two dog night...

well - we celebrated ruby's 7 month birthday by having a sleepover!! - we brought her crate up to our room earlier this week and, after some play time, bedded her down each night...and she was such a good girl! - we took away the squeeky toy the second night and got a better sleep...so last night we decided, after she romped around on the bed and then settled down with nels...maybe we'd let her stay! and stay she did...and she was a good girl...but i don't think there's any turning back now! she is one smart puppy and she intends to spend every night from now on nestled somewhere between our leggers and her big sister - my goodness...what have we done???...on another note, i think i'm finally ready for the opening tomorrow - spent the afternoon down at the gallery, helping set up - i took a few pics of some things i forgot to photograph here so i'm not sure about the quality - here's my painting entitled "the butler way"....go dawgs!!!!

OH..MY..MERCY!!!!!!!

"Big Poppies" 36x12 oil on gallerywrap canvas here's another of the paintings i did recently...one i really like..and i just got a phone call from my daughter boogie...telling me she loved the "elizabeth" painting and did i realize i said "gone with the wind" was my favorite movie of all time!! - oh man... yes i said that and yes i know elizabeth taylor was NOT in that movie..it was vivien leigh, for crimeny sakes...but i may have had a glass of wine or something..or maybe my mind and memory just went out the window...wow!...anyway...just wanted to clear that up!... i'm getting ready to haul a big bunch of stuff down to bob's stillframes gallery and then home to work some more on the butler painting. when i photographed it this morning, as so often happens, the camera catches something i miss so it's back to work for me!

bobby flay..where are you?

i just had, without a doubt, the best meatballs and spaghetti...the ABSOLUTE best warm spinach salad i ever tasted....and all here in my own home.... i'm tellin' ya...MY BOY CAN COOK!!!!!!!

"Pears"

4x12 oil on gallery wrap canvas here's a very small piece for the show - i've been so busy today - and i think i'm actually ahead of schedule. the problem is, i still have ideas in my head for paintings but i don't think anything else will dry so i may have to call it a day. i still have tons to do - but i'm getting very excited! hope somebody shows up! tomorrow i'll post this big butler painting i did - sort of a leroy nieman sort of dealie...

butler homage.....

i can't post it yet but it will be dry tomorrow - sort of a leroy neiman-esque basketball painting...done in acrylic...honoring butler of course and their amazing run...not over yet, hopefully...i think i may have to be done painting for the opening on friday - nothing i do from here on in will dry, i'm thinking..unless i have time to do a bit of acrylic stuff...but there's much to do to prepare - framing, catalogueing,(?), organizing food and drink...i'm getting very excited...just hope some people can get away for a bit to join us...

my homage to elizabeth...

24x18, oil on gallery wrap canvas

....we share the name elizabeth...her first name, my middle name...but she was something, wasn't she??...she had violet eyes and i'm not sure they come through on this photograph but violet they are... she had 7 husbands and eight marriages..(she married richard burton twice...couldn't help herself, if you remember)...i heard years ago the reason she kept getting married was because she wouldn't sleep with anyone she wasn't married to and she was a very passionate person...can you imagine that philosophy in today's society? how refreshing!! and a bit whacky..i loved gone with the wind..i think my favorite movie of all time..and the original father of the bride..although we love the steve martin version around here...(that's an-i-mal..... armani don't make no blue tux-ah-do......)...anyway - i wanted to do this painting in memory of this grand old dame - reminds us all that we must be getting a bit older and i hate to think that way...i swear i'm getting younger...at least that's my story and i'm sticking with it....

the puppies were a hit!!!

i was able to present the puggle painting yesterday...and i think she really like it!! - she welled up pretty good!..and that's always a good sign!! planning to spend the whole day upstairs and maybe i'll be able to post something later.

"home-made"...painting for japan

6x6 original oil on canvas panel

so i managed to get this done today. it's for the japanese relief effort and i encourage you to go to the daily paintworks website (www.dailypaintworks.com), click on the challenge and bid on one or more of the fine pieces of art you'll find there...it's for a very good cause and all the money raised goes to help the displaced japanese people. this piece is a smaller version of a very large piece i did for the upcoming show and, provided it doesn't sell during the run of the show, it will then hang in the sweet rose bakehouse. i spent much of the day doing mundane stuff...cleaning up after my very bad puppy...she's now tearing up stuffing and chewing up plastic bim bags but she's still a good little girl...sort of...spent a good bit of time doing necessary promotion for the show next friday and then jen came over for a much needed game of rummy - we were both so ready!!! i'll be able to paint some in the morning and then it's up to indy for a baby shower and on to see our new IU recruit in the high school basketball finals. kokomo's in it, my hubby's alma mater and he's very excited, to say the least!

i need a name...

36x12 oil on gallery wrap canvas

i didn't get this cropped very well and i don't have a name for it yet - it was hard to get it to stand up straight but i think you can get the idea...it's dry enough to carry around and possibly by later today i can varnish it. there are more up there that are still too wet. i need to work on my painting for the japan relief today. hope to get to that when my chores are done!

reallly getting excited!!

just have a moment to post something...i can't post any paintings because everything is wet but i'm having a wonderful time and doing some very fun stuff...(at least phyllie likes it...)..all in preparation for my show that opens one week from tomorrow!!!! i am freaking out.....

high rollers...big winners!!!!

10x20 original oil on gallery wrap canvas - NFS

home from our trip and are we ever happy to be back! - we had to sit through a two and a half hour presentation - they wanted us to spring for a time share condo - to the tune of 17% interest...can you say...what?"??!!?? - who did they think they were kidding?? - probably most of the potential suckers they had filing in and out of there. they actually brought in two different closers and when they finally got it that we weren't interested...they were over us so fast and couldn't wait to get us out of there and on to the next fool!!...but we did have a good time in the sports book - couldn't stay in there for too long at a time because of the crowds and the smoke...but it was fun to have a little action on the games. i'm happy and proud to say we won $1100.00!!!!!! - and yes, all we had to spend to win that amount was $1000.00!!! and the only thing that saved our butts was a four-fecta we had on yesterday's games - we won florida, uconn, butler and san diego state...and they all had to win for us to win this particular bet. we're doing some virtual gambling on today's games and thank heaven we aren't using real money!! - the thing is...you may have picked the team that wins but they have to cover the point spread or you lose your bet, even though they win the game. BIG lesson for moi!!!...but we had fun and had some great food and saw this fabulous show called mystere - a cirque de soleil show - fantastical, to say the least!! - so now it's home and on to my show ...but first i had to do a little puggle painting for our dear friends' first grandchild. i have some other stuff drawn and looking forward to tomorrow. there's a new challenge from the daily painters i hope to get to - it's a fund raiser for the disaster effort going on in japan. all the paintings will (hopefully) be auctioned off and the proceeds go to the efforts. so i'm encouraging all who read this to go to the site and buy something - maybe mine?? - when i do it?? for now, i'll post these little puggles.

sweet rose's bakehouse

one more thing....yesterday i stopped in at rose's to chat about the art i will be doing for her walls. jen met me there so tils and ollie could have a sweet. when i arrived tillie was digging in to the most gorgeous-looking thing i'd ever seen. it was coconut cream pie and i swear it had a 5 inch meringue on top!! of course i had a bite and it was the best i ever tasted!!! i mean the best! - and then there are the cookies...i love "george's" the best - chock full of good things! anyway - for you locals, it's just been open for 2 weeks and it's located at 16th and home avenue, in the old "terra cotta" building. i'm telling you....good people and good sweets!!!!!

"girl in a straw hat"...a la mary cassatt

20x16 original oil on stretched canvas

so this is the painting i've been working on for a while...another mary cassatt homage...the top photo is the original image...a bit oil stained at the lower left because i'm always picking it up to get a closer look.....i have always loved this painting..the tenderness of the child, her very big straw hat, the simplicity of the piece...and i think i've finally captured her essence. we leave today for las vegas and i think i'm all packed. (actually i'm not packed at all but i have things in piles)...i hate when i'm not living in the moment...at this point, i'm excited for our trip but ....i can't wait to come home and get back at it!!!!

"Steppin Out"

12x12 original oil on gallery wrap canvas
so my friend diane brought me her fancy ruffled kickers...gorgeous shoes and so much fun to paint! - we head to vegas tomorrow and since we're only taking carry on luggage...yes, you heard it here...i'm not sure my computer will make it. i may be totally on the loose with no supervision and i may get into all sorts of trouble....

new work...

i did a fun high heel painting yesterday but it's not quite done - meanwhile i met the nicest lady who's opened a new bakery in town. i stopped in there friday, looking for cookies for the grands and our sleepover...she was closing and was out of cookies - a good thing since that means they've been busy - but then she thought she might find some i could have - she doesn't sell anything a day old so we lucked out and got a few lefties....also ...she had very bare walls...just opening and all..and i am going to do some pastry paintings for her..maybe a cupcake, some milk and cookies, a big juicy piece of pie...we'll see... hoping to get to the studio one more day tomorrow before we head to vegas for the first round of the ncaa's and the sports book...and a few shows..and some great food...and a time share tour...ah well...can you say "CHEAP VACATION????"....should be fun and i'll be well rested and ready for art when i return!

two paintings...

we had a great time!! - never did get to rummykub...too much other stuff to do...the kids stayed up much later than i did..but thanks to jase, i got to hear about all their exploits in the morning instead of being right in there for them...we hit the hay about 9:30 and according to the kids they stayed up til 11:00, 1:30, 2:30, 4:00, you name it...and jase was in charge! - so all in all it was a huge success and so much fun to be together! we actually climbed trees this morning...some of us...and then i managed to get to my studio this afternoon for two paintings..which i will post...

getting ready for the grands!!!!!

no painting to post today...yesterday was TAX day - we went to drop off our numbers to our tax guy and once again...i think i may be getting some phone calls...i really try and squeeze every last bit of write-off possibility out of my business...and i still think it's terribly unfair that the pieces we artists donate to various organizations - and i do several each year - are not in anyway deductible. we can deduct the cost of materials but not the fair market value. the person buying the art gets the deduction - good for them - and bless them for buying the work! - but still a bummer for the artists. anyway...enough of that...i am preparing for the onslaught of 5 - count 'em FIVE - small to medium-sized people...we're having a sleepover at gan and pap's and everyone is very excited! - they love to get together and i think it's been since christmas since they've all been under the same roof at the same time...i can see a lot of rummykub in my future since they all love to play - even joe who's going to be four in june (the youngest) - well..maybe he just plays along and doesn't actually play. but the rest of them are really good and getting better all the time. ollie (5 last november) LOVES it when he beats me! and i'm no slouch!! my good friend katie taught me this game a summer or so ago and little does she know she has created a monster! - a bunch of monsters, actually, since my girls are freaks now, too!..we also have toy story 3 and a new game of kid's clue and of course plenty of popcorn and the wii is all ready for them. i think the frenchies from next door may even join us for a while!! what fun we will have! and tomorrow...if i have one ounce of energy left, i will head to my studio. i bought some gorgeous white roses today and thursday found a wonderful blue ginger jar at the antique mall...hoping to see how they fit together for a still life. stay tuned!!

dressing table

6x6 oil on canvas panel
well - i got home from my match today...and there was my boy..announcing that i had gotten a "D" in tax preparation! and here i thought i'd done a presentable job - i forgot we both had to get new cars last year...( can you say sales tax?)...and i forgot to put our household numbers on his desk..i HAD them...i just forgot to put them with the rest of the stuff. i told him he could handle my tax stuff next year and take over paying the bills if he was so inclined!! - no painting today...planning to get back at it tomorrow - we have an abe lincoln challenge so that should be fun! and i got some interesting sizes of gallery wrap canvas at michael's on the way home - can't wait!

One Shoe...Red Shoe....

original oil on 6x6 gallery wrap canvas
after working almost all day on my taxes yesterday..i'm still not done! - and i have a tennis match tomorrow so i must finish today!...just a quick post so i'll think i'm doing something....

"One Shoe...Blue Shoe"

original oil on 6x6 gallery wrap canvas
so today is the dreaded "tax" day....the day we get organized to hand our taxes over to our accountant....and, according to my hubby, unless i get my work done, i can't paint!...SO!...i've been sitting at my desk for the past two hours...working on my taxes!! - i don't have a computer program to keep track of all my stuff...just my trusty notebook! will i ever get dragged, kicking and screaming, into he 21st century?...my eyeballs needed a rest so i'm having lunch and thought i'd post one of the small paintings i've completed in the past few days.

carol marine's challange..

6x6 oil on canvas panel
here's my rendition of this week's challenge -we were supposed to put one stroke down and leave it and mix another stroke, put it down, etc. ...the object was not to noodle so much -to keep the paint fresher...this is hard for me - i tend to go back and rework things - STOP THAT!!! - i'm heading back to the studio to try and finish the mary cassatt works ...i may do another one - i love her so much!

back to the studio...and mary cassatt...

i'm finally back to work! - the picture on top is the one i'm copying...and then my painting is below...as i look at this through the camera's eyes i can see some things i need to fix - i neeed to adjust the values for one thing...plus she has a unique, sad and pouty look and i'm trying to capture that! - i found a book on mary cassatt i had around here and it shows a big close-up of breakfast in bed...i've been agonizing over that one and, after seeing her art so close, i think i know which way to go. she was actually very loose and used a tremendous amount of color...i'll work more on that tomorrow. i've also done a few small pieces - i need to wait til it stops raining so i can photograph them on the tripod. too blurry!..i'm trying to paint some new things for my opening the first of april. i don't know if i mentioned that i will be doing a one-woman show and it's thrilling but nerve-wracking all at once!..i had a good day today - i love this painting - at least i will when it's finished - mary was quite something - and my inspiration at the moment!!!