boards for me to use for the 12x12 show...I need to start those right away. And of course the box is waiting my paintbrush. Now I am getting a bit nervous that my ideas won't translate, or I will not be able to achieve the look I want because of lack of skill! But I am squashing those thoughts and moving forward!
The weather has finally taken a turn for the better and I am posting pics of the hot air balloons that fly by early Sunday mornings.
Feet are much better, job is good, only hope that my 85 yr. old Mother gets over her latest bout with pneumonia. She has gotten it frequently and her Doctor appears rather unconcerned. I wish I were there to advocate for her but have to trust that my sister will get that done. She can be formidable for a tiny woman!
We have 9 kittens from the mother daughter duo of feral kitties in my Hubby's shed. Almost every color of the rainbow except an ginger tabby. I do so love the ginger tabbies..
Now we have to tame the little beasties as we feed them and hope to gather up the kitty clan for a trip to the discount spay and neuter clinic this summer.
Well I have a lot to do on my 2 days off...have a great week.

June 3, 2011

2011-06-04T07:37:00.000-07:00

The weather has changed for the better. I probably won't get to the studio until Tuesday to work more on the box. I am hoping that I won't be so worn out after my shifts to not get art done..but for now..I crash and burn!
Eating better, already lost a few pounds, found my orthotics for my shoes and hope that makes a big difference. I would hate to have to quit my job over bad feet. I love this little job.
Yesterday I sat on a bench in the sun and sketched a bit. Mostly I just soaked up the rays as I ate lunch. Such a lovely place. And I have said it before but the caliber of people who work here is like no other place I have worked before! If niceness were a disease then these people are definitely infected with it. Not to the point of being cloying..just professional and happy to be where they are. It shows in everything they do. I honestly have never worked with people who love their jobs like this group. And I have worked since I was 12..(do the math).
Yes I wish I could afford to stay home and paint the day away..but this is a very great 2nd!
Are you tired of hearing about this little job? I know..but it is unusual to find so many people happy in their work. And already Shannon, who is with the National Park Service is thinking of stealing me for a ranger job next year!
Wow..I could get a Smokey the Bear Hat and have a 7 month job..I would love it!!! Now I just need to get the physical me in better shape..
I have spent a lot of time thinking of how to finish the box, what to do for my 3 pieces for the Hive Gallery and what to take to Ogden for the Statewide show.
I know many artists use a sketchbook to design their works with but I never got into it much. I mostly work out my art problems in my head. Early mornings are good for that. I have decided that the animal figures for each side of the box will be somewhat stylized and colorful..think Australian Aboriginal styles, or Pacific Northwest Coastal Aboriginal. Recognizable as the animal but colorful and flat. I would have loved to make them separate from the box and attached so shadows form but instead I am going to paint them to appear attached as flat panels against a background of red rock and petroglyphs. The sky section will be done similar to my watercolor mixed media works as a nighttime cosmos scene. It will be busy, colorful and hopefully eye candy for whoever encounters the box on the street. I am itching to get to it.
I want to do the three works for the Hive Gallery as the same sort of animal images and maybe with some collage and mixed media. They have to be 12" x 12". My Hubby has yet to build the cradled panels for those.
As for the Ogden show..I am thinking of taking up my gouache paintings of the Black Dog series. I will post them here..can only take 2.

I hope you all have a great weekend!

May 31, 2011 SUN!!!!

2011-05-31T10:08:00.000-07:00

would you believe that it rained more this month in Utah than ever on record? That said, yesterday..Memorial Day..was cold, wet, miserable.and still we had hikers to go to the cave tour. It was 38 degrees outside and 43 degrees in the cave! Morning tours had to be rescheduled since the rangers had to shovel 2 inches of snow off the trail. What should have started at 7am didn't start until 10:30 am. Going up to work was beautiful..snow at 5000 feet and wet everywhere. The American Fork River is as high as I have ever seen it..angry and brown..it is dangerous. The day before it rained so much they were thinking they might have to evacuate the monument..so we all had to read up on the panic files! Luckily the river did not flood. By the time I went home the sun had come out and everything looked cheery. A far cry from the rest of the day. The brave hikers were wet and tired but happy. I sold some items and answered phones. We had a pot luck for the holiday. I brought my easy peasy pasta salad. We made "Toasties", which were whole grain bread, ham, or roast beef slices, cheese..choice of three..and then toasted in a sandwich press. It was very good.
My feet were some better. I had soaked them in ice water the night before. Yes that sounds terrible..and it is but it helps with inflamation of the tendons.
I took some pics yesterday so I will post them for you to see where I work now. I am a "happy camper" there. Although I would rather be free to do art all of the time..if one has to work..which I do..this is a good way to go.

The new header photo is actually taken from a postcard we sell at the visitor's center. Taken by Alan and Sandy Carey. These are Mountain Goats. Not native to American Fork Canyon, they were introduced in the 1980's to expand their habitat. There were grumblings but they are wonderful to see. We saw one on Saturday way up the canyon wall. A very handsome, agile creature..they have added a lot to the area.

May 28,2011 New Job

2011-05-28T07:58:00.000-07:00

I started my new job officially Thursday. I really love the rangers and the everyone who comes in. There are volunteer cave guides, maintenance guys, rangers, the ranger gals who run the visitors center and the tourists. Already I have met people from Bristol, England, New Jersey, Ecuador, Wisconsin...and the cave trail only opened yesterday for the first time this year.
I have not sold too much out of the store but did spend a lot of time helping the rangers with the phone which rang constantly. People were trying to get reservations for the cave tour.
The biggest problem I have is my feet and legs really scream at me. I get very sore. Hopefully it will go away after a while. I do plan to start hiking the trail as soon as my legs and feet get better. It can be a daily thing. I know it will take me a while to get the whole trail done. It is 1 1/2 miles up and a total 1000 feet vertical. The cave itself is full of stalagtites and stalagmites. There is a lake in it and 3 areas connected by manmade tunnels. The poor tour guide rangers had to use flashlights on many parts of the trail yesterday as some of the lights were not working!!
I will find the website link and photos and show you more later. I feel very proprietary over my canyon and cave!
But it is off to work I go and hoping my fairly new Keen Hiking boots will help my feet feel happy. My son bought them for me last year and they are really comfy.
Have a great weekend everyone and thanks for your supportive comments. I do appreciate them all..even from people like Ryan who can only draw stick figures!!

May 21,2011 Blackhole and Bogs

2011-05-21T18:17:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I turned in my job paperwork. The Forest service people are all so nice and seem happy to have me on board. Monday I will train then Thursday I will start. I think this will be fun!
My art has taken a nosedive! I wonder why I sometimes go for 3 weeks at a time with no impetus to do art. Sometimes it is the foul weather that bogs me down, sometimes it can be having disagreements with the Hubby. It isn't fair to use him as an excuse..although somedays he seems like the blackhole of pessimism and insecurity. Not that he is that way on purpose. So why in 32 years have I not learned how to deal with that?
Some times I feel paralyzed in front of the TV! I have been way too sedentary..so starting the job should help. Also I need to start walking again..forcing myself out of bed early.
Will this help my art? I think so.
What do you do to get out of the doldrums?
I thought having many projects and deadlines would help and I think it will..once I get moving.
I think too I need to take a sketchbook with me to the canyon for slow times. If I force myself to do a page a day for a month will it become the habit I wanted to have?
I think I had hoped to have life all figured out by now. And that seems just as silly as anything I have ever thought!!!
So I have been reading a lot of art books and getting ideas for some experimental techniques to try.
Maybe I need to get the grass out of my little garden and give the iris a boost.
Sigh..seem to be circling that blackhole.

or stuck like this guy

May 19,2011

2011-05-19T10:32:00.000-07:00

Spray painted in the rain yesterday, still raining, glug, glug.
Here is what has been done so far on the Box. Now don't panic..I am really not going for a huge Easter egg effect! I am using these colors to cover up the dreaded white, (you know the feeling a huge sheet of white paper can do to some artists..it can strike fear in the best of us!) Also I learned to use a vibrant color as a background to murals ( a George Sisquieros trick). Once the actual design is painted over the background the painting has a glow imparted by bits of the base color showing through in spots and under transparent glazes. This is the hope that it will happen on this box! Normally I would use only one base color but I decided to try these 3 colors and see what happens! Always an experiment...
The next plan is transferring from drawings, figures to each side. I am placing desert animals indigenous to Utah, then rock art and a celestial cosmos type sky. I am hoping to stylize the animals so they are colorful but still recognizable as the animals they represent. This has me concerned. I have seen it done many times by other artists but never by me! I am wondering how to make a coyote, magpie and Hare colorful, geometric,stylized in a satisfactory way. The lizard is actually the one I am starting with since I have seen many examples of colorful lizards..especially in Latin American art. Any ideas?
But today..I get to run errands and grocery shop..yay for payday. The cupboards are bare and I was wanting to stock up the Ark.
My job is being postponed because of the weather..Thinking I will start next week but not sure when!
I signed up and paid my money to participate in the 12 by 12 show at the Hive Gallery in Salt Lake City. It is a funky little gallery in the Trolley Square complex ( the trolley barns were converted to a mall years ago). The paintings will be due in July and I am trying to think of what to do. I will do 3. Also still working on the interpretation of Isaac's work for September and then the Library show in Feb. I have my work cut out for me!! This is what I wanted..to have deadlines. Oh and

open studio in September and a Plein Air event in Spring City, Utah in September...busy!!!! Yay
Have a great day..don't float away
I am dropping anchor for a while.

May 18,2011

2011-05-18T09:50:00.000-07:00

one and 1/2 inches of rain in my town yesterday and still coming down. Forget doing art..I am building a boat.

May 15, 2011

2011-05-15T11:17:00.000-07:00

I posted some more work on Etsy.
Thanks everyone for your wonderful comments. I don't plan on spending much time on the computer today since it is 80 degrees and wonderful outside!!!!
Here are pics of what I posted for sale. My link to Etsy is at the bottom of my page.
Have a wonderful day today.

May 13,2011

2011-05-13T11:02:00.000-07:00

Today I meet with Eric, the videographer for the City Weekly newspaper. He is keeping a video diary of the artists who are painting the newspaper boxes. Yikes.
Being in front of a camera is not my thing. As you notice..I have my pug, Jesse James as my avatar here! Maybe he could substitute Amy Lee for me.
Oh well..I will grin and bear it. I am including pics of the said box. I sanded and primed it. This way you can see what it is.
Nice day today. I go through periods of wishing I didn't need this job. I would love to be home and at the studio. But the lure of the paycheck will make me go! I know it will be a fun job and it is up my canyon..so that makes it so much more tolerable.
Have a great day.

May 11,2011 good things happen in groups

2011-05-11T21:54:00.000-07:00

I went today up the canyon to meet the forest service people that if I got the job I would be working with. They were all very nice and I thought it went well. An hour later I got the call offering me the job. I will be working as an information assistant..retail clerk for the Timpanogos Cave National Monument store. Selling guides and maps and other things that have to do with the area and the flora and fauna. It is seasonal..end of May to Sept. 4th. Tuesdays and Wednesdays off and 8+ hours a day. But hey a job, a paycheck and hopefully fun meeting with tourists and vacationers. Working in beautiful American Fork Canyon. Yes it is good.
Supposed to get to upper 70's today.
Got my new spectacles yesterday. No more contact lenses. They are now detrimental to my eyes. So cute new specs with progressive bifocal and transition lenses. Looking a bit stylish! Just trying not to trip over my feet!

Have a great day everyone. That is Frankie in the photo..sunning himself