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!!!