Mmmm....Hibernation

This is going to sound ridiculous, but every fall, anticipating the winter, I begin a slow decline. I get all dramatic and think I won't survive this one. It is not that we have harsh winters here and I am afraid that we won't be able to collect enough fire wood or have enough reserves in the pantry to make it thru the long, cold season. It is more of a my garden is dying, I have to wear shoes, I'm tired at 8pm, and I really hate being cold kind of thing.

I am sure that I suffer from S.A.D. and need to figure out a way of thriving and not just surviving this one. Make lots of art seems like a good plan. Been digging thru boxes of old photos and having fun playing with them. Now that I have sort of figured out how to combine images in Photoshop perhaps I can salvage some old work that didn't quite make the cut.

The photo of the little girl was taken at least 12 years ago. Camille was unlike any 4 year old I've ever met. She was unlike anybody I've met. With her nearly white hair and impish smile, we explored the cemetery I used as a backdrop (her mother a short distance away). When her mother had been with us, Lily was a difficult child and unwilling to "look cute" and "behave" but as soon as it was just the two of us she took my hand and said "Great,I have some ideas!".

She was still a little girl in this shot but later, when it was safe, she showed her old soul to me. I will post some of those photos later.

Ah, Craigslist...My Ball and Chain

I often loose myself in the world of Criagslist. I love yard sales and can "attend" them any time of day or night, in any season, even in my pajamas. There is a serious Love/Hate relationship going on with us. If I actually had money and lots more room it would be no problem, but, alas, that is not the case and I have been warned (kinda like the "no more animals until one passes away" deal).

It was agreed, last week, that Saturday we would finally get the garage cleaned up. It has been full to the rafters with camping gear, holiday stuff, furniture projects and other great, used finds. The bathroom remodel that was started months ago has been put on hold due to lack of access to workspace and tools.

So, Friday night I found a box of beautiful blue tiles that I really need on craigslist. See, there is a bathtub I bought 3 years ago on Craigslist that I need to mosaic and use as a pool for the fountain (Penelope) I bought 2 years ago on Criagslist (500lbs and only $20!). Are you getting the sad picture here? Lots of great plans, but....

Turns out that these tiles were only 2 blocks away and the guy that answered the door was an old customer of mine at the camera shop. We got to talking about the history of the neighborhood, as he grew up here, and then his wife invited me to see their garden.

Her tomato's were flourishing and mine had not. I'd had no problems until this year. She gave me all of her secrets and we continued our varied conversations back out front. As I was leaving, Robert asked if I needed a compressor. My honey had asked me earlier in the week to look for one on Criaglist, so, I called him up and it is now sitting in our newly clean and organized garage.

On the way home I stopped at a yard sale on our street that looked really interesting. They had a lot of vintage items and books. I bought a Diane Arbus book and a beautiful vase that had been made by the mans late wife. As I was admiring the plethora of plants in the yard, Henry pulled out a wild ginger for me. The flower's smell was amazing, something like a cross between honeysuckle and tuber rose.

He brought me into his backyard and pulled off an aloe and dug out some Tropicana's for me. The yard was filled with fruit trees, ornamental plants and a beautiful vegetable garden as well as lovely artistic touches of rock work and ceramics his late wife had made. Earlier, I'd mentioned the tile I'd picked up and my intentions for it, later, he rummaged thru a shed and brought out a couple of boxes of glass, mosaic tile and gave them to me.

Two hours later, I arrived home with much more than a box of blue tile. I'd come back with a bunch of goodies, some great advise and wonderful conversations with neighbors.

We spent hours cleaning up the mess in the garage. A lot of the time was spent with me up in the "loft" above the garage (whose stairs had finally disintegrated last summer while friends were staying there) and the honey handing me things from below. So, from now on, we will grab pieces as needed to work on. One day, perhaps, the loft will be the guest house I have envisioned with new stairs and a balcony and a bathroom and skylights and insulation and the french doors we bought 3 years ago or at least, paint the backside of the garage!

the Spooky show Closing reception October 29th, 5-9pm

There's still so much art that didn't sell that I have decided to have a closing reception. Pieces are priced as low as 5! I have thumbtacked some of my old fiber based prints to the wall and they are priced to move. Two of Michelle Greenfield's voodoo dolls art left @ $20 each and she has skulls on crosses for just $10. Rhett's Frida Calacas are all going for $20 each and there are some beautiful paintings and photographs by Kiny McCarrick as well as really beautiful tin work by Shannon as well as a dozens more wonderful works.

The last shot, The Ghost of Madame X, is one of the pieces I sold. It was my first attempt at using multiple images digitally. The curtains were photographed at the studio several years ago, actually a polaroid taken before the model stepped in, and the skull is from a series of shots I took at Sac State in the biology department. Madame Gautreau was painted by Gustave Courtois in the late 1800's and the etching I have was made from it. She had previously posed for John Singer Sargent and both were shamed by the portrait he had painted of her in 1883 which shows "a large expanse of skin" as she was wearing a gown whose straps were falling down (straps later "righted") and her pose was considered sexually suggestive.

If you would like to submit your work, please do! The more the merrier...but not 'till 4am, this time!

The Spooky Show

This last week has been a chaotic mess fueled by some crazy desire to create, coffee, shellac and paint fumes. Friday night I was still painting my Dia De Los Muertos piece while Rhett hung most of the Spooky show. We snuck out for about an hour to see our friends band, Whisky and Stitches, who rocked.

Saturday I was still cutting mats, framing, and putting together "Rosa", as well as cleaning up the big messes I'd made and hanging the rest of the show. I got out of the studio at 7pm and was back- clean and dressed up 45 minutes later with 15 minutes to spare.

We had a really nice turn out, especially considering that we hadn't done any advertising except for facebook and word of mouth. Friends who'd gone to other galleries said that it was pretty slow out there. People were coming and going all night and I didn't know many of them (strange in this town).

By 4am there were just 5 of us left. I should have stopped partying long before that as I had the hangover from hell yesterday but when you work so hard on an event or party you just don't want it to end.

After 4 years of not showing art at SPACE15 it was really nice to have some life back in the place. So many folks came up to me and said how much they had missed it. I wish more pieces had sold but I can't complain as I sold 2 and had so many compliments. I also wish that I'd taken more photos, not just at the beginning and end. And, it would have been nice if my camera had been set correctly!

Remind me to tell you about my encounter with Voodoo

Exhausted. 2 large prints made yesterday as well as more work done on "Rosa". She still isn't dry. My friend Michelle, who made the papier mache concoction, said that I could probably bake it on low for about an hour. I sanded and dremeled and added more goop last night, left the studio covered in a fine, white powder all over my black clothes and hair. Looked like a voodoo priestess covered in ash or more likely a zombie with the dark circles around my eyes. By the time Saturday comes I will be a wreck but luckily it is a Spooky show, after all, I can just add some black lipstick and pretend that the look is intentional.

Sneak Peek

Okay, still way behind on getting my art stuff finished before Saturday. I have been working on my piece for the Dia De Los Muertos show at the studio in the evenings, sanded it today and added her hair. So, so much to do on that one. Went by Rhett's place today to check on his progress and, once again, he is kicking butt. Tomorrow I will make two large prints at my friend Bob's place then off to Costco to have some smaller prints made. Why do I do this to myself?

Poop!

Been working on the pieces for the two art shows next weekend. Not even close to being done, prints to make , framing to do, a mixed-media piece that hasn't even been started, cleaning up of the studio, hanging the show....and, of course, Aunt Flo (the Bitch) is back making my life miserable! Every time I say This time I'll be on top of things, get it all done in advance so that I won't be so stressed. Ha! Yeah, right!