14 Jobs

Not really, but I always exaggerate.

I am working few jobs and feeling little overwhelmed, but very grateful to be doing what I want to be doing. It all started in January. I promised my very understanding, supportive and patient hubby that I would get a paying job if art sales didn't pick up to relieve his very high level of stress about paying the bills. The bills, the bills....

I scoured craigslist for ideas, I applied to substitute teach (which I really didn't want to do at all even though I have a teaching degree), I even called about a job at Smoothie King. I called Art Trends Gallery, Chesterfield arts you name it and I called to see if they needed help. I even offered to paint my brother's house for a few extra bucks. No, no, no was unfortunately the answer I got everywhere. Except subbing (which I really didn't want to do, but would if I had to). Oh and I sold lots of toys on craigslist.

I didn't quite give up the search but I did get distracted by my passion and therapy and went back to making art. I experimented with my necklaces and trees and I made new paintings. The next thing I know, I get a call from Chesterfield Arts because they need a painting/drawing teacher for private lessons, then a class and then a spring break camp and so on. Then Nancy from Art Trends calls to say she needs help one day a week. Perfect, I can do that! Then my necklaces started selling like crazy. Whew! Thank goodness. Those are just my jobs with pay. I am also working at the Gateway Gallery once a month to fulfill my partner duties, and I get to be mom to my cuties. I'd say I clean house too, but that is just laughable.

Then art fair season started. I didn't apply to too many because I didn't have enough money for applications and booth fees since last year was so slooooow. The few that I have done have been wonderful. I feel like there is this amazing positive energy flowing through our lives right now and I am so scared of it ending, but all you can do is enjoy the ride, right? The biggest news to date is that I sold my biggest, most favorite painting to the n-i-c-e-s-t people at the Webster Groves Art Fair. It is a good thing, but I had to say good bye to New Day. It is surely appropriate for her to go to these wonderful people at this time in my life, but I will miss her still.

So I hope you know now that I am not whining, I am celebrating my good fortune. I may be busy, and stressed and overworked, but at least I am still working at what I want to work at. In the beginning I said I just want a job where I can get a paycheck, be home for my kids, and have art in my life. I thought that was a pipe dream. But here we are. I got exactly what I asked for.

Maybe I should ask for a stress free, independently wealthy life, where people beg me to make large paintings for them. I'll keep you posted....

Sleep With and Original...

Painting that is! Here is my latest painting I made for The Gateway Gallery show called Sleeping with an Original: Fine Art for the Bedroom.


This is my painting I made just for the show. It is 24"x48". Truth be told, I really wanted to make this painting and I am lucky it fits with the theme. I titled it Far Away. It makes me feel like I am escaping to a far away place. How much further away can you get than in your dreams! Please come see my newest piece at the Gateway Gallery on June 5th.

Also, don't forget I have new paintings drying in my studio right now for the Art and Air show this weekend. Can't wait for you to see!

The Old Orchard Gallery

This is crunch time. I am trying to complete paintings, update blogs and my web site, make a new painting for the Gateway Gallery reception and plan for my art camp at Chesterfield Arts next week. Oh and did I mention the kids are out of school now? They have been really good and patient with my busy schedule so I can't even complain. In fact, now that I think about it, this should be a at least three blog entries.

This week I delivered four paintings to The Old Orchard Gallery for a preview of exhibiting artists before Art and Air next weekend in Webster Groves. It is a really cute gallery located next to Puddinhead Books right off of Old Orchard Road. I just about needed a crow bar to get my kids out of the books store!

Tonight I am participating in Chesterfield Arts Studio Night Live. I will be facilitating the creation of an abstract painting. Everyone can participate, kids and adults alike. There will even be a Lego contest.

Tomorrow night I will be at the Regional Arts Commission saying goodbye to one of my favorite paintings. The Missouri Coalition for the Environment is having a benefit auction called eARThworks and I donated Digging In. It should be a lot of fun. My cousin Amie is my date and we will surely talk our fool heads off the whole time.

Feeling So Grateful

This is my booth at the Washington Art Fair. My neighbor Nicole Collins let me borrow that black table cloth which I think looks great. Now I need to find some time to make one for myself. I've been spoiled.

So here's the breakdown of the weekend:
Friday: Terrifying because of the weather.
Saturday: Cold, but not scary and decent sales. Thank goodness.
Sunday: Beautiful weather, and I won an award 2nd place in the 2D category and sales were good.

I have debated whether or not to mention sales. I don't want people to think that is the only reason I make art, but it is very important to me to help contribute to my family income. Especially since I take so much of our family's time with my art passion and career. Last year was just so bad for me and this was my first fair of the season. I was really close to throwing in the towel and this weekend has reminded me that people really do value what I make. That is a great feeling.

So I am just so grateful. I am grateful for a paycheck. I am grateful for my grandma bringing me lunch, TWICE! I am grateful for my award, and the great weather on Sunday. I am grateful for Becky the volunteer who stood in ankle deep water with me helping me pack my paintings up in the storm on Friday night. I am grateful for meeting and making a trade with my neighbor Nicole. (I love my earrings!) I am just so grateful for this reawakening of hope that I have.

Obsessed with Trees!

I have been working on a new batch of small trees lately. I just love them with no leaves. I think they each represent certain personality types in people. It's kind of like an informal social analysis. If you were a tree, what kind would you be? Are you a gnarly old windy one, a thin wispy young one, or a thick solid dependable one?

I will post more as I finish them. I am almost there, I just have to frame the rest and then I am finished. Can't wait to show them!

Earth Dwelling

When I was a kid we vacationed in Colorado and Arizona and we saw these amazing homes built by Native Americans in the sides of mountains. (like these and these) The memory of this place has stuck with me all of these years an when I began this painting I knew exactly what it was supposed to be after the first layer of texture. I hope I can visit again now that I am older. It would be such a great experience to solidify these memories I have. If you would like to see this painting in person, it is currently hanging at The Gateway Gallery in Clayton.

Art on the Spot

Art on the Spot turned out to be a really rewarding experience. I was nervous over nothing. In fact, it was so nice to have something to do with my hands instead of wringing them all night while I try to be social. So here is the end product. I was lucky enough to meet and work with Stefanie Kirkland. She was a pleasure to work with and a delight to talk with. We decided almost simultaneously to make our piece monochromatic and everything just flowed after that. I am very happy with the end product. A few people even bid on it! The art work will be up for a month and the auction is open online if you are interested. April at Chesterfield Arts says the pictures should be up by the end of the week if you would like to place a bid.

Cutting Through the Tension

I started this painting at a demo I was giving at the Gateway Gallery at the end of 2008. I finished it a couple weeks ago and I am finally showing it off. It is titled Cutting through the Tension because I made it under duress. Just kidding. I just get really nervous when people watch me work, and this painting is the result. The title seemed fitting considering my emotional state during its creation.

What is even funnier is that tonight I am going to be in the Chesterfield Arts Gallery creating "Art on the Spot". If you get my monthly e-newsletter, you already know about this. Funny, isn't it? That I decided to say yes to this crazy idea of making art in FRONT of people, when my preference is to melt into the background of most events. Guess I am going to try my extrovert on for size tonight. Wish me luck!

Oh yeah and I delivered three new paintings to the Gateway Gallery today for the Caution: Fresh paint reception. Look for these signs tonight at the gallery to find all the new work. Wish I could be in two places at once.

Happy Easter!

Celestial Navigation

This is my one of my newest 16"x12" paintings created in 2009. I don't know if you remember, but I wrote about this painting during its creation in the blog post titled Safe Inside. I am so glad I sanded over that bad name callin' painting from before, because now I have this new painting that I am much happier with. I titled it Celestial Navigation and it is so weird how I came to that title. The painting practically painted itself. There was no conscious decision on what colors or shapes I put where, it just happened. I love that. When I was finished I kept having the word celestial in my head (for obvious reasons) but I didn't want to call it that because it didn't express what this painting meant to me. Then I looked up celestial in the dictionary and found celestial navigation. Which according to Webster's Dictionary means; navigation based on observation of the sun, moon, stars, planets to determine position. What is so cool about this definition is that it is EXACTLY what this painting symbolizes for me. At the time of making this painting I had discovered this web site where I could read my astrological chart and I was doing a lot of thinking about using the universe as my guide in finding my path. I am always searching for answers as to where I should be going in this world. Anyway, this painting is clearly a physical manifestation of one of those serendipitous moments. I don't care how crazy it sounds, that is why I paint.

I Finished My Door!

Here is my door project for the Habitat for Humanity. It was really

fun after I finally found the time to tackle it. I decided to do one of my tree paintings that until now I had only made 4"x6". Big change. It is very simple, but I needed simple at the time. I got really creative and and titled it Tree at Sunset.

It will be auctioned off at the

St. Charles Home and Garden Show the

first weekend in April. I hope that it brings a good amount of money for the Habitat for Humanity. It is such a great cause and I am so grateful to have had the opportunity to serve in some way. I may not

have a lot of money to spare, but I can always share my creativity.

My Bruges Painting

Oh my gosh when are the things on my to do list going to catch up with my life?

Point is...I am just now posting my Bruges painting that has been on exhibit at the Gateway Gallery for a week and a half now. As you might know, I struggled with it but found it to be a very rewarding experience. The gallery was so packed and I think that was because of the idea of 16 artists making their own version of the same image. It was so crowded that someone actually stole one of my necklaces! I almost cried. Big jerk.

Anyway here is my Bruges painting in all of it's glory.

I will be posting more about this exhibit on the Gateway Gallery Blog soon.

Habitat for Humanity's Artful Doors

Last Saturday Mary Beth and I met my mom out in O'Fallon to pick up doors for the Habitat for Humanity Door Project. The project was called to our attention through Evie Shucart and the Women's Caucus for the Arts. The idea is that we artists will paint a door for auction at the St. Charles Home show and the proceeds will benefit the Habitat for Humanity. My door is still sitting in the garage, but I plan to tackle it next week. I am so excited to get started. Here is a link to the video that Susan Weich from STL Today made and an article she wrote. I tried to figure out how to put the video in my post but it wouldn't work for some reason. I am the big dork in the red coat who didn't realize we were being videoed for a newspaper article. Maybe I should have paid better attention.

I can't wait to get started. My ideas keep bouncing from purely decorative, to something for a kids room, to something realistic and pretty. No matter what I know it will be a rewarding experience. I just hope someone bids on it!!!

Storque Article on Etsy

Wow! I was so pleasantly surprised that yesterday Jessica Torrant included one of my paintings "Digging In" in her Storque Article on Etsy. You can see the article here. Thank you so much Jessica!

Studio To Do List

I had a novel thought today. I made a to do list for my work in the studio. I ALWAYS make lists for the office because I lack focus, but it never occurred to me to make one for the studio. (unless I have a major deadline) So today I painted on the sanded over bad name callin' painting and I am just loving it. It has somehow turned into this lovely abstracted sunset or moonrise. Is that a word?

I also worked on my Bruges painting. We (the Gateway Gallery artists) are working on a collaboration of sorts. Greg Matchick has provided each of us with one of his beautiful photographs of Bruges, Belgium called Three Swans in a Canal and we are creating our own pieces inspired by his photo. I am a little intimidated by the project, but I am really enjoying it too. Using his photograph has made me stretch my color muscle in a wonderful way. The painting is very abstract though and I, of course, am already stressing that people will think it is ugly. Oh well, nothing ventured, nothing gained right?

Safe Inside

Today was a good day in the studio. It was short and cold, but good. I decided to finally sand over a painting that has been driving me nuts. It was not so great, then I made it worse, and then I made it worse again. So there it sat for the last nine or so months, looking at me calling me bad names. So I sanded that little smirk right off it's face! Man that felt good. Now I am working on a very interesting surface that isn't calling bad names anymore and I like it. No pictures yet though. I can't show pictures of unfinished work. It's just one of my things.

I can show you this painting though. I don't think I ever wrote about it before. It is sold, but I made a pendant of it and put it on Etsy today.

It is called Safe Inside. It symbolizes that feeling of keeping my family safe inside. No matter how things are getting on the outside. If we are good, nothing else matters. This painting came about when we started going through some tough times financially and what kept us together was how no matter how serious things were, our kids just kept reminding us about what really matters. It seems like if we kept them safe inside our hearts and home, they kept us feeling safe inside ourselves.

Loving My Clean but Cold Studio

I was so excited to finally paint in my clean studio today, I thought I would post pictures. It's not fancy, but it's mine. Ben built me the handy dandy shelf on the wall for my paints which I LOVE. And he hung my new light so I can see better. My only complaint is the COLD. Oh my gosh my nose was running and my fingers were icicles. Even with my new space heater. In spite of the chill, I did manage to make some progress on a painting that has been sitting in my studio for a while. One of those "come back to" paintings. Sometimes they work out and sometimes you just have to cut your losses. I am still holding out faith for this one. It is part of my family series and I just can't give up yet.

One day I will have a beautiful studio with windows and walls and heat and a comfy chair for contemplating my next creation. For now, my contemplating will just have to keep happening in my head , in the car, in the shower, on the computer, on the couch, while I am reading to my kids, during conversation....... you get the picture.

Exciting New Adventure

In January I was invited to be a partner at the Gateway Gallery in Clayton, MO. I was really glad to be invited because I didn't really want to leave when my guest artist exhibition ended. Things just felt right at the gallery. The Gateway Gallery is an artist run gallery and I really like all the partners, not to mention the business potential. I am really optimistic about this new adventure. Where else can I get my own little spot of real estate in the heart of Clayton? So for now, this is my newest endeavor and tonight marks my first reception at the gallery as a new partner. We will be welcoming guests to come view our artwork from 6-9 this evening. We are located at 7921 Forsyth Blvd. in Clayton, MO 63105. There is also valet parking available, which is awesome, and it only cost $4. You can't beat that with a stick! I think I might bring my new necklaces to the gallery if you would like to come see them.

These are some of my newest little pendants I have made. I have really been struggling with the pictures for Etsy, but I have shot and re-shot them. They are really so cute in person.

I have had people asking me if I am making jewelry now. No, I just got distracted. They are just so fun and cool and I love to wear them and once again they satisfy my need to make something little. Truth be told, my studio was a wreck and freezing cold and I just didn't want to be in it lately. That has all changed now......I think I will save that for another entry though.

Answering Interview Questions

About a month or so ago Tammy Tutterow from stlhandmade.com contacted me and asked if I would be interested in being a featured artist. Ummm, let me think....YES! Being the procrastinator that I am, I let EVERYTHING get in the way before I started. Today I finally sat down to answer the questions. Answering questions about yourself is very hard, but I think I did ok. It was a little easier after listing my 25 random things about me on Facebook. Apparently it takes a while before they can feature me because they are backed up, so I will happily announce when they post my little interview. (could be months)

If you get the chance you should check out the web site. It is really cute and well done. There is a wealth of information for artists and crafters and quite a few lessons to be learned about e-marketing. And now I am following them on twitter.

Oh it's so embarrassing to go for so long without posting! I have been writing blog posts in my head for weeks, but none have actually made it to the computer. Happy New Year by the way! I have been busy applying for a substitute teaching job to supplement my art income. Thank you economy. We have been having fun too though. Quincy and Ben went to the Girl Scouts' Daddy Daughter Dance this Friday. So cute. Ben wore a tux!

Before that, Max was in the Boy Scout's Pinewood Derby. He got 2nd place in the Webelos. His car is the green one with silver stripes.

Last night we had our annual Super Bowl party with The Boone's. Way too much food, but we had lots of fun. When everyone left, Quincy said the Super Bowl should be on a Saturday so we could sleep in the next day. I agree!

Last but not least, I have been working on these new little pendants. They are for sale on Etsy for $25. I have already sold one (Thank you Marian!) I am in the process of making more and taking pictures and posting them. They made from small reproductions of my original paintings. Hope you like!

Lust For Life

This is a large painting I made at the beginning of art fair season. I wish my picture was better so you could see more detail. I have never written about it because I have had the hardest time putting words to its meaning. Through good conversation and by special request, I have decided to give it a try so please forgive me for bumbling a bit. The title of the painting comes from the movie about Vincent Van Gogh called Lust For Life. Kirk Douglas plays Van Gogh and it is just a really compelling movie. Makes me feel lucky that I am only a mildly tortured soul. On the surface of my painting, literally, is deep texture and this is certainly something I learned to love from looking at Van Gogh paintings. My other reasons for borrowing this title are personal. I think we can all be guilty of letting the little things keep us from remembering what a gift life is. I am especially guilty of this. I forget and focus on the negative, get rushed and forget the journey. Shame on me! This painting serves as a reminder to live life with passion. The red and yellow vibrate against each other like no other colors can. The various colors illuminating through are symbolic of the complexities of life but the red and yellow take over in an undying effort to inject positive energy into our lives. The textured lines that separate the two colors are my way of creating a feeling of unbalance. We get too comfortable and lazy when things are perfectly balanced. The scratch marks through these raised lines are symbolic of gripping with your fingernails at the only life we ever get. If we don't dig in and enjoy it, it will pass us by. What a travesty that would be.

My Magnets are #1 on Tim Adams Blog!

Tim Adams of Timothy Adams Design on Etsy chose my little magnets for the number one spot on his blog. I don't think he has them posted on his blog yet, but I assume it is coming. I saw his genius marketing scheme this morning on twitter and decided to play. I am so glad I did. Now let's keep our fingers crossed for a sale! They are on sale for half price until Christmas. Love his jewelry by the way. You should check it out.

A Story

The whole time I was writing about my painting Not What They Seem I was thinking about this story my great aunt told us a while back. I decided to share it.

She was driving down the road with her daughter in the back seat. She looks over and sees this woman who is visibly angry. She is pointing and throwing a real fit at my aunt. My aunt continues to drive and parks where she was planning to shop. The woman in the other car follows her into the parking lot and gets out of her car heading towards my aunt's car. My aunt jumps our of her car with her hands up saying "Stop right there, I know what you are upset about and I can explain." The woman stops to listen and my aunt says "I bet you are mad because my daughter flipped you the bird." (you know showed her middle finger) The lady, still quite upset says " Yes that is what I am mad about!" My aunt says, " I'm sorry, my twenty year old daughter is mentally retarded with the mind of a four year old and she has begun doing this to everyone who passes in the car. It is very embarrassing but we can't seem to get her to quit yet." The woman burst into tears and apologized profusely.

This just proves a great point that things are not always what they seem. Ever since my aunt told us that story, I try to keep an open mind about how things seem. Being less judgemental leads to thinking outside of the box. A wonderfully creative way to live!

Not What They Seem

This is my newest 16" x 24" painting titled Not What they Seem. I always try to give my paintings depth. They are abstract, but I'd like to think they give a feeling of some type of an actual setting. Kind of a fantasy world. A place you could enter if wanted to. Visually, things are not what they seem and I love this happening in the world too. I love when we are surprised by something not being what we thought it was. It reminds us to open our minds and see things another way. How boring the world would be if we all saw things the same way....

Pajamas

So I was shopping for PJ's today. I have decided that it was time for me to wear real pajamas to bed. I have always worn old T-shirts. I am sure this is too much information but whatever... I had a gift certificate so I decided that was what I would buy. Sleepwear. That's when I had my revelation. I think we become cartoon versions of ourselves when purchasing sleepwear. (Unless we are in a new relationship....then we become the romantic or sexy movie version of ourselves). Anyway, to prove my point, I bought flannel zebra print pajama bottoms. I have never been a zebra print kinda girl but they are in my room right this minute waiting to be washed. It's like our PJ's are a reflection of our alter ego. The other jammie bottoms are lavender stripes. What? I am also NOT a girlie girl. So there ya go. I am sure there is some type of social experiment that can be done about PJ's and our alter egos. So what do those crazy poodle jammies mean?

What do your jammies say about you?

BTW "Jammies" is one of three words that came on with children that I will probably never be able to stop saying. The other two are "potty" (I know it is sad) and "night night" (even to grown-ups).

Trees! More Trees!

Remember those trees I keep talking about? Well I am finally finished with three. I named them Warm Solitude, Hello Winter, and Ghostly Tree. I have posted them on Etsy for $28 right now. They have kind of been my night time project. It's that working with something little thing. It's been very enjoyable for me. I hope to make more soon.

I also want to thank everyone who came to the Gateway Gallery on Friday night. It turned out to be a great success. There was a great turn out and Ben and I enjoyed our date "date night". If you didn't get a chance to stop by, my work will be there until January 3, 2009 minus the ones that have sold!

The Gateway Gallery

On Sunday I went to Clayton to hang 21 paintings in the Gateway Gallery. I had a bad attitude for some reason before I went but it turned out to be really nice. The other artists there are just lovely people and I think my space turned out great. They even gave me a fancy smancy name sign! This Friday, November 21, 2008 there is an artist reception from 6-9. I made two new paintings for the show and I have some fairly new paintings that not too many St. Louisans have seen so I am looking forward to it. I am hoping to make some sales so I can avoid substitute teaching for a bit longer!

I decided to add my Little Gems to my holiday sale on etsy. They are now $28 a piece and $25 each if you buy multiples. If the one you want isn't on sale yet, please e-mail me and I will change it for you. I can't wait to show you my little trees, but it is taking me a while to get them finished. Too many irons in the fire!

Stocking Stuffers

I am having a sale on my little magnets. They are half price until Christmas. I thought they would make cute little stocking stuffers. You can buy them either 2 or 4 at a time. I put each one in a small zip lock bag, wrap them in tissue paper and will ship them the day you order in most circumstances.


Stay tuned because I am posting more each day!

Twitter

Oh my gosh, just when you thought you couldn't allow any more distractions into your life! I joined Twitter. I am not sure I can even explain it. You just have to go see it. It is like Facebook on crack. So if you want to join me, come see at https://twitter.com/heatherhaymart. You can follow me, I can follow you, we can follow others, it's crazy!

Oh and guess what? After much obsession, I finally made not one, but two sales last week on Etsy! My first two sales and both within three days of each other. I sold my Falling for Trees painting to Sharon (an artist friend of mine). Thank you Sharon! and I sold Rising to the Top to Leah in Cambridge, MA. I packed that painting so well I bet it takes her an hour to open it! Thank you Leah!

I have more tree paintings in the works, so hopefully I can post one in a couple days.

Better Times

This painting is called Better Times. It makes me want to go to the beach right now!

Falling for Trees

I always get obsessed with trees at this time of year. How can we not? I love them with the leaves off though. Then you can see the beautiful branches more clearly. Here is a little tree I finished yesterday. It is 6"x4" and it costs $28 for now.

Happy Halloween by the way! I am about to head up to my kids school for a fall party. They are so excited about tonight. Quincy is going to be a witch this year and Max is going to be a prisoner. Here is a picture from our pumpkin hunting day.

Happy candy consumption!

The Postcard Series

Today I am introducing my new Postcard Series. I have had this idea brewing for quite some time. Just ask Ben and Amie and Mary Beth and my mom. I get these ideas and then I let EVERYTHING stop me from starting. Well, I finally did it. I have made three lovely little paintings and I have posted them on Etsy today. My first painting is of St. Louis, MO of course, because that is my home town.

The Postcard Series are little 4" x 6" paintings of various destinations for only $30 a piece. They still have my abstract, textural, colorful touch, but I decided to add a simple painting of a city skyline to them. I love the idea of bringing home a memento from my travels, but I can never find just the right thing. I always love the postcards, but eventually they get bent or shoved in a drawer somewhere. This small piece of art commemorating a certain city or town would appeal to me because it is more permanent and special. They also make a lovely gift for someone to remind them of home, or to celebrate a honeymoon, the possibilities are endless.

I would like to make these as custom art work for anyone who is interested. All you have to do is e-mail me at heather@heatherhaymart.com and we can work out the details. I would be happy to work from one of your photos or one of mine. Size and subject matter can vary. I am happy to make them bigger, smaller, framed or unframed. Of course the ideas just keep going so now I plan to paint houses and trees and if anyone has a great barn picture I would love to do a barn for you!

I painted Chicago, IL because I spent so much time there during this fair season.

I painted Seattle because I was lucky enough to visit there a couple times and if I wanted to move away from my family, I think I would move there.

FREE SHIPPING TO MY FIRST SALE ON ETSY!

Road Trip Daydream

Do you ever stare out the window of your car while you are traveling? Here in the Midwest there are so many fields of green and beautiful blue skies to see while flying down the highway. I always have these amazing fantasies about moving out to the country and living off the land. I don't think my suburban life style of daisies, baseball and school parties would permit it yet, but maybe one day.....

This 16" x 24" painting is for sale for at Art Trends Gallery in Chesterfield, MO. They are having an opening reception as a part of the First Annual Chesterfield Art Gallery Hop this Friday October 24, from 5-9. Go to www.arttrendsgallery.net for more details.

For the Girls

Well as you all know, October is breast cancer awareness month here in the US. For many of us every month is breast cancer awareness month because we have unfortunately been touched by it personally through our families or ourselves. In my experience, my grandmother and my mother are survivors. Last week my mom sent me a copy of a speech she gave in Washington, MO. My adorable grandma somehow roped her into it (she's connected to the hospital by volunteering). I am grateful because then I got to read the speech, which I thought was very good. I think it is worth the post not just for personal reasons, but to encourage women to follow their instincts and stick to their guns.

It is long, but worth the read. The last paragraph gets me every time.

Here it is if you are interested. :
"In 2003 when my mom learned that she had breast cancer she took it on just as she does most everything in her life. No hysteria or whining, she just rolled up her sleeves and went to work. She began gathering information on the disease and what her options were. I went with her on a couple of her learning expeditions and was blown away with how she dissected all the information then methodically sorted it all out and made her final decision as to which treatment would best suit her. She was amazing through the entire ordeal. So much so, that just 3 months after her final surgery she and my dad hopped on a plane to go visit with my aunt & uncle in San Jose, CA. From that moment on she began to get on with the rest of her life.

On April 12, 2004, while my mom and dad were away on their vacation to California I had an appointment for my yearly mammogram. This came at a very busy time for me because my husband and I were just in the process of launching our new company Wood Icing, for which we manufacture a faux finish product for the resurfacing of furniture and cabinetry. We had lots of plans to travel coming up and I just did not want to take the time.

So, I probably would have blown it off, if I could have, but the fact of the matter was that my Gynecologist would not renew my prescription for my “Hormone Replacement Pills,” unless I had my yearly mammogram done. (You wouldn’t have wanted to know me without those drugs). But she made no exceptions about her rules. She was a real stickler about it, which I found to be quite annoying and inconvenient at times.

And besides, my mother would have skinned me alive if I blew off that appointment.

Quite honestly, I really did not concern myself with the possibility of contracting breast cancer. It was just a fluke that my mom had come down with it. We had no history of it in our family and besides the general consensus was that the older you get the better chance you have of getting breast cancer. So I really just crossed it out of my mind.
But, as luck would have it about a week after that mammogram, my gynecologist called to say that I needed to come back for a closer look because they noticed an abnormality on my mammogram. Apparently the spot in question was there in the previous year’s mammogram and therefore that was reason enough for a better look see. My doctor really down played the whole thing, saying she was confident that this would turn out to be nothing, but better safe than sorry.

For moral support, my husband went with me for the second mammogram. This would enlarge the picture so they could get a closer and clearer picture of what they were looking at. The nurse showed me the x-ray and the area of concern. I thought it looked just like 5 or 6 little white specks of salt. She explained that the radiologist would take a look at it and they would let me know the results immediately.

After a while I was called back into the room and the radiologist explained that the spot had not grown a significant amount since last year’s mammogram. He showed me in the x-ray how it appeared that these little tiny specks looked as though they were actually in a vein in my breast. His opinion was we are probably just looking at some calcium deposits in my vein. He suggested we just keep an eye on it and I should come back in 6 month for another mammogram. He said he sees this “day in and day out” and he was 99% sure that this was not a matter of concern.

Now while I was tuning him out I was thinking about my friend Terry who had procrastinated having her mammogram for two years prior to being diagnosed with breast cancer. Terry lost her battle with breast cancer five years later. But what came to my mind at this moment, was the day she came into my beauty salon while she was still battling breast cancer herself and was very upset because her 37 yr old daughter had found a lump in her breast and had just been diagnosed with breast cancer too. But in addition to this sad news, what Terry most wanted me to know was that the doctors had told her daughter that in their opinion the lump in her breast was probably nothing to worry about and they would just keep an eye on it and take a look it again in 6 months. Fortunately, Terry’s daughter insisted on a biopsy and they would treat her cancer before it had a chance to spread any further.

While the radiologist was talking it was as though Terry was tapping me on the shoulder, reminding me to stand my ground and insist on that biopsy. So I did. I said to the radiologist “I hear what you are saying and I want to believe you are absolutely correct in your beliefs, but I am afraid I need you to prove this to me with a biopsy” He was wonderful about it and immediately had the nurses begin the process of getting me scheduled for that.

About halfway into this, a nurse came in and said that my gynecologist would like to speak to me before they could schedule this biopsy. As luck would have it her office was located adjacent to the hospital, so my husband and I walked over to speak with her. Once we were in her office she reiterated what the radiologist had said earlier and her concern was that it was an unnecessary procedure, when it was clear to them that this was most likely calcium deposits in my vein and there could be a bit of bleeding going on as a result of the biopsy. We went back and forth in this conversation a bit and I could feel her exasperation with my stubbornness, and as a matter of fact, I did begin to feel foolish for insisting on this.

Fortunately for me and unfortunately for my husband he made the near fatal mistake of asking me if I was sure I wanted to have this done right now and did I want to consider waiting, as the doctor suggests. Needless to say, if looks could kill he would have been dead right on the spot. The doctor caught that look between us and threw up her hands and said “well if you want this we will just get it done for you.” I was sent a bill for $70 for that unwelcome office visit.

Two weeks later my doctor called me at home with the results of the biopsy. It was a positive result for breast cancer. This was for sure the one time in my life I did not relish saying “I told you so”.

As I understand it 2 of those little specs of salt were effected, one was an Invasive ductal carcinoma and one was Ductal carcinoma In-situ. That sounds like a lot of jibberish when you hear it for the first time. But what I found out later that the most compelling word in this for me was the word Invasive. Fortunately, as we found out later, it had not spread to my lymph nodes at this point.

I still question the “What if, I had waited the 6 months as recommended “How advanced would this have become? Would it have already spread to my lymph nodes? There is no way to know for sure. But what we do know is the earlier you catch breast cancer the better chance you have for survival.

In summary, I am so grateful to have had my mother there with me to share her experience with breast cancer and helping me to make what would prove to be some of the most difficult decisions I have ever had to make in my entire life.

I am also grateful that my gynecologist insisted on those mammograms every year and stuck to her guns on it without cutting any slack. I will give her the benefit of the doubt on trying to talk me out of the ever important biopsy. Perhaps that is part of her obligation to the insurance company to thwart off unnecessary tests and procedures.

But I am most grateful for having known Terry and for her sharing the story about her daughter’s ordeal.
Which is why I am speaking here today, I wanted to share Terry’s and my story with you, so that if you ever have the misfortune to be in this same place, you will feel Terry tapping you on your left shoulder and me tapping you on your right shoulder. And hopefully this will give you the courage to show up for that mammogram and stand your ground on that biopsy."

By Rose (my mom)

So if this inspires you, my very close friend in Arizona is walking the 3-Day for Breast Cancer. If you would like to contribute money to the cause she could use the help. She is only half way to her goal.

Click here to donate:

http://www.the3day.org/site/TR?px=1221734&fr_id=1180&pg=personal

My Little Magnets

The kiddos are home from school today so we are planning to decorate for halloween and getting costumes. I thought I would make a quick post about my little Magnets that I put on Etsy. Hope you like them!

The Fire is Back

Back in July I met this man named George in Orland Park, IL. He walked into my booth and said, "I have been looking all over for you!" I didn't quite know what to say. He went on to say he has been through the entire fair and finally found what he was looking for. Whew! That means he likes my work. (you never know where these conversations can go) In truth, I didn't have exactly what he was looking for, but he picked out one of my Little Gems and said he wanted one similar to it with this and that change. Well he hasn't hired me to make that painting, but I just love a good challenge, so I decided to make it anyway. It was such a rewarding experience and it pushed me to make a painting that I am very happy with. I titled it The Fire is Back because that is how it made me feel. I think I must have been in this unconscious slump and after I made this painting I felt like my creativity was reignited. Thanks George, I needed that.

A Couple Observations

Max's fourth grade class has been getting to go on field trips to the St. Louis Art Museum. They are going once a week in September for four weeks. Yesterday I joined the class as a parent helper. Yep, that means I rode a school bus yesterday. Anyway, I am just so happy with this program that apparently the Art Museum offers for free. So my observations was this....On the first field trip Max (my nine year old) told me how everyone was giggling about the naked man statues. What I noticed yesterday was that as the kids walked passed two statues of naked women, not one of them even flinched. Not a stare or a comment, not a giggle or a point. I mentioned to my friend Angie how interesting it is that they are so "uncomfortable" with seeing a naked man but not naked women. I just thought that was a very interesting comment on our society.

My other observation/advice; don't do your taxes while your son practices violin. Leads to unpleasant side affects.

I am taking photos of my newest work finally today so if I can, I will post something new later!

Obstacles Wont Block My Way

I finished this 24"x32" painting last week and I have barely gotten to show it off so I am excited to post it today. This painting is all about the perseverance that comes with being an artist. It seems like there can be so many road blocks along the way, but we still keep plodding along creating and hoping that our work will connect with someone. I have hung it on my wall in my living room for now and I have really been enjoying living with it. I reminds me to keep going no matter what.

Rained Out

I really think that Lakeview had some great potential, but the weekend was a total bust. It was raining on the drive up, rained during set up and rained all the way home. Sunday was cancelled due to rain and high winds from Ike and I came home $1200 in the hole. This business is a gamble and I know that, but man, I was hoping for better.

So this is why I am lucky. On Friday after setup, Ben and I got to go out to eat at this fantastic Mexican restaurant called El Mariachi's. It was so cute and just a hop skip and not even a jump to the hotel. The front was open and we could watch the people and the rain while we ate and had margaritas. Best taco I ever had....I swear. Pueblo Solis on Hampton is a close second.

Other reasons I am lucky; The Lakeview East Fair people were great. They fed us a great breakfast and a great awards dinner on Saturday night and they invited all of us artists to come back next year jury free. That saves us about $35 bucks and some time and effort. And I got to come home to my house safe and warm. This makes me really feel for all of the displaced people here in Missouri and in Galveston, TX. My bad weekend pales in comparison.

Besides, I am pretty sure I saved Chicago at least 1 inch of rain because I brought it home in my tent! It is out on my deck drying today in the sun.

Oh and I am amazed at how many people actually did come out to support the fair this weekend. They came out with their umbrellas, and cute rubber boots just to come see our art. What a great community.

Lakeview East

Well, this weekend marks the last fair of my season. I hear that it is a really great fair to participate in so I am super excited. I have been working on some new paintings and I am really happy with them. They're kind of like to Noah's Arc of painting. I made two of a every size. I will have to post pictures when I get back because I should be packing the van right now! I'll check back in Monday if my art fair hangover isn't too bad!

I Love Mondays!

I know, Mondays aren't popular, but I love them anyway. At least most of the time. Mondays are my day to start fresh and to make up for lost time from the previous week. I feel like the week is full of possibilities on Monday. Coincidentally, I was listening to Morning Coach this morning and they were talking about just that topic so I decided I needed to share this with you. Ben and I found MorningCoach.com while we were looking for some motivational podcasts on itunes. We have been listening to it on and off for about two or three weeks now. I really like it. Sometimes my little head can go down the dark road and stay there for a while, so I decided to lighten my way just a little by listening to some positive people. It is only 15 minutes a day and its free. Can't beat that with a stick right? So if you are looking for some type of motivation (personal or in your career) check them out. You can click here for a link to their web site.


On another topic, my mom, Quincy and I went to the St. Louis Art Fair and the Schlafley Art Fair yesterday and we had a great time. Quincy cracked me up because as were were getting our jackets to carry with us I noticed her pockets were really full. Upon inspection I found two dirty socks that were obviously wet at some point and a half eaten cheese stick. Yum! I just love and am irritated by this special little characteristic about my daughter. She will shove anything anywhere anytime that suits her. That explains the skirt my grandma made her being shoved in a vase in my buffet for three months, and the dried up crusty brownie she had stashed under some books in her nightstand. Gotta love her.


And I am so excited about Etsy! Yesterday I found out that I am in two treasuries. This means that somebody included two of my paintings in two different groups of work in the hopes that they will make the front page of etsy. What a complement! Wish us luck!

This was one of the paintings. It is one of my Little Gems.

Finally on Etsy!

Well, it took me a while, but I am finally on Etsy. In case you have never heard of it before, I am talking about Etsy.com. It is an online store where you can find just about any hand made item you can think of. Be careful, it is addictive! I bought an Eye Spy flying saucer toy from The Greathouse Women for my nephew a month ago and now every time I need a gift, I check out Etsy first. I love the idea of supporting people who are trying to make a living like I am making hand made things. Makes me feel good.

So far, I have posted three of my new Little Gems. If you would like to see my store just click http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=6065781 and you will be there. As you know, my Little Gems are 4"x6" hangable frameable original pieces of art. I am selling them for $30 a piece plus shipping. You can pay through paypal, check or money order. If you order through Etsy, you have to register with them, but they never send spam or anything so don't worry. Please check in often because I will be posting new paintings every day.

Thanks Amie for coaching me through and telling me about Etsy! Check out Amie's store at http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5053411. Her jewelry is amazing!!!

School Year Resolution

My friend Tracy and I were talking about how for moms, the real new year begins in August when school starts. That's when we think we will get in shape, get organized and start everything fresh. The real New year's Eve in January is just an excuse for a party if we are lucky enough to get babysitting. So anyway, I am feeling pretty good about my resolutions so far. The day goes really fast but it is an amazing feeling to have my brain all to myself for six and a half hours five days a week. Every day when Quincy leaves she says, "Bye Mom, see you in six hours!" She is having the best time. Max is playing violin and loves to complain about school but actually likes it deep down.

I feel good because I have cleaned out the laundry room for the kids to put their things after school. Max says, "Oh good now there wont be an avalanche any more." I can always count on him to to tell it like it is. I also cleaned my studio and started two new paintings. They are 16" x 24" and inspired by some pictures I took on our drive to Geneva, IL a few weeks back. I am a week late on sending my monthly newsletter for August, so I am working on that next. Little by little I am crossing the things off my list that have been driving me insane, but some how I still manage to put off doing my sales taxes since May! What's one more month right?

No pictures today, sorry...I hope to show you something new and pretty very soon.

Empty Nest

Today is the beginning of a new era for me. I know "empty nest" is usually reserved for parents who's children have left for college, but my nest feels empty too. Even if it is for just 6 1/2 hours a day. I have been staying home with my children since my oldest (Max) turned 9 months old and he is nine now. What made it official is that my 6 year old (Quincy) is going into first grade this year. I am so excited to have a some freedom and work with less interruptions, but I feel a little like I am trying to swim without a life jacket for the first time. It is very strange and very quiet. I hope I can live up to the visions of productivity I have in my mind. If so, my life should get so organized, my paintings should get worked on during normal hours of the day, my house should be clean and my laundry done. Not to mention I will see all the art shows I care to see and I will nurture my social life a little more. Lofty expectations? Maybe, but you can't blame a girl for dreaming.

Art In Your Eye

This weekend I will be in the art fair in Batavia, IL. It is an Erin Melloy production and she does an excellent job running a fair. She takes great care of the artists, has good communication, is organized, I could go on and on. This fair is right next door to where I did the Geneva Art Fair two weeks ago where the art work was really top notch. Art in You Eye has a great awards program so I am keeping my fingers crossed. I am looking forward to seeing the art at this fair because only award winning artist were considered for jurying. This is also my first chance to show off my new hangable Little Gems. Can't wait!

Art St. Louis Exhibit

Remember Susan and Elizabeth from the Venus Envy exhibit at Mad Art earlier this year? Well she's finally getting her moment in the spotlight at America the Beautiful and Beyond at Art St. Louis this weekend and for the next six weeks. "This exhibit was juried from the actual artworks with 93 St. Louis regional artists submitting 152 artworks for the jurors’ consideration. From the 152 artworks, Purlee & Weiss selected 49 works by 44 Missouri & Illinois artists for the exhibition."

For this show I decided to change the title of the painting to "Use it or Lose It". The meaning of the painting stays the same, but it just didn't seem to make sense to keep it titled Elizabeth and Susan when it is out of context. (Meaning not in the group of paintings I made for the Venus Envy Exhibit.) The painting serves as a wake up call for everyone in this country to be more pro-active and use our right to vote, or we might just lose that right.

If you are interested in seeing it and some other great works of art please go down to the new Art St. Louis Gallery on Washington Avenue this weekend. The opening reception is this Saturday, August 9 from 6-8 PM. Unfortunately, I wont get to go because I will be in Batavia, IL this weekend for Art in Your Eye. I will post more about that tomorrow if I get a chance.

No More Plastic Bags!

I am sure that most people are ahead of me in this arena, but I am finally catching on. My friend Carmen sent this little slide show to me and it made me aware of something I didn't know before. I thought I was doing pretty good because I was recycling my plastic bags (from the grocery etc.) but what I found out was that it costs more to recycle a plastic bag than it does to make one. I found out that China and Rwanda and San Francisco banned plastic bags. I am not waiting until Missourians decide to ban them (we could wait forever) so yesterday I bought three reusable Trader Joe's bags for .99 cents each (because that was where I was). Next time I do the big shopping trip at Shop N Save I will buy their reusable bags for $1 for two bags. Then I will just keep them in the car for future use. Easy smeasy! Why did I take so long?!?!?!

On an art related note....I have been busy busy busy making more Little Gems. I can't wait to show you. I have made them hangable now so you can frame them or hang them as is. They are so cool. I plan to put them on Etsy as soon as I can finish them and take pictures.

Anxiety Box

This is the painting I made for the Open Studios Preview Party at the Contemporary Art Museum - STL. It was pretty popular at the Starving Artist BBQ, but no takers yet. It is the first in a new direction my work seems to be taking. Unfortunately, I made it under emotional duress. Sometimes I just have more anxiety than I know what to do with and thank goodness I have painting. For me this painting represents that feeling of being trapped by my emotions, when everyone else seems to be coping just fine with life's little obstacles. The box in the middle is my window of hope. I've been there, I know it is good. I'll just have to paint my way out of the box.

Nar Bought My Car

So....I've had better weekends. The Orland Park Art fair was ok. The best part was that a bunch of my collectors came to visit me. It was so nice to see them again and they just made me feel so good about my art work. Just super nice people. Thank you so much for coming!

Now for the worst part. Technically, it started when my cousin Amie's tent (we carpooled to save money, HA!) was destroyed by the wind on Saturday morning, but we still managed to "celebrate" that evening with too much red wine, which probably amplified our BAD Sunday. Fast forward to the ride home...you guessed it, my car died. We were going 75mph in the fast lane and all of the sudden I felt some vibrating and the cugugh! (sound effects are hard to spell). We assumed a tire blew, but oh no it was much worse. This is when the search for a tow truck ensued. (My roadside assistance didn't completely assist me.) We mostly got scared when it got dark, the battery died from the flashers and we imagined sleeping in the van for the night. Luckily, two and a half hours later we got a tow. He took us to a Chrysler Dealer miraculously near by and then took us to Super 8 in Dwight, IL to stay for the night.

The next day we had to check out of the Super 8 and spent the day at Pete's Diner where we stayed long enough for breakfast and lunch. This is where I finally got the news that my $4000 minivan needed a $3131.50 transmission and we would have to wait a day or two for the transmission to get there. I made him repeat the price three times because I was trying so hard to make the price be 31 dollars, 31 cents and 5o somethings. After a few tears in the bathroom, I pulled it together and we made a plan. Ben borrowed my dad's truck and drove four hours to get us and our van full of stuff. We finally left Pete's Diner with no place to go after lunch. The nice ladies at the Super 8 let us hang out in their lobby for the last few hours of our wait after we gave up on sitting in the parking lot against the building.

Nearly 24 hours later, the story ends with Ben and I striking a pathetic deal with Nar (the mechanic). We got a whopping $300 for our van. It served us well but certainly left us with a bad taste. We mangaed to fit all of our stuff in my dad's truck and just barely fit our selves. Goodbye Dwight, IL and crappy white minivan.....I wont miss you.

I told my friend Tracy the story and she said you were Stuck in Indianapolis! A great song by The Bottle Rockets. I couldn't resist substituting in my own words. "Can't go west, can't go east, I'm stuck in Dwight, IL with a transmission that's deceased." You can hear the rest of the song HERE.

Please forgive my way too long blog entry, but I just couldn't resist reporting our big adventure. On a more art related note, thanks to my dear friend Mary Beth, I will be participating in the Open Studios event at the Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis this Sunday from 10-4. Mary Beth was kind enough to take care of surveying the alternative space on Monday while I was stranded in D-Wight, IL and she is sharing her truck to help me take my things down to the alternative space. Please come down and see some great art work and artists!

The Opening

This little guy has been in my studio on my easel for almost a year now. Every time someone comes in and sees it they like it, but I could never call it done. I don't know why, then today I walked into my studio and he looked ready to go. No explanation, nothing he just looked ready. I am calling this one The Opening. I think it looks a lot like the opening of a cave or a mouth with big teeth. Either way, the title and the imagery is a metaphor for that moment you get with a person when they open up just a little and let you in. It is also that moment when you are the one opening up and you catch a glimpse of what is like to share you self without being guarded.

I should also take this opportunity to let you all know that I will be visiting the lovely town of Orland Park, Illinois for an art fair. This was my best show last year and I am so excited to go back. After a year goes by you start thinking was it all just a dream? I met such wonderful people who really connected with my paintings and I hope at least one decides to come say hello.

Tete a Tete

This next painting I wanted to show you is called Tete a Tete (French for head to head). It means a private conversation between two people. I know no one would get this by simply looking at the painting, but that is what I love about working abstractly. I can speak in my own language that no one else knows. If I choose to I can translate my paintings for you, but I don't have to for you to connect with them. That is one of the most exciting things for me. I can make a painting that has a certain story or meaning and then almost magically the right person is drawn to that painting.

In this 32"x24" painting I consider the two green areas in each corner the "heads". The variety of colors in between the green areas represent the energy that flows and clashes between two people when they have a conversation. In the top green section there are little squares. These are the things that people hold back or hide from other people about themselves. The little squares on the bottom of the lower green section symbolized the type of person who puts everything out there for the world to see. Participating in and observing these types of interactions between two people is so fascinating to me. Open people seem so vulnerable to me and closed people seem so hard and the beauty of it is that they tend to be drawn to each other. It is as if they are there to help each other see the other side.

Life's Little Curves

My Chix trip was great but unfortunately, I hit the ground running when I got home on Sunday. I found out that my mom went to the hospital Saturday night for stomach pain and getting sick to her stomach. It has been a series of waiting and "I don't knows". We are hopeful to get some real answers today. This morning she said she is hallucinating about food because she hasn't been able to eat any real food since Saturday. She always seems to keep a sense of humor in these types of situations.

That is the thing about being my own boss and being a creative. I am lucky enough to be able to rearrange my schedule to be at the hospital as often as possible because I want to hear what the doctors say when they finally bless us with their presence. I couldn't even think about painting right now but it is in the back of mind. I have deadlines and I feel so overwhelmed. It will all work out though, one way or another.

Since I don't have any pictures, I will end with a funny story about my kids. Quincy and Max were arguing over something in the bathroom so I stepped in and asked what was the problem. Quincy, while crying says "I was singing and Max complemented me.....In a mean way!" I wanted to say, "That would be an insult honey." I couldn't stop laughing to get it out of my mouth which made everything worse of course. It is terrible, but every time she gets really upset, I get the uncontrollable giggles.

Good Times

This painting reminds me of my friend Wendy. She always says "Good Times" sarcastically about something not exactly fun. Like getting a bad haircut. When I used it with this painting though I am referring to actual good times. This painting just looks and feels like a party with people and confetti. And it was fun to do!

Speaking of fun, this weekend I am looking forward to my annual Chix in the Stix camping trip. About 15 of my girlfriends and I go camping for a weekend once a year. The day after Chix we start planning for the next one. It's just a big party with lots of girl talk and sometimes a little drama. We used to float, but now we have gotten lazy and we just drag our chairs and coolers down to the river and sit and chat all day. Usually a rousing game of Catch Phrase gets going which fits in perfectly with our sitting in a circle of chairs plan. Here is a picture from our first trip we took....I don't even remember when. Maybe 5 years ago? That's my Wiley dog on the right. I think three of us had our batteries go dead and needed a jump because we played our radios too long. Good times....

Please Tread Lightly

This little 8" x 8" is one of a few paintings remaining in a series that I unofficially called my Mother Earth Series that I made in 2007. Please Tread Lightly went home with Nancy (thank you Nancy!) who found us at Art and Air last weekend. It is funny because I had just been thinking to myself that I can't believe it never sold. The idea behind the title and the imagery is to please leave our dear mother earth with as few footprints as possible. The circle in the middle represents the earth and the diagonal lines that lead to a small curved line are our feet walking on the earth. I am so glad Please Tread Lightly found a home with Nancy because she was just the sweetest and most considerate person to do business with.

On a more domestic note.... I decided my kids needed to start helping with dinner so they can learn more responsibility and to learn how to cook. You can never start too soon. They are so excited. At first Max (8 years) wanted to make hot wings, because that is his favorite, but when I asked him if he would touch raw chicken he decided to go with pizza instead. He is making it tonight and we can't wait. Last night, Quincy (6 years) made mac n cheese and fruit salad. It was so cute. She put the fruit salad in a crystal bowl and set the table to look oh so fancy. Until she got juice from the fruit salad on her mac n cheese and decided to dry the noodles off on her napkin and then eat them off of her napkin. Verrrrry fancy. We all enjoyed it so much. She was very proud of herself. Oh and to top it off she made blue rice crispy treats with suckers sticking out of them and mints stuck to them. They were very festive. I wish I had taken a picture now that I think of it.

Art and Air 2008

This is my first year participating in the Webster Groves Art Fair. My cousin Amie did it last year and highly recommended it. I have never even been to it so I am really looking forward to seeing what it is like. I saw a commercial for it last weekend so that is pretty cool. Lately I have been working on my smaller stuff because I have enough large stuff for now. I have around seven new 8"x8" (but no pics yet) and lots of new "Little Gems" and magnets.

This is one of my newest 32"x24" paintings called Awakening. I had mentioned it in my May Newsletter but I thought I might mention it here too. My family is giving this one mixed reviews, but I really love it. The circles are representative of moons or a sun and a moon. It is all about leaving the past behind you and starting anew. I am feeling an awakening of my own on a personal level. I am seeing the world and myself in it differently, and I think this painting really expresses that for me. It was one of those paintings that flowed so easily that I felt guilty to be finished without "bleeding on it" as my friend Mary Beth would say.

OK, back to painting "Little Gems" for this weekend. Get your 4"x6"frames ready! They are only $35 and they look great matted, un-matted, and with or without glass.

Universal Energy

This is my newest 8" x 8" painting called Universal Energy. I finished it just in time for Washington. It is a little lighter than I usually work, but I am really happy with it. It conveys a feeling of sharing energy which is a very important concept for me. I feel that we all have a responsibility for the kind of energy we choose to share.

I am also excited to say that you can see this painting at the Chesterfield Mall. Last week, April from Chesterfield Arts called and asked if they could put one of my small paintings in the mall to advertise for the Chesterfield Arts Art in the Parking Lot coming up this June. It is in a Plexiglas case in the middle of the mall somewhere. I haven't seen it yet, so if you happen across it, please write and let me know how it looks!

Ups and Downs

So this past weekend I did the Arts and Winefest in Washington, MO. I have to say it had its ups in downs. By ups, I mean my tent wanted to blow up into the air and by downs I mean I had to hold my tent down so it (and all of my paintings) wouldn't blow away. I have never been so scared that my tent might not make it. It is a great tent and I weigh it down heavily, but the gusts of wind were unbelievable. Throughout the day on Sunday there would be a gust and then you would hear crashes. The crashes were the horrible sounds of other peoples art work and tents being blown over. Besides that little obstacle, the fair was OK. Sales were small, but the atmosphere was very good. The people of Washtington are very nice and the whole town just feels comfortable. At the end of the photo you can see the river. It is very high right now. I imagine being so close to the water might cause the huge gusts of wind.

The good news is I won an award. I received an Honorable Mention and $50. You can't beat that with a stick!

Enjoying the Moment

This is one of my newest 48" x 32" paintings. It is called Enjoying the Moment. The colors are a little deeper than shown in the photo. This painting makes me think of times when I have been fortunate enough to sit on a concrete balcony and enjoy the view or the weather or just the peace and quiet. I imagine myself sitting there with my feet propped up on the wall. I promise that if I get to do that again, I will relax and enjoy it more. Usually I let my head worry about too many unimportant things to enjoy the moment.

I have had the Twelve Days of Christmas tune in my head since last weekend. At the Springfield ArtsFest I was surprised to see..... seven little Yorkies, six huge Great Danes, five giant Newfoundlands, two Shetland Ponies, two monkeys in strollers, one white ferret, and a rat on the back of a guy's neck. I am not kidding. I really did see every one of those animals. The animals weren't the only thing I saw though. The people were out in droves too. The community really shows up and supports this fair. I had mostly small sales, but the people were just so friendly. My kids had a blast too. They played instruments and did crafts, but the highlight was swimming in the pool at Holiday Inn.

Speaking of Holiday Inn, I am an idiot! We pulled up to The Oasis in Springfield on Friday night after three hours of driving only to find out that I reserved the hotel for May 3-5, not May 2-4. Oops! They were so kind and let me off hook, handed me a book of hotel phone numbers and I started calling. We lucked out and got the last room at the Holiday Inn across the street. Everything was booked of course, because did I mention that it was Prom weekend and there was a monster truck Jam in town. Oh boy. So guess what? The door to our room opened up to the dance floor for Prom!! I couldn't make this up if I tried. Thankfully they were a pretty tame group and I was so tired I fell asleep with my kids jumping on the bed anyway.

Getting Ready for Springfield

I don't know why I seem to always work up to the last minute, but I do. One of these days I am going to be ahead of the game. I am getting closer and closer. For example; I wont be up until until 2:00am painting this week! I think I might even finish my large paintings tomorrow, I hope I hope. That means I could take pics and post at least one before I go. Needless to say, my head isn't really in my writing tonight. So I will show you my latest Little Gem. I just love this little guy.

SOLD

Don't forget that you can sign up for my newsletter by clicking on the link to your left. I will be sending the one for May in about two weeks.

Never tell an artist...

The other night Ben and I watched Basquiat on Ovation TV. I really loved it. There was this line in it where this art critic mentions that he likes a certain painting and then Jean-Michel Basquiat immediately walks over and makes a change to it. The critic (Rene I think) says, "Never tell an artist you like what they are doing. It guarantees they will change it." I guess I may have been guilty of that once or twice. I think Ben felt very validated.

Movies like that always make me want to rent some warehouse studio and paint huge paintings. Do you think it will be too late when the kids go to college? My hope is that it doesn't matter where I create, as long as I do create. Speaking of which....

Just in case you are worried, I have been doing some larger work for my first fair of the season. They are gathering in my studio, unphotographed. I can't wait to take them out and show them off. They are really coming along nicely. No sneak peeks yet! Anyway, here is the latest Little Gem.

Sold!

Oh, What the heck, here's one more. Enjoy.

Sold!

Monthly Newsletter and A Giggle

I started a new thing this month. My monthly newsletter. I sent it out last week and have gotten a really great response. I am already starting to stockpile ideas for what to put in the May Newsletter. I am using the newsletter as a way to keep in touch with my collectors and people who have signed my guest book. So if you would like to receive my newsletter, please sign up. I promise to never share your e-mail address with anyone, and you will hear from me no more than once a month. (I hope I can keep it up!) I wish I could put a copy of it here on my blog but I can't seem to figure out how.

Since I don't have a picture for today, I will leave you with a little giggle. The other day my daughter was telling me about how somebody got hurt and "he screamed like a little boy!" I love it. I think you know what I'm getting at. She doesn't even know how cool she is.

Happy Earth Day!

Five Minute Post

Buy Now

OK I swear I am only posting for five minutes, because I have to paint while the kids are at school (which is right now). I will enable the buy now button tomorrow when I have more time. I just wanted to make sure and post another Little Gem for you to see. I am so excited about these. They are so fun and pressure free. This one is so peaceful. I thought if I posted it, a little peacefulness would rub off onto me and onto you!

Oh and I just sent my very first monthly newsletter on Tuesday. I plan to write more about that tomorrow too, so check in soon!

Check it Out

Buy Now

Thought I would post another Little Gem. This one reminds me of a mysterious landscape in the desert just before the sun is about to rise and the moon is on its way out. Tomorrow I might see it another way. What do you think?

If you click on the Buy Now button it will link you to my secure store and you may purchase this Little Gem for $35 with most major credit cards. I will ship it the same day you purchase it, so don't worry, you won't have to wait long. Thanks for looking!

My Little Gems

No, I am not talking about my kids again. This time I am talking about my new little paintings. I don't know what it is, but sometimes I just itch to do something small. It happens at night mostly. After the kids go to bed and Ben and I have our "quality time" in front of the TV. I start feeling like I need to knit or quilt or something (which I can't do yet) and then I realize I want to make something little. Weird I know. So I started these paintings I call my Little Gems. They are 4"x6" unframed pieces of hand painted original art. I kind of consider them sketches for bigger paintings or maybe they are my version of a Daily Painting Series. Except that I don't do them daily.....life, kids, baseball, daisies, you know. Anyway, since (at least so far), I am not making prints, this is my way to offer my art work for a reasonable price. $35 to be specific. They are less than 1/4 inch thick and painted black on the sides. They will fit in most 4x6 frames. They look great matted and without the matte. I plan to post these on my store very soon, but if you are interested in a purchase before that happens, please e-mail me and we can take it from there. This is one of my favorites. Hope you like it....

SOLD!

Here is one framed and matted.

I have an idea.

The other night I was surfing the boob tube and came across this Oscar-like awards ceremony for Pro-wrestlers. I imagine that you might guess that this is not one of my interests. Here are these guys like Hulk Hogan crying in their giant suits about the award they just won for being great wrestlers. My point is not to judge these wrestlers but to make a point. I have had this on my mind for a long time but this kind of sealed the deal for me. In an effort to promote visual art I think we should have awards ceremonies for visual artists. There are the Grammy Awards for music, the Tony Awards for theater, the Oscars for movies, Emmy's for TV, there is even an awards show for kids' shows on Nickelodeon called the Kid's Choice Awards. Why isn't there anything for the visual arts? I think this could really generate an interest in visual arts on a larger scale. There could be awards categorized by various media in fine art for individual artists, graphic design in ads, web sites, and blogs, museums could be awarded for curating great shows, grass roots organizations could be recognized for their efforts, I could go on and on. Think about how Andy Warhol and Salvador Dali generated interest in their work. They were rock star artists of their time. I don't really have any inclination to be a rock star artist, but I do have an interest in reaping the rewards of our industry being recognized for its contributions to society. So of course the question is "Who should take on such an endeavor?" I don't know maybe Ovation TV. They are already interested in the arts and show biz. Maybe celebrity artists like Paul Stanley from Kiss or the medicine woman Jane Seymour. I don't know, I just like the idea and wish someone would run with it so I can keep painting and gain the interest of the masses.

"Your Life is an Ocassion, Rise To It"

OK maybe I am a big dork because I have been inspired by a line from Mr Magorium's Wonder Emporium, but I don't care. You know the movie with Dustin Hoffman and Natalie Portman? We watched it with the kids this past weekend and I just loved it. Throughout the whole movie, Portman's character played piano in her head by wiggling her fingers in the air, at her side, on the bus etc. She was apparently trying to finish a composition she was working on since childhood. I really felt that I could relate to this. I feel that no matter where I am, or what I am doing, I am thinking about painting and art. I am sure that goes against the whole philosophy of living in the moment, but I just can't turn it off. I don't think I want to.

Speaking of occasions, yesterday Ben and I went to Grape Arts. The art auction benefit for Art St. Louis. It was at Windows Off Washington (above the City Museum), and it was really great. I donated a painting called Remember to Live. Lots of people bid on it and I think it brought in a decent amount of money. I was so flattered to see people guarding their bids so they could get my painting. Oh my gosh. What an ego boost! The green part of the painting is life and the yellow part is what happens when busy lives get in the way of living. Both are good, but I hope to keep it balanced enough that the yellow (busy) doesn't take over the green (living a good life). Seems to be a recurring theme for me.

Naomi Wolf

This is the last painting of my Women's Series that I made for Venus Envy 2008. She wasn't included in the Venus Envy exhibit because....I am not sure why. The juror said I didn't include her in my proposal, but I did. Maybe she just didn't like flags because she took out Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony also. I met Dr. Jacquelyn Lewis-Harris (the juror) and she was very nice, but we didn't discuss it.

Naomi Wolf wrote The Beauty Myth among many other books. She is an innovative thinker and I am always interested in what she has to say. I made this painting after watching an interview with Naomi Wolf on YouTube.com. The interview was about her newest book The End of America: A Letter of Warning to a Young Patriot. When I first heard of this book, I thought oh no, she has gone too far. Maybe she has, I haven't read it, but after watching the interview, it really had me shaking in my socks. She talks about her theory on how our current administration is gearing up to be a dictatorship. This is an extremely vague description, but I am trying to keep this entry short. Anyway, I impulsively made this painting in response to watching this video. The gray vertical lines represent the bars that we are keeping on ourselves as citizens by being lazy, scared and pretending not to know what is going on (or not paying attention). This is what is threatening our liberty, in Ms. Wolf's opinion and mine.

Eve Ensler

This painting is inspired by Eve Ensler. She is a playwright and activist who was born in 1953 and is best known for The Vagina Monologues, and her book called The Good Body. She is also responsible for a movement called V-Day being held this April in New Orleans. This painting is more of a visual symbol of Ms. Ensler. The dark part at the top and sides represents her dark bob hair style. The reds, pinks and oranges are symbolic (to me) of her willingness to encourage us speak out about our vaginae and our womanhood. This is one of my favorite paintings from this series.

bell hooks

This painting was inspired by bell hooks born 1952. She is a college professor and prolific writer, well known for her book Ain't I a Woman? Black Women and Feminism inspired by Sojourner Truth. She has also written many children's books such as Happy to Be Nappy and Skin Again that celebrate children and people of color. This was what moved me to make this painting represent the spirit of educating children to bring an end to racism. What a great woman to use her life to pay attention to our children through education and empowerment to change the world.

Gloria Steinem

This 32" x 24" painting was inspired by Gloria Steinem. She is known for c0-founding NWPC, Ms. Magazine, and many other major movements towards women's rights. She is 74 years old now and still going strong, writing a column in the New York Times. I never meant to make an upside down G in this painting, but it is there none the less. When I made this painting I was thinking about how she and so many people, use writing in addition to activism as power. The small rectangles at the bottom represent all things against women's rights; rape, violence, inequalities in society, etc. The large curve is her arm edging out these injustices with her writing. The point at which her hand and the straight line meet are the point at which change is brought about through education.

Betty Friedan

This 16" x 12" painting was inspired by Betty Friedan 1921-2006. Besides co-founding NOW, NARAL, she is most noted for writing The Feminine Mystique in 1963. This book spurred great conversation and debate about women pursuing an education and working outside of the home. I think my painting is pretty self explanatory visually. For me personally, it represents that balance between work and home that I am always trying to achieve. For Ms. Friedan, I believe it would represent the power to make a choice. Thanks to women like her, I have grown up believing that it was always my choice.

Margaret Sanger

This 16" x 12" painting was inspired by Margaret Sanger 1879-1966. She made it her priority to distribute literature about the woman's body and birth control called "What Every Girl Should Know". Her efforts ultimately lead to the founding of what later became Planned Parenthood. This painting started out with these ovarian-like shapes and adding the pill pack shape only seemed natural. The larger oval and the smaller oval also represent how Ms. Sanger changed women's lives by leading and educating them. I used horizontal lines to express how understanding and having control over our bodies creates stablilty in our lives.

Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony

This painting was inspired by Susan B. Anthony 1820-1906 and Elizabeth Cady Stanton 1815-1902 . These two women are in the same painting because they were friends and great partners during the women's suffrage movement. They worked hard towards getting women the right to vote. It seems so ridiculous now that this was even an issue, but did you know that we have only been able to vote since 1920. These women didn't even get to see their vision come true. My grandma remembers her grandmother taking her first opportunity to legally vote in a presidential election.

This painting, unfortunately, wont be part of the Venus Envy exhibit at Mad Art, but it was an important part of this group of paintings to me so I am still writing about it.

Sojourner Truth

This 16" x 12" painting is about Sojourner Truth 1797-1883 . She is best known for her speech "Aint I a Woman?" given at the Ohio Women's Rights Convention in 1851. When I read the speech on Wikipedia, it gave me goosebumps. There are many versions of the speech, as recorded by different witnesses, so I wont include them in my post, but I hope you click the link and read at least one. She is described as a very tall, strong, slave born woman. This painting comes from my imaginings of her rising from the earth to take on the world, thirteen children in tow (alive and dead). There is no question that she is a woman in every form of the word.

Venus Envy 2008

This is the invitation for Venus Envy 2008. The all women's exhibit is at the Mad Art Gallery through the month of March. The reception is Friday, March 7. I am one of fifteen artists to be accepted by Dr. Jacquelyn Lewis-Harris into the exhibit and I am excited to show what I have been working on. My project is a visual expression of a sampling of prominent feminist influences from the early nineteenth century to present. Each painting will represent an individual who has played or is currently playing a significant role in shaping women’s rights. The puzzle-like arrangement of the paintings is symbolic of how, although separated by time, women are constantly working together toward a greater goal. We get to benefit from the efforts of our foremothers and with their help we are paving the way for our granddaughters to create the best tomorrow for all woman and mankind alike. I am sure that it is a stretch for some people to see how my paintings represent these women. Over the next eight days, I will explain each painting and where I was coming from. In the end, it was a great experience for me and I hope this comes through to you, the viewer.

Rough Day in the Studio

Yesterday was a rough day in the studio. I am working on my project for Venus Envy and I have probably bitten off more than I can chew. Although I started this before a few weeks ago, the bulk of eight paintings needs to be finished and delivered by this Saturday. So needless to say, everything in our lives is on hold right now and I am working very long days and nights. I am making paintings inspired by prominent feminists from the 19Th century through today. Yesterday I finished up my research on the last few women and the things I learned were just too much. I was reading about Eve Ensler (you know..The Vagina Monologues) and I came across this interview with her about the V-Day Celebration they are having in April this year in New Orleans. This sounds like a wonderful event by the way. During the interview they ended up talking about sexual terrorism against women, children and babies that has been going on in the Congo for 11 years. I just cried as I read. I am not naive about the realities of the world, but that doesn't make it any less pleasant to hear bout these things. Did you know, according to the UN, 1 in 3 women are either beaten or raped every day on this planet? I didn't. So, as if that wasn't enough, as I researched for my last painting on Naomi Wolf, I came across this interview with her about her book The End of America a Letter of Warning to a Young Patriot. I would like to take the time and watch her lecture, but time is of the essence, so that will have to wait. This whole project has me feeling embarrassed that I didn't know so much. I sorta knew women's history and have always considered myself a feminist, but I obviously need to pay more attention. No pictures to show just yet, but they are coming soon. When I started this project, it was my intention to make kind of an uplifting tribute to the great women. I still intend to do that despite my emotional day yesterday. I am just feeling a bit humbled by knowledge and I hope I can do these women justice.

Lots to Tell

I have been working really hard on my store on my web site this month and I have finally got it up and running. My brother (my web site bulilder) made this program where I log onto his web site DarwinsWeb.com so I can put pictures on my web site and now I can paste in the html for my store. It is so great. Thank you Kevvy! So please take a gander and tell me what you think. I am not finished with it yet, but it is getting there.

The next thing that is exciting to announce is my husband's new business is officially up and running. Ben rallied eight of his his co-workers and they started their own financial investment company; Strategic Financial. My friend Trish designed their logo and now they are having their open house tonight. They also have a new web site that looks really great with all kinds of fancy caculators and financial tidbits; it is called StrategicFinancialSTL.com If you need any advice on your finances, check out their site and they can help you out.

I also finally found out last night that I was accepted into the Venus Envy 2008 exhibit at the Mad Art Gallery this year. I have been working on a pretty extensive project for this and I will be posting more about it soon.

Wish I had a new picture to show you but they are in the works. Happy snow day!!

Links

Today I added some links to my blog. I have been meaning to do this for a while now, but you know how it goes. I also included some links that I thought might be useful to artists, like ArtCalendar Magazine and the Art Biz Blog. I have subscribed to Art Calendar Magazine for years. My college professor and mentor Dr. Frye told me about it a hundred years ago. They have great articles about the many aspects of being an artist. One of my favorite writers is Jack White. I even e-mailed him one time and he coached me through a tough time I was having with my art career! I just recently found Art Biz Blog and I really like it. Alyson B. Stansfield offers lots of valuable suggestions, ideas and motivation on growing your art business. I found her through Art Business News Magazine (which you can subscribe to for free by the way). Some of the links are just some random finds that I have stumbled upon or were sent my way. They are included because I found them inspiring in some way. I also included the blogs and web sites of some of my friends and family. It made me realize how lucky I am to be surrounded by such great people.

Paint More, Blog Less

Well I have finally finished my first paintings in 2008. They will be on display and for sale at Art Trends Gallery for awhile. This Friday, Feburary 8, is an Artists Reception/Valentines Party from 5-8 or later. Nancy will be having a live band and some food and drinks. Should prove to be a good time. All totaled, I think I have between 8 and 10 peices there including my two new ones. I am looking forward to seeing how they look hanging together.

The first one is called Building a Dream. It is 32"x24". I am always so ready to start fresh at the beginning of a new year. This painting represents that feeling I have when I am making my lists, setting my goals, and planning the future. I am crossing all my t's and dotting all my i's in pure optimism about what the next year will hold for me and my family. Constructing the future.

The next painting is called Inspired Charm. It is 32"x24". I was being lead by the media while I was painting this. I didn't realize it until I was done where my inspiration came from. Once I saw it though, there was no denying. My cousin Amie King's jewelry. I am so proud of her. She is pursuing her dream and making this beautiful jewelry and I am just so inspired by her motivation, talent and success. I am sure that is how this painting came about. I just love to wear my necklace and rings that she has made, it must have seeped from my heart onto my painting.

Thank You Chesterfield Arts!

Well last night was the Art Feast. It was beautiful as usual. I am always amazed and grateful at the support the community gives to the arts. I wanted to post a message today to thank all the people who bid on my painting. I didn't have the opportunity to meet the winners, but I would have liked to. It is hard to let go of a painting and not know the new owner(s). I always want to know just a little something about them. So if you are out there and you read this, please add a comment or e-mail to say hello. I would love to hear from you. So for now I'm off to do a different kind of painting. Pink and purple in my six year old's room. She is so excited she can't even stand it.

Art Feast 2008

Today I took one of the last paintings I did in 2007 to the Kemp Auto Museum in Chesterfield for the Chesterfield Arts Art Feast. It is called Forest for the Trees. This painting represents that feeling I get when I am painting way too much. I get all buried in my work, and I get to where I can't see my painting any more. It's like I am looking but the information isn't getting to my brain. I can't see the painting for the paint so to speak. If you are interested in a purchase, better buy some tickets to the event and make a bid because it is out of my hands now. I am always glad to do this auction because it is a great chance to meet other artists, see great art, and have a nice night of entertainment. I just have to squash my hermit crab tendencies in order to make a good time of it.

24"x32" Forest for the Trees

On another note.... I just bought my paint for the year from Dick Blick. OMG I spent way too much. I changed from Liquitex Paints to Golden because Liquitex quit offering 8oz jars. I know Golden is really good paint, so I it is worth the investment. Man it hurt the ol' bank account though! I love getting my new paint for the year. It's like getting a new box of crayons for the first day of school. I talked to Mary Beth today about it and we were going down the line naming our favorite colors like little kids. I can't wait till they get here!

You know what my problem is?

I am an impatient procrastinator. I am impatient to do what I really want to do (paint). I procrastinate what I don't want to do (taxes). The worst part is that in an attempt to discipline myself, I make my self do all things not fun first before I get to do what I want. Arggggg. This means that for too long, I have been applying to art fairs, doing taxes, cleaning house, doing laundry, (all things that have to be done) procrastinating the whole way, and now I am just crabby because I still haven't gotten to paint. So why do I take time to write on this blog? I guess because it is my quick way to get something like this off my chest while I procrastinate working on my sales taxes that are due in nine days!

OK, so as I am writing this blog entry in my head, I was listening to Dr. Robin on Oprah and Friends Radio Station while folding socks. She was talking about being grateful no matter what. I do truly believe in this philosophy and I have been trying to be more grateful and positive about things in general. I decided to apply this concept to my current complaint. My conclusion is that I am grateful to have such a full life. My frustration lies in the fact that I have a life that I love. I love that I have found my calling (to paint). I love that I have made enough money this year to actually have to pay sales taxes. I love that I get to spend each day with my laundry generating children and husband. So now I guess I shall stop procrastinating and clean my kitchen, grateful that I had the food to eat in order to mess up my kitchen. I guess I'm being a little sarcastic, but none the less it is making me smile to think differently.

Remember These?

Today Quincy came in and asked me what these were. She found them in an old dresser of mine my mom and dad brought for us to put in her room. I told her they were worry dolls. You tell the dolls your worries and put them in the box and they take your worries away. She says, "Or you could just play with them." I laughed and thought, oh how nice, such a wonderful six year old way of thinking. No worries, just play. And then she said, "Except that I am worried I might lose them." So She placed them one by one in the box saying, "I worry I don't wanna lose you, I worry I don't wanna lose you." The good news is she had them out dancing with each other before she went to school. Thankfully her worry about losing them doesn't override her desire to play with them. She gave me a great laugh and a great lesson. Kids are great for that.

While we are on the subject here is a little Maxism (Philosophy of Max):
Quincy was being really angry (aka throwing a fit) about something and I was trying to get her to let go of the anger and cheer up. Max says, "Yeah Quince, anger is like an engine. You don't wanna give it the fuel to run." Interesting way of looking at it.

While we aren't on the subject, I am so excited I bought a yoga mat and a book I have been reading. The book is called The Seven Spiritual Laws of Yoga by Deepak Chopra. I have checked it out from the library three times and now it is really overdue, so I thought I'd better just buy it. I love it. I might actually finish it and then I will wanna reread it for reference. My friends Stacey Jackson and Mary Beth Shaw inspired me to finally try yoga. My friend Jane recommended this show on the Oxygen Channel called Inhale and I really enjoy it. It makes me feel great. I love the floor work and meditation at the end.

Art World News

The other day a woman e-mailed me and said she would like to feature one of my paintings in Art World News in the Artists Worth Noting section. Oh my gosh, that is why I check my e-mail every day! Among other reasons, I am always holding out hope that someone will like my work and want to tell the art world about it! I know I shouldn't get too excited and I should wait to see if it actually comes to fruition, but I can't help it, I had to talk about it. I sent her Mind Shift. It is one of my favorite paintings from 2007. It sold back in July, and I kinda miss it. It went with its siblings though so I am glad they got to stay together. It's title fits it very well. I was truly having a mind shift when I made it. My thoughts were shifting from cynicism to optimism, from tortured angst to believing in manifest destiny. I don't know what happened, but when the calendar turned from 2006 to 2007 my mind set changed like turning on a light. That painting symbolizes that moment for me.

Mind Shift 16" x 12"

Christmas Break is Over!

I know that it is a sad day for many, but for me it is great. Yes, I love my kids, BUT today is the first time in two weeks I have had to myself. Three hours all to my self. So what am I doing? This morning before School I took down Christmas decorations, babysat one of Quincy's friends, did a load of laundry, cleaned etc. And now I get to pick up the slack from not touching my art career for two weeks. It is application time and production time. I am so excited to get going. This is when my head begins to spin off with all the plans I have. It is overwhelming and exhilarating. Good luck to you, good luck to me. I will be posting my progress!

Jokes From My Kids

OK, so mom's just have to talk about their kids sometimes. My kids are so cool. We have been on the road a lot over the holidays and that is when many interesting thoughts are shared. They came up with these jokes and kept me entertained for many miles. I don't even know how they evolved, but here they are:



What do you call a person who fights with his/her tongue?
A tongue fu fighter!



Why do geese fly in a V pattern?
They are headed for vacation!



Why didn't the chicken cross the road?
It was baked!
(Unfortunately, one day they will get the multifaceted humor in this one)



Why didn't the chicken cross the road?
It was chicken!



That is all I can remember for now. Just thought I'd share a laugh. Hope you enjoyed some homegrown original kindergarten and third grade humor.

Well, actually as I am writing this, Quincy and Max are playing a soccer video game and Quincy's guy was moving slowly and she says "Hey, do I have some old guy or something?" She kills me.

Paintings for the Lechner Realty

My sweet husband finally put a band-aid on my ailing computer and now I can post pictures! So here are the newest pieces I did for the Lechner Realty Group. I stopped by there the other day and they look great hanging up together. I think I might have them in the wrong order but here they are none the less. I wish I had made them for me because they look great in my living room! Guess I'd better get busy.

Holiday Show

Well the Holiday show at Art Trends was a great success. I finally got to meet the new owner. Just as nice as he could be. The whole gallery had different feel to it. There was a great turn out despite the crappy weather. I also got to meet some new local artists that are hanging their work there now. Very cool people. Some I had met before and some brand new faces. Nancy (the Gallery Director) even had a DJ from KDHX come and play some tunes. The best part was that I got to be involved in one great conversation after another all night long. Nothing like a night of stimulating conversation to get the creative juices flowing!

Art Trends Gallery Reception

Every time some one asks me if I have any shows coming up I say no, this is production time for me. BUT If I would just take my head out of my @!# I would remember to say yes I do actually have a show coming up. This week, in fact, on Thursday, December 6 my paintings and I will be at a reception at Art Trends Gallery from 5-8 pm. They are located at 703 Long Road Crossing in Chesterfield, MO. You can call (636) 536 - 3266 for details if you need to. I am excited about this Holiday Art Show, because I will finally get to meet the new owner at Art Trends Gallery and I am anxious to see how things have changed. I am also making two new paintings for this show. Hopefully I get them finished in time. I swear I wouldn't finish anything if it wasn't for deadlines! I am just happy to be painting again. Thanksgiving, although wonderful, took a lot of my painting time away. I'm glad to be back to work again. It feels good.

It's Been Too Long

Well, I am not sure where to start. It is kind of like when you wait too long to write a friend and too many things have happened but you know you shouldn't leave important things out. Let's just say October and November have only left room for good things to happen this December. In the midst of crisis and tragedy I did mange to paint though. I finished my commission for Debby and Les in Arizona. It has been shipped and they are very happy with it. The picture I took isn't the best but it gives you an idea of how it looks.

I also finished three paintings for the Lechner Reality Group. I plan to drop by and see how they look hanging together. I was lucky enough to meet Robin and Steve at the Shaw Art Fair this year. They liked what they saw and commissioned me to paint three large paintings for their office. It was really so much fun working with them and making something that was just right for their office. I am hoping to get more commissions in the future. I will post those photos also when I am not having technical difficulties.

Historic Shaw Art Fair October 6 & 7, 2007

This weekend marks the last fair of the season for me. I am proud to be accepted into the Historic Shaw Art Fair this year. It will be so nice to wind down the season with a fair at home (St. Louis, MO). I am in the process of finishing a group of work that I am really excited to be showing you this weekend. (I would post pictures but they aren't quite ready yet!) You can also view two of my new pieces on Show Me St. Louis on Channel 5 this Thursday at 3:00pm and Friday at 10:00 and 10:30 am. I have included all of the details and a link to the web site if you would like to come say hello.

15th Annual Historic Shaw Art Fair
http://www.shawartfair.com/index.html
Saturday & Sunday October 6 & 7, 2007
Saturday – 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Sunday – 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Admission is $5.00 Children 14 and under are free when accompanied by an adult.
Proceeds benefit the activities of the Shaw Neighborhood Improvement Association.

This was the e-mail I sent to everyone in my my guest book. Many of the e-mails bounced back to me though, so if you didn't get the e-mail but wished you had, please let me know and I will add you to my list. You might need to add me to your list too so your inbox will accept e-mails from me.

Art of This Century

Right now I am reading (aka thumbing through and reading what interests me) a book called Art of This Century. It is a very large book about modern art that was exhibited at The Guggenheim Museum of Art. All these philosophies and ideas and the newness of modern art keep wandering through my head when I am not reading. It makes me feel inspired and intimidated. I am so curious about what a book about 21st Century art will hold in 2107. What art will be revered enough to be included in that book? I feel like an ant in the art world and I am so intent on what I am doing that I have no idea what great new things are being created around the world. What is being done now that will rise to the top and be remembered in 100 years? Only time will tell...

Studio Assistant

Today I am officially starting Debby and Les's commissioned piece. My lovely studio assistant, Quincy (self portrait enclosed) helped me prepare the wood this morning before school. Max usually helps Ben with my frames. He likes to get to use the nail gun. Scary, I know. Anyway, I am so excited to finally get started.

This past weekend in LaGrange, IL turned out to be pretty good. The town reminded me a little of Kirkwood, MO. It had a train station right in the middle of town and these gorgeous old homes with amazing front porches. The people were really nice. One of the first people to walk into my booth gave me this great big smile and said "I love this art fair!" What a welcome. Besides a slight mishap with my chair literally folding up on me, which made Ben and I laugh until we almost peed our pants, the fair was a success. Oh and I caught up on sleep. I slept for almost eleven hours on Saturday night once we got back to the hotel.

Not So Gray Matter

Well I finally finished this painting. It has been sitting in my studio daunting me with its unfinishedness, and now I can finally call it done. I had just finished this group of 8x8's and they were on my easel next to this painting and I noticed how the pattern I had made in the back ground resembled a grouping of the 8x8's. It reminded me of how my head feels. All these paintings bouncing around not quite defined yet and some beginning to come to the forefront of my mind. So I added a few defined squares to the painting to represent my ideas budding out of the "gray matter". It really evolved into a great representation of my own personal creative process. I hope you enjoy it. It really is much better in person. No matter how hard I try I can't get the texture to come across in pictures the way I would like.

On a side note...tonight I am going to be at the Mad Art Gallery in St. Louis for the opening of the Women's Caucus Exhibit. I went to see the juror, Judy Onofrio give a talk at RAC last night and she was great. She was so real and genuine. I am proud to have my work selected by her. Also, because I thrive in chaos, we are leaving from the opening and driving to Chicago for an art fair in LaGrange, IL. I really hope it turns out to be worth the lack of sleep!

I Closed My Eyes and They Were Grown

This is one of my newest paintings. I finished it just in time to take it to Oswego, IL. I just love it and I can't believe I had to let it go so fast. Sometimes, when I close my eyes, I can see colors and shapes and sometimes they become paintings. That is how this painting came to be. As I was working on it, I was thinking about my daughter Quincy and how she just started kindergarten and how my son, Max is already in third grade. The time has gone so fast. Part of the time you wish away and part of it you try to hold onto. When I realized the correlation between the image and my thoughts, I almost started to cry. That is when I came up with the title, I Closed My Eyes and They Were Grown. It is so magical when that happens. I would be sad about selling it but thankfully the right people bought it. It truly resonated with them because (if I remember correctly) their youngest just left for college. If I have this much trouble letting go of my paintings, just think what a mess I will be as I "let go" of my children.

My First Award

This past weekend, I was in Oswego, Illinois and I won the purchase award. The Village of Oswego purchased one of my paintings to put on display in their governmental building. What an honor! The last award I won was an honorable mention for some alternative process photography that I entered into a competition at the St. Charles Artist Guild right out of college. I was starting to get a complex. So, thank you Michelle, Erin and Village of Oswego!

The painting they chose is called Balance. It is a 32" x 24" painting about how I am constantly trying to find a comfortable balance between taking care of my family and taking care of my art career. I will probably figure it out by the time my kids move out and then I will need to make a painting about adjusting to life with out my children in the house!

The Greatest Complement

I received one of the best complements ever the other day. (besides the one from my mom on my first blog entry) Completely out of the blue, Ben's Uncle John (whom we only see at Christmas)had gone to my web site and was compelled to write and let me know what he thought.

Here it is:

"I am more than impressed with your work. Great talent! I especially like your 05 and 06 galleries. You should approach a greetings card distributor. Your work projects an aloof sanctuary of spirit with nature that is easily melded into by the viewer. Seriously you have a way of capturing emotions through color and that is indeed a transcendental gift."

Wow. I really didn't know how to thank him, but I did get his permission to quote him, and in his witty way he said yes. He has these three daughters that he is so proud of. They are all so creative and successful and adventurous.

It is amazing what a few words can do. Thank you John!

A Lot Can Happen in a Month

I think I will stick with just the good news...

In July, I was in a fair in Orland Park, IL. My first out of state fair. It was really good. The people were so nice, the fair treated the artists really well, and I made some great sales. The best part was the connection I feel I made with the people who bought my paintings. It was like I always dreamed it would be when I started this. My hope was that people would feel what I feel from my art and connect with it on more than a visual level. It was a truly moving experience for me.

Next, one of my best friend's mom has commissioned me to do a 4'x5' painting for the entry foyer of her business in Phoenix, AZ. I am so excited I can't stand it. Thank you Debby! I ordered the wood for it this week and I hope to really dig in once I get back from Oswego, IL next weekend.

Most importantly, I sent my youngest of two children to kindergarten this week. She only goes half days so it isn't much different than preschool except it is five days a week instead of three. She is so happy and excited to be there. She was complaining today that she hasn't learned how to read yet though. Can you believe they haven't taught her to read in four days? She cracks me up. My son is in third grade and has a little more trouble adjusting. He always takes about a week or two to get into the swing of things. Like mother like son.

Well, I could go on and on because it has been quite the eventful month, but if I don't stop I wont get to paint with the hour I have left before the kiddos get home.

The Contemporary

Today I get to take a painting to the Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis. The Contemporary is hosting an Open Studios Event on July 21 and 22. On July 17 there will be a preview party so people can view all the participating artists' work and then follow the map to the artists work they are interested in. My mock studio (along with 17 other artists) will be located in the Continental Building at 3615 Olive. You can go to this link for all the details; http://openstudiosonline.org/

I made a new painting for the preview party. I just finished it last night and took pictures of it this morning. It is called The Power of Commitment. Since my paintings are my visual journals, it always hard for me to put these thoughts and feelings into words, but I will try. I made this painting as I thought of how important it is to keep your commitments. I don't mean doctor's appointments, I mean personal commitments. As long as we stay devoted to what is important to us, we can make it through anything. Ask me in four months how I feel about this, but for right now I am feeling very lucky for the commitments that I have made.

STL's Contemporary Women's Caucus Exhibit XIV

The good news came yesterday. One of my new paintings was accepted into the St. Louis Chapter of the Women's Caucus for Art's Contemporary Women Artist Exhibition XIV juried by Judy Onofrio. That's a mouthful! I am so excited to get to show my work in The Mad Art Gallery. The problem is that I have an art fair that weekend in Illinois and I wont be able to go to the opening. Arggg. I do get to go to the lecture and the show is open through September, so I will get to see it up.

Anyway, here are the details:

Thursday, Sept. 6, 6:30 PM Lecture by Judy Onofrio, RAC, 6128 Delmar,St. Louis MO
Friday, Sept. 7-29, Exhibition, MAD ART Gallery, 2727 S. 12th Street,St. Louis MO
Friday Sept. 7, 6pm Gallery talk, MAD ART Gallery
Friday Sept. 7, 7-10pm Reception and awards ceremony, MAD ART Gallery

And here is the painting.... It is called Grace Under Pressure.

Clean Studio!

Last weekend Ben (my husband) and I cleaned out our basement and I now officially have a studio space to call my own. Before now, Ben and I shared workshop/studio space and so every time he made my frames or searched for some tool, the area would be wrecked and covered with sawdust. I would then have to clean everything off before I started painting or paint in the filth. How could I complain though? He was making frames for me. Now I love my studio. It is clean and organized. I even put up a poster of a Kandinsky painting that my sister in law brought back for me from her trip to Europe. I am by a big sliding glass window so I have decent light and I love to look outside while I paint. My kiddos have a space within my studio too. I set them up with their own desks and paint supplies so they can paint whenever they want. I have always felt so guilty saying "Not now, Mommy has to get this painting done." Besides, now we get to share creative energy. Quincy has already done eight paintings. They are fantastic. One for each of her pre-school friends.

This is the kids' painting area and Quincy's paintings.

This is my studio and my Wiley dog.

The three paintings on my easel are a triptych I am working on for Art Trends Gallery.

New weight loss plan.

My mom and I came up with a new weight loss plan over Father's Day and we put it into action last night. We call it "If you need it, go get it." It is very simple. Let's say you need a beer but you don't want to get up and get it. If you did get up to get your own beer (instead of waiting for someone else to get it while they are up) you would be burning calories on the way to the fridge affording you the luxury of drinking said beer. You know, kind of like parking really far away from the entrance of Krispy Kreme Doughnuts.

Bummer, my e-mail was down.

It is so frustrating when this happens, but my e-mail has been down for almost a week. So if any of you are looking for me and wondering why I haven't responded, that would be the reason. It has been out on and off since June 20 (I'm pretty sure). What's even more frustrating is that I don't think I will be able to get the e-mails that have been sent during that time at all ever, so please resend if it was important.

Shaw Acceptance!

Well, I am happy to announce that I was accepted into the Historic Shaw Art Fair this year. I just found out today. My e-mail has been down for three days and I was completely obsessing while waiting for notification and then it came via snail mail. Go figure. I am excited to do this particular fair in October because it is near my old neighborhood. I used to live on Shenandoah right across Grand. I love to drive down those streets in the fall because seeing the trees against the beautiful old houses is just an amazing sight. Well I hear the doorbell. That's dinner I didn't cook. I love that.

It all started...

It all started when I was driving home from doing another mural in 2002. I was listening to a mix tape, (yes a mix tape) that the Smith sisters made for me. They titled it “Bad Ass Women Vol. One.” I’m still awaiting volume two. As I drove home feeling not quite satisfied with my mural painting experience, a song came on by Ani DiFranco. “I’m No Heroine” It is a song about how she lives her life in a nonconformist way, but is realistic about the fact that we are a part of a society which we cannot completely reject. I was thinking about how it seems that everything she has done with her career has been done with integrity. Listening to it was making me feel a bit ashamed for not living my life the way I truly wanted to. I had heard the song before, but this time was different. She said, “I hope somewhere some woman hears my music and it helps her through her day.” It made the hair on the back of my neck stand up and tears filled my eyes. I realized that day in my car on the highway that it was time for me to live the life I was supposed to live. I think that was the last mural I did. I went home to my two babies and my husband and nobody knew my life changed that day. Over the next few months, I set up a space to work in my basement and made two abstract paintings. I found two places to show these paintings and I sold them before 2002 was over. After that I could no longer live a pretend life as an artist in my head. I finally made it a reality. What an artist is, is always changing for me. I just try to stay focused and true and let everything else come as it will.

This is Earth Family. My 2nd painting. My cousin Amie bought it.