THINK I AM FINDING PARTS OF MYSELF!

This is sick, all these brushes. I think I have organized something, finally! Still have the closet and other places, there can't be anymore brushes?

Top of the Work table looks good. THINK POSITIVE. Top self looks good. Found all my palettes, you just don't want to know.
I unloaded my case from Springmaid. I was thinking, I didn't go in November, but it was March. This year is going by too fast. Glad I have this blog, I can know where I am.

Maybe I will be all together by the end of the year.

Where did you say my conscious mind went.?!'',

Workshop Artist

"Think wrongly, if you please, but in all cases think for Yourself." Doris Leasing/Love that saying, so many times people will take WS and end up painting in the same style as the instructor. The other saying I have taped to my easel, "Accept the challenges, so that you may feel the exhilaration of victory" General G Paton

While organizing my studio (yes, I'm still organizing) I found my easel-One of my toys. Every painting WS I attended or put on, I would have the artist sign, there are some that I don't have like Gerald Brommer, Serge Hollerbach, Jan Kunz, Alex Powers, Warren Taylor, Judy Betts and there were more, I took there WS's either before or after.

The people who did sign -Miles Batt, Mary Todd Beam, Fran Larsen, Pat Deadman, Polly Hammett, Westerman, McClish, Don Getz, who told me about Carla O'Connor, Schink, Skip Lawrance, Virginia Cobb, Susanna Spann, Stehen Quiller, Don Andrews, Dot Brady and of course Jerry.

I am really impressed, didn't realize how many wonderful artist that I studied with

Nothing Lovelier Than a Tree

Nothing Lovelier Than a Tree, and an old auto and a barrel hanging from a rope from the tree? Go figure?

Ravens, Dragonflies, Family, Friends and Legend-on & on

Don't wait for inspiration-when inspiration does not come to me, I go to meet it. Sigmund Freud

My blog yesterday gave me inspiration to finish this painting. READ my blog June 1st and June 7th.
This photo is really bad, but you can get the idea what I was thinking?
Things I added to finish this painting-
My grandmother is pictured at the top, with the moon behind her. Birdhouses and a heart, of course a dragonfly (bottom fourth). The birdbath doubles as a bird with her chicks. I wanted to add a celestial mood to this painting and one of missing those that are gone and those that I never met. I cut the painting down and took the scraps and turned them inward. I dislike matting as much as framing. I also added line to keep your eye moving throughout the painting.

Finished, maybe, no really it is!

Have had three dear friends pass away in the last year -Mary Jo a wonderful artist, Art & Mary's daughter, Carol and last Sunday, Gary.
This is my way to express my feelings, and I am not that good at writing or verbally expressing. People don't have a clue what I am talking about half the time, or they're thinking something else.
I started this painting when my parents were ill, the other day I grabbed it out of my pile of The Unfinished. Haven't painted much in the last 3 years except in workshops. Started this blogging stuff, drawing, painting, doodling and little by little started to bring back a little creativity.
Feel better.

Fliddling-My Grandfathers Passion

Music was my grandfathers passion. This is a photo that I dearly love. My grandfater (standing) played music whenever he could, around Oklahoma, Kansas, Arkansas, Texas and Missouri. I guess this photo was taken in the 20s, and the fellow with him was a musician also. Never met my grandfather, but heard many stories.

Wish I could come up with a poem or something really creative, maybe later.

Looking 4 Sharks teeth

I like to fool around with photos, like Microsoft photo shop etc. this way I can get the values or change the color, and so on.

I took this picture when my daughter and I went to Myrtle Beach for a Workshop. Had a really good time.

Love the way that the background blends into the figure.

Horses

This is a painting I did of my daughter and her baby. I did this about 15 years ago. Sorry about the photo, didn't want to take it out of the frame, lazy about that. Love to paint, dislike to frame!The other painting is of my horse Cloudy, did this one 20 years ago. Cloudy was a good old boy, had a mind of his own. Came back to the house a couple of times without a rider.

Both of these paintings are hanging in my daughters house. Again bad photo.

The photo at the top, I took this morning. Daisy a big draft horse, what a big baby. (Look at those eye lashes.)You go out riding and she likes to eat bushes, sometimes takes them up by the roots. Daisy belongs to my daughter. I don't have any horses anymore, I leave that up to my kids.

In The Dog House!

In the Dog House.

Think I broke my two fingers yesterday.

Betty decided, with her evil half sister, the instigator, to take a little tour of the neighborhood. Wasn't a good day to do that! There half brother told on them, so I caught them before they got to the neighbors chicken coop. They are both going to be orphans if they keep it up. Don't really know how they scaled a 5 foot fence, and got over the live wire (they're a bit overweight.)

Who's Teaching Who?

What are you thinking
What's on your mind
Wish you could tell me all of the time
You swing on your swing
& curse at your toys
Say that I am bootiful &
sing with joy
You call out our name & we do the same
My question to you is
Who's teaching
who?

My three favorite birds-

Of course Birdie, our African Grey, my very favorite, she is almost a person.

More Dragonflies

It is amazing what a camera can do. I have a Super SteadyShot 5.1 mega pixels Sony camera that I bought 6 or 7 years ago. I usually only keep a camera for a little while, but this Sony is great. I am no expert, but love to photograph stuff. This camera, I just aim and shoot.

When I was in junior high (middle school) I had to choose a career and then make a report. Mine was to be a photographer. Ended up instead a typesetter and paste up artist, as my career, . I have always had my camera and a paintbrush at my side, started off with a Brownie, then the Polaroid came out, of course there was the home movies but my parent were in charge of that. I use my photos to inspire me to do a painting, not to copy the photo, that is a different art.

A Trip to the Past

Blogging is too much fun! Really wish I would have cropped this before posting, but I was busy reading other blogs.

This is a self portrait of me going back in time.

You don't want another poem?

Like my do?

Just Beautiful

POET'S VINO

TOO MUCH VINO?

MY LIPS I CANNOT FEEL

SO WHATS THE BIG DEAL

SO HOW DO YOU THINK I FEEL

TOO MUCH VINO!

THAT IS WHY I AM A LITTLE BIT TIPSY

& THAT IS WHY I FEEL LIKE A GYPSY.

I STARTED TO ROAM

FAR AWAY FROM HOME

NOW THAT I'VE HAD MY WINE

I'VE STARTED TO PINE

BECAUSE I CAN'T FIND MY HOME SWEET HOME

ALTHOUGH I AM NOT A POET

I THINK I CAN THROW IT

THE WORDS I MEAN

ARE IN MY MIND

NOT IN MY VINO?

Artist Friends

Alrighty then!

Jer turned this bowl, well it was kidda plain, needed some friends, so I thought I would invite some of my "Artsey Friends"- Paint, woodburner, woodgrain, Norma, Dottie, Jean, Dianne, Anne and Jerry. Think he sorta liked it, didn't say much. I especially like Normas hand, looks pretty neat. Fun to do, had to get use to the woodburner, no pain no gain.

Ready For A Workshop!

Missed my November workshop in Myrtle Beach. Ya start out with a clean work table with a plastic garbage bag attached, but by the end of the week it starts to look like my studio at home. Ya have all your meals cooked for ya, good southern cooking. They even have someone at breakfast to make omelets and stuff. OK, back to reality-

Gotta get my studio organized, yea, I am still talking about that. The pathway to the computer is getting like a maze, can't have that. Dug up some old unfinished paintings, gotta do some painting. So much to do and so little time.

Been so busy peeling my mangoes, and bagging them up, maybe I should go see the acupuncturist about my mango peeling hand. This photo was taken after I had already filled 10 bags. I have to race the dogs to the mango tree every time I let them out, they like tomatoes too.

OK now, let me try to explain what my subconscious was thinking? (Usually haven't a clue what my conscious mind thinks)

The ball and the world represents to me, balance that regulates the movement of time, spinning, a place in the universe, live in the moment.

The birdbath, a symbol of Birth and Death, Chistening.

Ravens - Balance-Southwestern Native Americans, the Raven was their Storyteller. Passing down Wisdom and knowledge from each generation, myths, stories and parables. Beware, one could never tell if the stories told were truth or perhaps, a mischievous lesson.

The faces represent truth and mischievousness. The faces are shaped in the form of an egg, representing, new beginnings, potential, family and ancestry.

The faces are mask, trying to fit in with the Ravens, plotting perhaps a trick or two. Good and Evil. oooooooo, this is getting to deep for me.

Ravens

Cropped this down so, I don't know, know it is a bit scary to me, and I painted it.

I like to photograph my paintings while I am working on them or prop them up somewhere, so I can critique.

Different cultures believe different things about the Raven. After I painted this one I happen to read, that when Ravens are perched on a ball he serves as a representation of living in balance, maybe that one was wishful thinking.

Ravens were also known to be tricksters. Native American tradition holds the Raven as the courier of energy flow that brings about change and creates new realities. They are very smart and they are known for collecting bright, shiny objects to decorate their nest, sounds familiar.

Tomorrow I will show the whole painting and try to explain the symbols.

The Studio

Can't believe the studio gets so disorganized in such a short time. Have so much stuff. More books than brains.
Found one of my old not finished paintings, doesn't look too bad, but I don't get out much. Going to get all this stuff off my workbench and do something about this painting.

This lizard is a friend of the courtyard lizard. Had one of these get in the house, not a pretty sight. thought I would have to move.

Friends

Mt. Dora-Another car event- that's when water was beverage of choice.

This year the same friend took a photo of me standing next to a person that stand about 5 ft. and probable weight 85 lbs. I look about 6ft 8in and weight- 400lbs.. My drink of choice is still water and now I have added wine to the list.

Art-Life Experiences

Looking out our living room window, (the lizard is on the outside), he loves our courtyard. The courtyard is in remembrance of my Aunt Mae. Everyone calls these lizards "Jesus Lizards" because they walk on water.
The other picture is of a pathway to my life experiences. Raining this morning, just thought it looked mysterious, had to grab my camera. Maybe I will paint a painting, not what it looks like; the photo does that, but what it feels like.
An exercises that I like to do- write different moods on a piece of paper, cut them up, and put them into one of Jerry's turned pieces, pull one out and paint a little painting of that feeling. Sometimes I will take that mood and make a series.
Take Life's experiences and express yourself, in your painting or your journal, in your writing, whatever- Something Only You Can Give To Your Art.

"The Big Fish"

About 2 years ago while at my daughters house taking care of her horses, I dug up two of her plants and they have taken over. My kind of plant.

Remember the movie "The Big Fish" well Jer said I was like the women that her plants took over her house. I don't see anything wrong with that.

Another hint- You don't want your warms and cool colors to be even, have a dominance.

Texas-Kansas and Rhode Island

A field of Flowers and a Summer Breeze just seems to go together in my minds eye.

In real eyes, I see, not so good composition- evenly divided space, I need to crop this photo at the bottom or top. A good composition should have 1. Texas 2. Kansas 3. Rhode Island or 1. Large shapes 2. Med 3. Small or lots of smalls etc.

Mushrooms and Dragonflies

Check out the dragonfly on this special cow, Made Jerry stop so I could take some photos of the scenery and happened to get a photo of this cow with dragonfly motif. Didn't realized till months later when I dropped my dragonfly button on the floor, picked it up and placed it on the photograph, and noticed the dragonfly, little freaky.
I was letting the dogs out one day (right after my parents passed away) and something told me to go over to the bamboo and woooowlaaaa, there was this beautiful dragonfly, he waited till I went in to get my camera. Haven't seen another one like this since. So now every time I see a couple of dragonflies, I tell Jer, there go my parents, really freaks him out.

Did you know that Dragonflies are among earth's oldest creature, they were the winged shamans of Zuni myth and legend, they carried supernatural powers and was said, spiritual transformation in their flight. Was thought to swiftly carry the spirits of ancestors to their beloveds.

Well, since some people are wanting me to paint again, I decided to go out and paint mushrooms. My inks and such are about dried up. Wanted to use yellow on the mushrooms, but the yellow is a watery tan. Love the color green and orange. Have to be careful with loving a color, less is more. Have to have a dominance also, in color and in shape.