Under the weather..

There is cotton in my head and
Tissue clouds beside my bed...
Hazed over thinking through
Overcast eyes....
Variable high pressure head storm brings in
A rainy disposition......
Hands as damp as the Fall leaves outside
Forecast turning chilly and no longer sunny.....
Lethargic movement stalling
Atmospheric activity....
A mottled nose followed by
frost tipped digits...
Three days coming...
Three days staying...
Three days going....
This is the forecast...
I'm sick....and.......
I am sick of being sick..........

LOL!

I am making light of my condition today and doing it in an attempt to be poetic....or is it prose? I am not a poet although I would love to be able to paint with words. ( My apologies Lori and all other writers for my abysmal attempt at what you are all so good at!) But I had fun trying!
Inez is home and is becoming used to her handicap of a broken wrist. Her dance studio gave her a little party for her birthday last night and she valiantly attended before promptly going to her room to rest. Poor thing, she is annoyed and I don't blame her one bit.....I have never broken anything...and pray I never do. I have had some serious events and surgeries in my life but my hands were never afflicted. I thank God for that!
Today is her birthday....so HAPPY BIRTHDAY INEZ!!!!!
I will probably putter around the house today before going to be abused at the Women's Center in Joplin. Today I have a mammogram and bone density scan. Doesn't THAT sound like fun! Which brings me to a request I have of the ladies who read my blog.
I joined the Army of Women the minute I heard about it.....a month ago. It is a website devoted to curing breast cancer by Dr. Susan Love during her lifetime.

Excerpt from their website follows:

The Dr. Susan Love Research Foundation and the Avon Foundation, a global leader in breast cancer research, joined forces to launch the Love/Avon Army of Women.

Our revolutionary initiative has two key goals:

• To recruit one million healthy women of every age and ethnicity, including breast cancer survivors and women at high-risk for the disease, to partner with breast cancer researchers and directly participate in the research that will eradicate breast cancer once and for all.
• To challenge the scientific community to expand its current focus to include breast cancer prevention research conducted on healthy women.

I lost my Mother to untreated breast cancer and have an Aunt who had it also....fortunately she recovered. Because of my heredity it makes me what they consider a high risk. I have had exams regularly since I was 41 and hopefully all women do this regular preventative program. I urge you to join this month as it is Breast Cancer Awareness month. You may join here.

In a strange way the painting posted today seemed apropos to what was discussed in this blog. It is painted on textured canvas. I use thick gesso and make it thicker in some areas than others. I also try to give it an interesting surface texture by using a house painters brush and jabbing at the canvas to remove some of the gesso. I will also use a knife to give an almost Spanish stucco wall appearance. It was painted last year.
Love, Theresa

When it rains it poors.....

Inez, Max's daughter, came home night before last and.......my gosh....she had a broken wrist. The really sad thing besides the fact this will interfere with her work, life and just about everything..... is... she is a dancer. She has been dancing for a very long time about 20 years...it is part of her life...and she is very good. She was trained in classical ballet and dances three times a week and teaches occasionally also. I feel so bad for her. She had surgery yesterday and they reset the bone and added pins and a plate. It will be six to eight weeks before she is healed. She will be allowed to come home sometime today depending on her mobility and the doctor's schedule. Max and I cleaned her room and I washed all her clothes and making cinnamon rolls for her. She had great plans to go up to Kansas City and party with her friends.....she will still go....but obviously must be very careful. It is also her birthday on the 28th....not exactly the present she was looking for. We are all hoping for a quick an easy mend.....and that it won't interfere with her dancing.
Well Halloween is almost here and Max and I are invited to a Halloween Costume party....I think we may go as Deadwood....if you never saw the series....it is a hoot. I will let everyone guess who he and I will be. Some more suggestions would be helpful, too!
I have been looking at Eldon Warrens blog which is fabulous and very descriptive. He is showing the progress of a landscape painting he is working on. Please take a look!! He has some beautiful work.
Along the same lines I subscribe to Empty Easel and who do I find that writes there....Diane Mize...another fellow blogger and fabulous artist. She has a great article on edges....my trouble spot....and her entry is fabulous!
I plan to do the same as Warren soon......put up a progression of work. I will also put up the Profiles magazine article too. But for now....I am a little overwhelmed with duties. So all I have to offer is some work that was done a while ago. One is a plein air and the other a portrait. I sold the 8x10 plein air for $2000 at the Richard Schmid Auction and the 12x16 portrait could have been sold ten times over....but as of yet I want to keep it because it has some things in it that I like how I painted them. In particular the roses, the dress and the hand. Less is more....I am still struggling with that!
That's about it for today....off to make cinnamon rolls!
Love, Theresa

Just a little more......

Ardie's Villa 11x14 sold

Here are a couple of plein air paintings both sold....I have always loved the freshness and spontaneous feel of outdoor painting. They are both from local places just a few miles from me. I wish that same freshness and the chance to paint outdoors happened more frequently. I am still a bit under the weather. Max is recuperating but still coughing.
For today's post I want to respond to a comment that Erika left me yesterday because it had some interesting things that might warrant some of your attentions. Erika is an extremely versatile artist...A stunning human being....and one of the most charming people I know.
First Cut 5x12 sold

Here is Erika's comment:
Artists clean their studios? I think I was absent when they taught that lol That is one serious easel Theresa, it means business! You guys do have a lot of work to do there, but it will all be worth it since you're doing it together and the house does seem like there is new life wanting to break out of it! I know you'll breathe it into it ;)
The kiddies are cute! Awwww the barefooted princess, does she look like your mini-me? Glad you had fun with the family and you even discovered Wii! Looks like something I'd enjoy as I loooove games especially if I can engage the husband to join me.
No worries about posting frequently as long as you promise to let me peek in once in a while. Guess this means you won't be offering a fall workshop here huh? I hope to see you here next year maybe. Welcome home!

October 24, 2008 11:23 PM

Hawaiian Shack 8x10 sold

Regarding cleaning my studio....LOL!! When I am in the middle of painting it is a mess...there are reference materials, paint, paper towels, rags and glasses....brushes piled up in thinner...and numerous bottles and tubes everywhere. We have two dogs and three cats...so there is also hair...and it is something I am always on the watch for so I don't end up with "furry" paintings. Once a painting is finished and signed...framed and hung....I have already got another one in the back of my mind. Unless I am experiencing a block or there are impositions on my time. So for me....I find that I need to tidy up my space...clean sweep (mentally and physically) to make room for the next one to grow and take on its own direction. I cannot do that with an abundance of clutter everywhere. It's just me....how I am. I need things open and clear to allow a free flow of thought. Call it Feng Shui...if you like...but it does work for me. My easel is serious...I suppose...it just feels comfortable to me and I have had it for several years....since I decided to take art serious and make it my living. It didn't cost a lot only a couple of hundred dollars....I have seen some for thousands....I don't feel the need for one of those!

THE HOUSE...I must tell you when I first met Max and later came to his house I was in shock...to put it mildly! Max was a bachelor for some time...about 8 years or so...being the very cautious Missouri sort...he wanted to pick the right one. He lived like a bachelor and it was a bit of mess. He had some girlfriends of course....but lucky me! Hehe! The house was his Grandmothers and Mothers by joint ownership. She was 21 when they bought it. She passed away at 84 about 4 years ago. Max grew up here. There was an amazing amount of "stuff" stored here....Mimi (as the grand kids called her) never threw anything away. The depression era generation was like that.... my folks and my grandparents were that way and everyone I have ever known from that generation was like that. Max and I have a tendency to carry that value on....just not to the extremes of saving string, tinfoil, bottles and other items...unless they have historical, sentimental, antique or homemade value. We have a fantastic assortment of advertising art from his Dads store and Max's job. Lots of homemade quilts and crocheted rugs....hooked rugs and old oak furniture. Silver, crystal and fine china from my side. I have collected antiques since I was quite young so all of the furniture works well with the house. Several old trunks are used as end tables in the TV room. The parlor is more formal and I am still working on unpacking that. Yes, new life is being breathed into this house. I have redone several old homes in my life....and believe I have one more left in me.....and yes we are doing it together....it does make a difference!

Yes, Erika, my granddaughter Terinna, the barefoot princess from yesterdays post....is a mini me.....she loves to draw and color....and while working on a picture one time....she donned a pair of play glasses and came up to her Mom with a drawing in hand and told her "Look, Mommy, I'm Grandma Honey"! My heart just soared when I was told that story. Another time my daughter told me she looks just like me when I was very young. My daughter named her after both of us and the fact that Larry always loved the nickname Terry. Terinna is a combination of Terry short for Theresa and my daughters' name Anna. While I was growing up I was called Terry.....than as an adult I liked my full name better. My family and some very, very old friends still call me Terry till today.
I have not given up on holding another workshop....but I will have to see how it goes here. I believe I may have overextended myself this coming year.....but I always love a challenge!
Love, Theresa

Play and Work....And More to Come....

I am back from a wonderful visit to Arizona! I was so happy to see my daughter, son-in-law, grand kids and old friend Jacquie! We all had a wonderful time together and I was sad in many ways to have to leave. We spent a lot of time just visiting...which is just fine by me. The grand kids got sick while Max and I were there and recovered shortly before we left. Nevertheless there was much time to play and run around with them.
We celebrated Anna's birthday and her and Larry's anniversary while we were there. I must mention this before I continue my children were raised with very little TV. We played a lot of games and puzzles and reading and running a homestead where I grew all my own food there were many chores that they all took part in. Soooo.... to celebrate Anna's birthday we ordered Olive Garden ( I didn't have to cook a lick....yeah! Even though I thought I might) and played games all day and most of the next...with a few drinks after the kids were in bed. This was the best way she said to celebrate her birthday....!

Well I am here to tell you....I have discovered Wii...! OMG...this is too much fun and what a workout when you really play at it. It appears I and my granddaughter Terinna and grandson Ryan are quite the champs at boxing, knocking everyone out including Max! I am also a super star at sitting down and bowling...which thoroughly put everyone in a tizzy as to how that was even possible. In all fairness...I absolutely suck at Baseball and lag sadly behind everyone in Tennis and standing Bowling....and Golfing....well, I didn't even try to embarrass myself. This game is a great workout and we were all sore. Jacquie came over and spent the afternoon/evening playing too and she is also sold! We all used muscles we didn't even know we had.

If you don't know the game you must create a character that looks like you (or not...your choice). Here is where Max really shines. His art degree came into play but he was also sorely surprised. He had what was an excellent version of himself...and everyone was amazed at how quickly he put it together. The sad surprise came when Larry said...Hey Max you really don't have brown hair....in shock and dismay he changed it to gray.....I must say that wasn't really accurate either. He said they did not have a mousy brown selection to choose from! In all fairness Tennis and Baseball are definitely his games which he did really well at!!!
Anna got helium filled Birthday balloons from Terinna and Ryen which they quickly reclaimed and they each pinned them to me and we played for quite awhile that Grandma Honey was floating away.

First an arm then a leg then all of me! Ryen had the brilliant idea to pile pillows on me that he said were rocks so I wouldn't float up to the ceiling. As a matter of fact I had him so convinced I was floating away that he piled pillows on himself before falling asleep on the couch while his balloon was clipped to his shirt!!!

We did go out the first night...and my daughter and I were like two girlfriends out on the town. First to the Yardhouse for dinner and Anna convincing me I had to try a Strawberry Martini. I did. They tasted like lemonade.....hmmmm good. So we had two more with dinner. Max and Larry looked on hoping we wouldn't hurt ourselves in the haunted house.....which did not compare to those we have up in Kansas City which are excellent and have been in business since 1975 and the other since 1991. I vaguely remember going up to the musician(after being goaded by Max, Larry and Anna) at one place and requesting Just Like Greta by Van Morrison and the piano player biting his finger after I gave him a peck on the cheek. I was told later that was a good thing, a sign of approval as it were. I was also told I had about 8 martinis. Thank goodness I don't do that very often but needless to say we had a blast!

So here we are a week later and after to starting to unpack the living room Max and I have gotten whatever the kids had....not serious but bad enough to feel like not doing a whole lot. I am still making headway in the last room to unpack and redistribute items around the house.
As I mentioned before this house was probably built in the very late 1800's....and it still has wallpaper from that date up till the '40s and is complete with carriage stoop in the front bearing the name Platt. The name is a very big name here in Carthage...Leggett and Platt patented the first single cone bedspring which is still being made till today in some fashion. The home is covered inside with warm woodwork even in the bathrooms and it had two stained glass windows, two living rooms or parlors and a beautiful stairway and banister. It originally had gas lamps and one room has absolutely no outlets and the others have very few. I have traded a painting to a friend to have the wiring done. They raise draft horses and have a draft horse plowing every year. The painting is of their horses and they have always wanted it but never really could afford it. It is by the way an older piece...done about 4 years ago. See every painting finds a home!!! Jack is an electrician and his wife and my friend Verna was my mail lady for years when I lived in Kansas.
There are several pictures of where I live...the house has huge potential. Yes, it is a lot of work...and it is old, dusty and in need of repair.....but for me there is something about the charm and craftsmanship that one cannot find in a new home. I have cut back on dusting..ha ha! By the pictures you can see that wallpaper has started to be removed. There are boxes from the living room in the hallway and many things need to be rearranged and/or removed. The house is filled with memories. Max's toys are still here and you can see them in the pictures if you look closely. There are brown jugs of buttons from his Mom..and the original TV set they owned serves as our dry bar. The paintings are mine that I choose not to sell or have just not sold yet....( I believe there is an owner for every painting I do.....it just takes time to find that person and connect them with their painting). Note the Communist Party Poster for the election of 1932 I believe. No, we are not Communists i is just a unique piece of history. The plants are also mine as I have always had a huge love of gardening. The sculpture on the table is a gift from Jeff Legg an artist friend of mine who is fabulous and is also a wonderful person whom we visited with this past summer. The furniture is a combination of mine and Max's...we both seem to enjoy antiques. Between the two of us we could start a library.....and we have gleaned out many of the books we once owned. There is still wiring to be done....some more insulation....and plaster and drywall work...ugh....not my favorite! Some windows have been reworked and glazed but there are more. There is a slight remodel in the kitchen which will involve large slabs of marble that Max acquired some time ago. It will take some time to finish the house between painting and everything else. That is okay....although I do get a little impatient and want it all done now!!....but I am here on earth to learn from life and enjoy my stay while I am here....and that is exactly what I am doing!! Excuse me if I don't post everyday....in fact they may become shorter for a while in the future. It will depend on how much work is involved here. I hope you enjoy a peek into my life...I have also included a picture of my studio. Cluttered and messy! Which I clean up only to mess it up all over again!
Okay enough blabbing for today..time to get busy!!
More to come...so stay tuned!
Love, Theresa

Frequent Flyer.......

Catching up to speed is sometimes a real challenge. I think I need to reorganize my time or at least make it more efficient. I must say I have been pretty consumed with politics and the news of late. I also believe I would be better off not indulging in so much of it. But, alas, this is a historical and unprecedented event or events in our history and just as I was in the 60's....I am very much a part of it today, wanting to know every little detail, poll, upswing and downturn. I am not going to politicize this blog...but I do have very strong feelings for one candidate and am hoping that everyone takes it upon themselves to truly look at the facts and search out all the info and please, please vote. Enough said an now back to my little microcosm!
Max's birthday was a great success! All of the kids were there for dinner except for Wyatt (who lives in Houston but did call and gave his rendition of "Happy Birthday" over the phone to his Dad)!
Dinah his oldest was there and we had a great visit. Inez his second oldest was also there and we always have a great time! Obviously from my last blog there was plenty of food to go around and everyone thoroughly loved it...I sent some food and cake to the kids grandparents and a piece of cake to the mother of one of Max's oldest friends to enjoy....and we still had leftovers!
When Max read my blog...which he does every time I post...he discovered the painting was his birthday present. He cried and I was touched by this man's obvious heartfelt emotion. Men don't cry right? Phooey...they do and it means the world to me to see how much he was touched.
So today my friends I will be packing and taking care of a few loose ends. We will be leaving first thing in the morning for our flight out of Tulsa to Phoenix. I am looking forward to our little family visit.
I believe this will be our last trip for awhile. I have two one woman shows next year and two galleries to keep filled. That means I need to settle in for the winter and paint all of the ideas I have in my head. I am very excited about many of them and some need to sit on the backburner and stew for awhile until all the flavors come together.
Today's painting is something from another visit to Arizona ( I am generally out there 4 or 5 times a year). There is a lovely little bistro in Scottsdale....or was it Chandler?.....Darn! I can't remember but this was my take on it! It was an award winner and is also sold. It is in the possession of one of the Board Members at SPIVA Center For The Arts......our local Arts Center here in Joplin, Mo.
I will be gone for about 5 days and I am not sure if I will be posting....guess I will have to wait and see!
Love, Theresa

Bunches of Birthdays and a Trip to Arizona!

Tomorrow, Sunday the 5th of October, is Max's Birthday. So, today I have been cooking and will be doing the same tomorrow morning. Because I have been on a diet for the past week and a half...I am beginning to crave some comfort food...which for me is Italian food! I have lost 5 1/2 lbs. I have about 10 to go and I will be happy (difficult for me being of Italian descent! Sweet Max thinks I am just fine.....and truthfully if I loose to much I do look a little sickly. I am making crusty Italian bread, a delicious herb/olive oil dipping sauce for the bread, Ravioli with ricotta/spinach filling, Pesto, an antipasto salad and a chocolate cake to die for! One day splurge and back to the eating plan. I was also requested to make cinnamon rolls...good grief! As I have gotten older and the kids are all grown I don't bake very often...fortunately for me.... but it is a special occasion so I will...lovingly. The spinach, pasta and ricotta, basil for the pesto, herbs for the dipping sauce and tomato's and pepper for the salad are all home grown minus chemicals. The flavors are so much better in homegrown foods! The large painting I started a while back is my gift to Max. I have called "Drunken Poets Dream" It is a song by Hayes Carll that we both like...If you look up the words they are a little wild...not to imply that we are! I am not sure what the kids are getting him....but I am sure it will be well thought out and with love....even if it is just phone call. So we will be making merry and having a few drinks this Sunday.
On the same subject of birthdays my dear friend Jacquie who lives in Arizona has her birthday tomorrow also. The painting "Bottom of the Glass" is of her and is in her possession. It was done a few years ago. Packing will begin sometime next week.
On the art front....I am having a few paintings reframed to send to Kansas City. Cherry the owner of the gallery I am in is doing the framing and does a beautiful job! I completely trust her judgment. I have been accepted into a show put on by the Artists of Northwest Arkansas. There are 11 states that enter the show and there has been some very stiff competition not to mention a ton of entries! I expect the competition to be even stiffer this year. My painting "The Golden Hour" was picked for exhibition. In the past I have won Second Place there twice and Best Oil Painting once. Maybe one day I will win Best of Show and then I won't have to enter anymore! I was also advised that the Thomas Hart Benton Show at Crowder College, which I received Best of Show two years running, has decided that if I enter and win Best of Show again they will make an award in my name and give me signature status. I can't tell you how honored I am or how lucky and grateful I am.
Here around the house we have been picking up walnuts and pecans for cracking...ugh! A nice but tedious chore to do by the fire in the evenings while watching TV or listening to music. So far there 8 sacks full. We have been harvesting and cleaning up the yard to ready it for winter. Still have a ways to go but it is looking better all the time. I still need to unpack one room since I moved in here in June. I have been busy with so many things but the holidays are coming and we intend to have party here at the house so it would probably be a good idea to finish the living room...which we have two of in this old Victorian.
That's about it for now, the bread is calling me, there is still much more to say but it will have to wait!!!

As Luck Would Have It....

Gladys's Quiet Determination 22x22 sold
I have been away for a while....catching up on some business, house chores and a little visiting. Not to mention working on the huge painting which is just about done! The gallery in Kansas City wants six of my paintings and three of my photographs. To get everything ready for them entailed going back over some frames to address any issues they might have, replacing a liner and a completely new frame for two of the paintings. The photographs need to be printed and matted and then framed....that is still on hold to see if the raw image has enough megabytes for printing. There was also an issue as to whether two of the paintings could go or not.
During the Midwest Gathering two years ago I had a painting of an older lady in her garden. The woman I chose to paint was like a Mother to me and welcomed me and included me in every family celebration and holiday. Her name was Gladys Murray. She was the strongest woman I have ever met...not only physically but emotionally as well. She wrecked buildings for a living with her son and some hired men through a company she and her husband built. They built their home with mostly salvaged materials that still stands today is still a beautiful home on 40+ acres. She cooked for a large and extended family including hired hands regularly. She watched two children, a husband and grandson die. She always had a welcome mat, hug and cup of coffee out for anyone. She taught me many things about life and I still use her guidelines until today. I could say so much more about this amazing woman but there is not enough room tell all of the stories we shared.....She was 76 years old when she passed away. I was with her every moment of the 36 days she had to live once diagnosed with cancer. It was painful but well worth it. I had done the same with my natural mother whom I took care of until the end. I wrote a poem for her about having two mothers...one by birth and one by choice...and put it in her pocket when she was buried in her favorite pink suit. I may show it to you one day. She made the flower arrangements for her own funeral. I was and am proud to have been her friend and daughter by choice and I miss her every day. I did this painting of her and called it Gladys's Quiet Determination because of how she always appeared to me. The lady who saw it is Max's sisters best friend.....she came to the house a few months ago and expressed how that painting affected her and how much she would like to have it. I told her then as I had for some time to other people that selling the painting was not very important to me but if she wanted it I would let her buy it because of how it struck her emotionally. In other words the painting would have a loving home and appreciated for the spirit it was painted in. You can see that I get attached to certain ones for emotional reasons. She said she really loved it and that the message that came through really identified with her...I let her know the painting was hers when she decided to purchase it. Well as luck or fate would have it, this was one of the paintings that the gallery wanted.....and I had already told this woman that it wasn't going anywhere. I talked to Max's' sister about this complication and when these two friends went out to dinner this past Friday they discussed it and called me. She bought the painting that evening and I am very happy it is with someone that truly appreciates it!
The second painting that had a complication is entered in a competition and will be on exhibition for awhile before it can be delivered. Not a huge problem but I am hoping to win a prize on it. I also received an email this morning from someone who had seen a painting of mine at an art fair in Pineville last year...the painting is called "Of Saints and Sinners" and she expressed interest in it. If you have a website make sure they are up to date and list all pertinent information including how to get a hold of you!!! I have had great success with my website but I have also done a lot of work through art fairs, shows, auctions and exhibitions to get my name out there. I am still working hard at this part that many artists hate....me included!!
The Profiles magazine article came out and it is wonderful....makes me sound like I know what I am talking about!! More about that next time.
The big painting is close to being done and will also be posted at a later date....I already have ideas for a new one and am anxious to start on it.
So that is the brief update and I wish everyone of you reading a happy and creative week!
Love, Theresa
Of Saints and Sinners 20x30 oil

Back To The Vacation...Day Three

Well it's been awhile since I talked about our vacation. Everyone knows how life can just get in the way sometimes...not always a bad thing either! As you can see from the last post, I started an extremely large painting....50x40! Many people were amazed at how fast I "finished" it....sorry darlings....I am NOT finished! On closer inspection you can see that the hands are not done, the sheets need to be finished in one or two areas, some thin glazing here and there and the dogs finished off a bit....just a bit though. I like the semi-unfinished work...to me it leaves an immediacy and spontaneity that a completely covered canvas does not have....unless it is a small piece done in one sitting. Upon looking closely at many paintings from some of the current and past masters that I thoroughly(seen in the list to the right) enjoy one can see transparent shadows, thin glazes and dry brushing that allow the canvas to show through. Then there are levels of thicker paint juxtaposed with the thin and medium layers that are so expressive I can hardly stand to look at the magnificent brushwork and color without weeping. Sargent, Zorn, and Schmid were and are masters at this as well as the names listed to the right. So to sum it up the painting is close to finished but for me now comes the hard part. I must think long and hard how the next stroke will add or detract from the painting...is the temperature and value reading correctly.....is it the right shape and where does it begin and where does it end. I have gotten past some of these issues....but, dang it, so much of it eludes me. All I can say to myself is this...more miles on the brush...paint what you see and not what you know.....and keep experimenting....you can always wipe it off until you get it right. I do a lot of that sometimes. When I was still teaching one thing I often said was....Paint the picture in your head first....that is why the first three days went so fast on such a large painting....but alas I neglected painting some of the details....so physician heal thyself...! A final word on showing this painting..I have full consent of Max to show this image...we view it as a good painting with a good composition and it means something special to both of us...irregardless of who it is I paint. It was not meant to attract viewers or bloggers...I have plenty of work to post that is better than this one or worse. I just want to make things clear in case some are put off by subject matter and this is NOT directed at anyone. Okay? 'Nough said...:)
Second day of our vacation! When we awoke I immediately started thinking...the party for the Schmid Auction was tonight I kept thinking what would it be like? Who would we meet? We drove up two Fort Collins where we had our reservations....checked in and got ready for the party....Bellevue is about 45 Minutes away. We were there early enough that we decided to drive up there and make sure we found the place. That was definitely the smart think to do!!
Stove Prairie Ranch is and astounding citadel of Morgan horses and cattle nestled in the Rocky Mountains, Rist Valley . You have to see this astonshing land to appreciate it! The ranch is huge and anyone can drive through it as long as they stay on the road. Several other ranches and homes are built on this prairie...all of them charming! We drove up the Rist Canyon road and stopped to take pictures of the Old Flowers house and the Bellevue store. Once past the Auction site we started to wonder if we were lost....I looked at our print out of the directions and it said to keep going until Old Flowers Road. Onward! We drove through the beautiful rockies and remembered that distinct light and air from my years in Utah....I thought how much I missed it and the simple living off the land life I had while I lived there. Then I remembered the work....the milking ....the feeding.....the tilling and toiling....the butchering...and all of the 1oo's of daily chores that consumed my life before painting seriously. Naw!!...I don't miss it that much!!! I am quite happy where I am in my life right this very moment....it is the right place at the right time!
We reached th top of what seemed to be a hill and over and down we went...12% grade....from my truckdriving days I remembered that this was not your average 6% to 7%( although I have seen 17%).....and I could see it was long way down.....I can't imagine it with snowpack and/or ice! Down we went at the bottom of the hill was Old Flowers Road....we drove through this stately an well planned ranch and were completely amazed at the size of it. There were many barns and out buildings....horse shelters....what seemed to be two guest homes...many more buildings....a huge covered arena with patio where they were setting things up for the party that night...and capping it all off an amazingly large house sitting up on a hill looking over the estate...everything made from wood and natural rock...stunning!!! I took many pictures some are on the slide show at the top of this page.
It was finally time to attend the party. We drove up to the first stop where my name was checked on the guest list and then we were waved ahead when it was okay. The there was a second stop...where my name was checked once again....very secure...gate crashers beware! On up to an open prairie where we were assigned parking. On to the party. We came up to a huge covered arena and walked through massive wooden carved doorway......Wow!! We were greeted by a third group checking invitations and I was given an artist name tag and Max was given a guest tag. Horse stables lined each side of the center walkway....a charming tack room, off to one side, decorated in Mission style oak and Arts and Crafts accessories. It was immaculate, the horses were gorgeous and by there friendliness and contentment one could see they were handled often and well. After visiting with the horses (which everyone did! How could anyone resist?) we came into the arena. Huge wooden beams were decorated with tiny white icicle lights....The fine sand was wetted and tamped down for the party...tables were arranged and decorated beautifully through the entire center and the whole seating area was roped off. A bar was set up in two opposing corners and the some of the food and barbeque where set up outside. We stopped and got a cocktail for me and a beer for Max and wandered out to the patio (name tag in place) where the quests were mingling. We didn't know anyone there personally but as the evening went on many interesting people came up to us and we visited and chatted amiably including Richard himself who asked me to find his "lovely wife Nancy"and send her over to him. Mr. Schmid is not only a genius of an artist but is equally well versed in many subjects...is always learning something new and a true gentleman and loving husband with a very wry sense of humor. I have very high regard for him not just as an artist but as a human being.
We were called to dinner and filled our plates and found a table. The guests greeted us and we began a wonderful conversation. Max struck up a conversation with the man sitting next to him...Tom Sutherland. Now this is amazing....he turned out to be THE Tom Sutherland who was kidnapped and held hostage in Beirut for 2354 days. We met his wife who was equally charming! Everyone at the table was gregarious and we all had a wonderful time with great food. We were called to attention that the ceremonies and introductions were to begin...and also that a special event was planned for us. Thanks were given to all who planned, participated and attended the event. Wes Rutt who pretty much is the glue of the auction was introduced. He is a great guy and remembers every artist at the auction. He works very hard to make sure the event comes off well.
After the introductions we were told that we were going to be shown there top pick horses and new colt....which is why the seating area was roped off. They stunning animals were turned out and put through there paces around the ring by their trainer Kathy! I have had a little experience with horses and these were beauties with perfectly arched necks and real high steppers....certainly to be reckoned with in the championships the owner planned to enter. We visited some more got a bite of dessert and decided it was time to go home. Big day tomorrow and we were both tired but very happy.
I will end now as I sometimes I spend a long time writing too many words. I need to get back to work and Max has taken on the job of repairing and painting the window sills and trim of this 100 and something year old home. You know he always thinks he may not get these repairs right...but he always takes his time and thinks things through before making a move....something I admire as I am rather impulsive often to my detriment! Just another reason we are good for each other.
Until tomorrow, Theresa

Filled Up and Overflowing.....

I"m baaaack! I have missed a week of blogging...My brain has hatched several new ideas....Gone through the photos of our vacation....and I have had my entire mind consumed with my new painting (yes, Lori you hit the nail on the head)
To clean up some old issues I received the Brilliante Weblog Award one more time....and I will use fellow blogger David Lobenbergs' style of delivering this award. I am suppose to pass this award onto 5 other blogs that I highly admire (and I know that this award is suppose to circulate), but I humbly submit my "Fav. Links" on the right...more than 5 for sure, but they are all fantastic, and I just can't bring myself to edit. Sorry. Straight from the horses mouth!
The painting I started three days ago took a day of thought to paint it in my head first. When I had the image secured in my head I sketched it out on a 50x40 canvas. THE biggest canvas ever, to date, that I have painted on! The painting is from a photo Max took of me around my 60th birthday and it turned out so well I just had to paint it. It is not for sale unless, of course, you have around $30,000....lol!
In the first picture is the sketch and a wash of transparent oxide red with a touch of ultramarine blue to cool it down some. I work from dark to light blocking in the shadows first then the middle values. Highlights are wiped out of the paint with thinner. The next image is the work I did on the second day....mostly the bedclothes and trying to keep the shapes simple and the shadows thin. The third day I started the body and added more washes to the background. Worked on the sheets a little more and just about finished Okra Winfrey one of our cats.
This is a quick blog....there should be some new slide shows on here also.
Back to painting,
Theresa

"As a man thinketh, so is he" - Proverbs 23:7

Okay...I wasn't back Monday...but better late than never as they say! It has been one heck of a weekend. Attending The Midwest Gathering For Artists is always fun, profitable and tiring in a good way! The event kicked off with midday meeting and drawing for numbers. The numbers represent the order in which the artists work is auctioned off....I picked number 24...ugh...way down the line among 31 pieces! That means, for me, lots of anticipation until my turn. I have related to you how these events are for me and Friday was no different! We then had a brief meeting and introduction of new and returning artists. Well, Lo and Behold I could not believe my eyes! My old teacher, Barbara Courtney, was among the returning artists. There was a last minute cancellation and they called her up. I was so very happy to see her there!! She is a great artist, mentor, teacher and art Mom and is extremely deserving of all this ! She is the one who set me on the right path when I started painting 7 years ago and I owe her much. Most of all, I am in debt for her great confidence in what I was capable of doing in the art world. I hope I never prove her wrong! I will always look forward to growing and do not believe that I will ever "arrive"....which I believe is death to the artists soul, creativity and continued growth towards excellence. After much hugs and kisses since many of these artists I only get to see once a year because of their living distances we adjourned and had a wonderful lunch, set up our auction pieces( one for the first auction and one for the second) chose the artist that we thought was the best and went home to prepare for the evening.
I went home and did the rest of my painting tags and took a brief nap! I had bought a lovely creamy beige confection of embroidered lace and ties and ribbons....very girlie and when I saw it I had to have it....Max said buy it you are worth it! I don't ask for much...but I do like a new piece of clothing every once in a while. Most of the money goes into the house except for the occasional book...I should say books!...art supplies and frames!
We arrived on time to a huge crowd...always good to see...a beautiful arrangement of hors d'oeuvres and wine ( provided by Max's cousins husband Jim)...all of which we enjoyed as we greeted buyers, friends, artists and clients. We sat with Cherry and her squeeze Joe...and had an absolute blast!! Cherry is the owner of Cherry's Gallery and sure knows her stuff! She has great eye for art and a real business head besides being a real sweetheart....Joe is a hoot and he and Max talked about cooking up some fish boil confection that actually sounds delicious. We watched as once piece after another was auctioned off some with great success dollar wise others with not so much success...nerve wracking!! My turn...I started to get very tense that my piece would go for a pittance like some of the others at $300 to $600.....friends to the rescue....Max, Cherry and Joe soothed my nerves.
Now...here is the crazy thing! I have been reading a book Called "The Secret" ....it contains a belief system that I have always practiced or at least tried to. Others have written about it and you have all heard of it. The first time I read this concept was in...yes...the Bible....the second time was a little book by James Allen which is a free online book...at least it was. I have tried off and on to keep this thinking in my mind....but not always successfully. This type of thinking is to positively create images of whatever in your life you want to happen. When I started this thinking on a stronger level...... I was given a house to live in when I suddenly found I didn't have one anymore (another amazing story)...Max came into my life (which is a tale in itself and WILL be recounted at one point!) Then I kind of relaxed and went into a lax posture concerning art concentrating mostly on this house and moving. A few months ago I started the thinking again and have been applying it to my self confidence and my art.
I am here to tell you.....this works!!!! I now have a much better self image and art....well it has taken off like the proverbial gangbusters!!I sold a small piece for starters. Then I sold two pieces to my local hospital for a highly respectable sum. The Richard Schmid Auction netted me exactly what I wanted and a personal introduction by Richard himself(it seems he only introduces the artists with paintings he likes). I received a cold call from a new gallery in Kansas City that would like to represent me. I pay my doctor with prints for services and had some framing done for the same. We are having electrical work done in our old house for a painting (it was once gas lights and rather difficult to rewire) I have been asked to judge a show for this weekend. A newspaper item in the Joplin Globe and 4 State Arts( they wanted to use 3 of my pieces as the pictures for the MGA ad), a Profiles Magazine article and a Carthage Press ad. The MGA first auction piece went for the price I asked the second piece which was a print went for decent amount. I sold a small painting and some cards during the weekend and got home to find a confirmation letter from the gallery in Kansas City! I will be hanging with the likes of Pino and Dan Gerhartz!!! It DOES NOT get any better than that!!! I can hardly believe it!! I can only hope and pray and positively think..:) that one day I will achieve their artistic level. I also received an invitation to paint outdoors with Todd Williams another fantastic artist!
Now, if you have not explored this type of thinking I urge you to start and watch the changes in your life!
Here is a female singer (for you Lori) that has a beautiful sound, her name is Pieta Brown and she is one of my favorites to paint by. Here are a few more...Cat Power, Lucinda Williams, The Felice Brothers, The Avett Brothers, The Be Good Tanyas and just about all Classical(great for improving your intelligence ratio, creativity and imaging.
See you tomorrow...hopefully with a slide show! I am judging a show tonight and giving the awards on Saturday.
Thinking Positively, Theresa