50-50 project ..."Fresh Catch"

4x4 mixed media

so i'm excited i was able to do this!.. i saw a post on facebook about a number of artists creating a small piece of art to be sold at a fundraiser for the arts. for some reason i was not on the mailing list so i called CAAC and managed to get a place because one of the artists dropped out...(lucky for me!!)..so i dashed down saturday morning and picked up a plain block of wood..4x4 and maybe 2 inches deep.  i knew i wouldn't have time to do something in oils so i did a small version in acrylics of a painting i had in a gallery in georgia.. plus i added some iridescent colors to make it seem more like scales...the opening for this little show is this thursday from 4-8 next to the CAAC office..411 6th street!!..i'm anxious to see what 50 different artists have to say!!!

"John Doe(g)"..or John Dog(e)"...anyway it's a secret...

so here's another Christmas commission!!.. and it is super secret!!..this is an 8x8 original oil on gallery wrap canvas.. it's drying.. and will be ready in plenty of time for our Christmas surprise!!...i'm calling him "john Doe"..or John Dog"..or something...and if anyone out there recognizes this face... please keep it to yourself til after Christmas!!  PLEASE!!!!

"Holly" 14x11 oil on gallery wrap canvas

so this is a commission for my friend Ellen!.. she wanted the back-lit view but as you can see..the colors are so much darker in that reference..both the couch and Holly herself.. so she sent a few other references to show more of her true coloring.  we finally got it right and i'm so happy we did!!  it's very important to get it right!!.. now it will dry a bit and i'll send it off!.. this is a gorgeous dog and she is Ellen's sweet baby girl!!

"Gia"

so i just finished this....a friend from bar harbor, maine passed my name along to her friend..and.. next thing you know...a Christmas commission!!.. i think i captured her and this will be a surprise...i love painting animals!.. have two more in the pipeline.. love it!!

"Smooch!"...another donation..

so at the end of last week, as operation fundstorm was wrapping up, i asked if they could use another painting...mine was the last one they posted..and i'm happy to say it sold!!..my new friend Susan in florida will be receiving it in the mail maybe first of next week.  all in all, they raised over $111,000.00  and Susan, my new friend Renee in Virginia and i are all thrilled to be a small part of it!!...now on to Christmas stuff...i just got my first commission for a 6x6 dog painting..surprise christmas gift..and i love painting animals!!

"Whoa!"...so this is really cool.....

so i signed up for an on-line mentoring class with an artist i have long admired, Kenn Erroll Backhaus.  i actually signed up in july but i'm just now getting able to dig into it..but i have a whole year so it's kind of fun!..there is a private facebook site for members but i asked to friend him and he accepted.  so yesterday he posted a painting he was donating to "operation fundstorm".. a very impromptu effort by artists around the country to help the folks affected on the florida coast ...those devastated by hurricane michael...i wanted to get involved but apparently the deadline to donate had passed..i got in touch with those in charge, mainly a fellow named Larry Moore.. and it seems they had been inundated by offers to help..after the fact!!.. so i sent in this photo..it's 8x6..and a few minutes after it went up a gal in virginia bought it!!!!  i am beyond thrilled!!..they have surpassed their goal and are somewhere north of $70,000...and 100% of the money goes immediately to the coast!.. this is so cool!!..everybody benefits...the artist feels good..the buyer gets a painting and a tax write off and the folks in florida get a real boost!!  the auction is going on  til the 28th.. and a few of the artists have donated more than one piece...hmmmmm...here's the link to the site: https://www.32auctions.com/NotForgotten2018

waaayyy post op!!!!

so here are two quarry paintings i did for "the art and soul of bloomington"..an annual show held at the Venue..my gallery over there..i think the one on the bottom has been selected to be in the show.. and the other will be hanging in the gallery..so i started these before my surgery on the 9th of may..i couldn't do much of anything for a while..painting wise or any other wise...my husband was amazing...my own personal caregiver!!..not only did he do all the cooking.. i taught him how to do laundry...run the sweeper...make coffee..run the dishwasher..not that he couldn't have learned all that ..but those were the things i did while he did all the cooking!.. i still managed to get the bills paid!..my wonderful friends brought food and flowers and my daughter came over to help every time davey had to work a long morning...it was slow going and i was nervous i was messing up my result..doing too much?..but two days short of six weeks we saw my surgeon and he said i was all healed and i could go play golf!!..yikers!!.. so i've been out a few times..not good golf but little by little i'm trusting that i can shift my weight properly to get through the ball!..so we're finally at the cottage this week..first time!.. played a few holes yesterday til we got rained out.. spent about 45 minutes under a shelter on the golf course..bored...jen and the kids came up last night.. lots of fireworks, a huge thunderstorm and of course rummy kub!!!...boogs and fam are coming up tomorrow along with some cousins!!.. the opening for the show at the Venue is saturday night.. my birthday...so i won't be able to be there but it's always a great show in case anyone is in the neighborhood!!

so it's all happening!!!..."Thatcher", Higgy"...and surgery!!!

Thatcher  6x8 original oil

Higgy  6x8 original oil

so here's the scoop...after my last post, i had a bilateral epidural in my back in mid march...hoping it might help with the hip as well as the back pain..then i had an MRI of my hip...the x-ray would have been good enough but i wanted to rule out any bad stuff..turns out the bad stuff was, indeed, my right hip!!...so i had a lesson with my pro at the club to see if there was a way i could swing that wouldn't hurt my right hip....even though he doesn't teach it as a rule, he had me try the "stack and tilt" method.. where you start with a lot of weight on your left side and then continue through swinging with your weight still going forward..it was very awkward but after a bit i could actually somewhat pull it off...so off we went to st. simons island on the 13th of april.....i played five times..once at hampton, once at sea island, our old stomping grounds down there and then three times at frederica..the glorious private course at the north end of the island..it was our third or fourth year to do this member-guest...and once again we were NOT dead last..our problem is not enough dots..we're not good enough to win the gross..and not bad enough to compete in the net..but such fun and such a gorgeous course!!.. i played pretty badly.. the last day was howling winds and 40 degree wind chill..making it even tougher..every now and then i could really concentrate and get a good swing accomplished!!....at one point i actually whiffed my drive on a par four (I'm blaming the wind, damn it!!) and ended up with a putt for par!!.. now THAT would have been a story!!

so my whole purpose was to get through that vacation.. i originally thought i could limp along with the help of some steroids and make it through the summer.. but since i've been home, it seems like i have gone down hill rapidly!!  i tried to play golf last wednesday..barely made it through nine..so here we are.. i had another epidural in my back this morning and early wednesday go in for a total hip replacement!!.. slowly but surely i've tried to get ready around here..got my upstairs flower boxes planted..slowly!!..it just takes me so long to get anywhere!!..my daughter and grands came to help with the back yard flowers yesterday.. a BIG load off my shoulders!!..laundry, bills, house cleaning, all the stuff i would normally be doing....i have to tell you, this has been a VERY humbling experience.. and not just because of golf!!...it really gives me an appreciation for the folks who move slower than i always have..but i am very ready!!.. i have managed to get a bit of painting done.. did a few new paintings for the derby party at the club.. (you can go to harrison lake country club on facebook to see a couple of them..even though i didn't feel up to going!!)..then i had a few commissions to finish.. two of them are above.. one for my friend phyllie for her friend in colorado.. and the other, thatcher, for my friend polly.  i hope they like them!!  stay tuned!!.. hopefully..in due time.. i can stop chatting about this hip!!😏

This is how it started..."Evening Harbor" 36x36

ok.. so i admit it's been a while!!..here's my story...(for those of you who've already heard this..just skip this part!)....so january 27th i was bringing this painting downstairs to show davey...something i often do.. i stepped over the puppy gate on the stairs..(also something i often do..)..but this time my foot slipped out from under me as i stepped over and i fell full force on top of the gate!!..i will spare you the gory details but i was a mess!!.. in a lot of pain.. lots of swelling and bruising..hobbled around for two weeks and was talked into playing a tennis match on February 9...("please..we need you")..so i showed up..and thought i did fine..but the next morning i woke up and could hardly walk!!..just like that!!..we had a trip planned to florida which i limped through.. played a couple rounds of gimpy golf..cancelled the others..spent a lot of time in their hot tub which was nice..then had x rays when we got home.. no fractures..a good thing.. but showed a very bad back..so we took the film to my doc and all he saw was my hip!!..he said "you need a hip replacement!!"  what?????..last thing i was expecting!!..so long story short.. i had a shot of cortisone into my hip joint.. that was almost three weeks ago.. then i had an MRI on my back..and a bilateral epidural  two days ago..hoping to help the back pain and maybe some referred pain to my hip..so that's my story...

through all this..i haven't been able to do too much.. but sitting doesn't hurt as much as standing and working and housework and sweeping, etc.. so i have been able to do a bit of painting!!..working on my "grand" project..doing some new horses for the derby party..doing a commission for a friend that i can't post till a bit later..we leave for georgia next friday and i am determined to play golf!!.. probably six rounds if i can manage it..and then we'll see after we return.. hoping to put this surgery off for the rest of golf season..stay tuned!!

forgot to mention...this painting is now available at Simon's on st. simon's island, georgia...

"Black Sheep, Black Sheep"

24x24 oil on gallery wrap canvas

so i discovered...actually boogie already discovered it long ago...this great little gift shop in irvington called  "Black Sheep Gifts"...5626 e. washington..they have so much fun stuff..i took the girls there for a bit of a sassy girls' outing..followed by a great thai lunch on mass ave!!..anyway.. i thought i would paint this black sheep for them!..

"Bailey"

12x12 oil on gallery wrap canvas

so this is a donation to the gleaners food bank!.. i've done many paintings for them over the years.. a very worthy cause..they hold fund raisers from time to time and this will go to a gal from indianapolis.  above is the photo i worked from!!..Bailey is a cutie!!..he looks a lot like our grand dog Georgia and a little bit like our old golden doodle Cubby!

"Charlie"

24x20 oil on linen

so this is charlie!.. i painted this for my friend Rob..just in time for him to take it to florida for his place down there!..i can't wait to see it framed and in its new home!..i had several things to finish before christmas.. and now i have another round of stuff to get accomplished..but i'm happy to be back in the studio!!.. speaking of happy...happy new year to all my peeps!!