Tagged Again!!!

I have just been tagged again....Thank you Barbara Muir...fantastic artist, friend and admirer!
I will get to the rest of the game in a bit...but first!!! Hold the presses....we all know who Thomas Kincade is, right? Presents himself as a devout artistic Christian, right? You gotta read this...I just found it on Jeremy Lipking's blog and if you don't know who he is you don't know nothin'!! Click here for a very informative article of "The Painter Of Light" who obviously has a very dark side.
That said on with the game....but if I get tagged again I will have to pass!

So here are the rules for being tagged.

You need to:
1. Put a link in your posting to the person who tagged you.
2. List 7 unusual things about yourself.
3. Tag 7 other bloggers at the end of your post and comment
on their blogs to let them know.

1. I received two scholarships...two years in a row..which was actually every other year because that was when they were available...to Scottsdale Artist School. I studied with John Budicin and John Burton.
2. My children are all part Hawaiian....my first two husbands were Hawaiian.
3. I actually lived in a tree house when I first moved to Hawaii...it was designed by an architect. I lived there for about three months and visited often for a couple of years after that. There was also a bus that was permanently parked beneath the tree and completely livable.
4. I danced Hula professionally for two years.
5. I am a baptized Catholic. My godparents were Elizabeth Taylor's secretary and his life partner.
6.I am also a baptized Mormon....but do not practice.
7. Although I owned several horses over the years. I broke my first and only colt at age 40 while living in Utah.
8. I am going to add this one because their is a reason I don't paint every day. I had back surgery due to a truck wreck...not my fault, thank God! The other problem was they discovered I had a birth defect of some kind....no wonder my back hurt from the time I was kid!! I have a metal plate and several pins plus a bone fusion in my back. I have died twice....yes certified dead! Once when I had spinal meningitis and once from an accidental overdose. I remember everything....it's just like the stories you have heard. I also suffer from mild depression...mood swings....whatever....and arthritis but some days I am either in a lot of pain or just blue.
Here are the 7 delightful bloggers and great artists..
Michael Lynn Adams
Karin Jurick
Diane Mize
Stacey Peterson
Michael Naples
Eldon Warren
Steve Atkinson

I received an email from someone that thinks I should rename my blog semi annual rather than daily! LOL! I imagine it was a brand of humor and meant to be funny. Well, unfortunately I can't name it semi annual since I have already painted 24 pieces this year ( low by my standards) ... and most of them have sold. On the other hand I have not been painting daily for the last month and a half. This has been a difficult year for painting between moving and a new relationship/family but there are many dividends that don't come out of a tube. Without knowing someones history very, very well I don't think I would attempt this kind of humor, but thats just me. I have been painting on a daily basis for many years....except this one.....oh, and one other time when I had to move from my home of 15 years, go through a divorce, found my lost child of 23 years and the woman that was as close to me as a mother died.....on the other hand this year I have a gift of a wonderful man in my life, many new friends from my move and blogging and some wonderful new doors of opportunity in the art world and more. So when I paint...I paint....and when I don't....I don't.
Here, below, for your amusement one of the absolute worst paintings I have ever done!!! It's soooo damn pink! And the one at the top is one of the most popular as far as prints.
Much love, Theresa

Tagged!!

Aspens 8x10 oil
I have just been tagged by Theresa Miller! This is a really fun way to get to know your blogger friends in art! The rules of this great game are:-
1. Put a link in your posting to the person who tagged you.
2. List 7 unusual things about yourself.
3. Tag 7 other bloggers at the end of your post and comment on their blogs to let them know.

Here is the list of 7 things about me, I have been told time and time again I should write a book…

1. I have 5 children by birth, 13 grandchildren, and two great-grand children. I also considered the 3 children by relationship with my dear Max as mine.

2. I had two scholarships one in music (piano) and one in art...to Chounard in L.A. which became The California Institute of the Arts. I pursued neither scholarship.

3. I have drawn all my life and painted sporadically. It wasn't until the last 7 years that I became serious about painting.

4. I traveled Europe and Hawaii before I was 6 with my parents Reginald and Theresa Rankin.

5. I grew up in Beverly Hills, California and have lived in Illinois, Hawaii, Utah, Oregon, Kansas and now Missouri.

6. I went to school with the children of Van Johnson, Frank Sinatra, Danny Thomas, Dean Martin, Jayne Mansfield, Jerry Lewis, Mia Farrows siblings and many more at Beverly Hills Catholic School now called Good Shepherd School for 8 years, Hawthorne School for one year (Kindergarten), Emerson Junior High and University High School. My first date was going to the movies with Burt Lancaster's son,the late Bill Lancaster.

7. I was quite a body surfer while living in California and Hawaii...drove an eighteen wheeler for almost ten years including hauling logs...grew all my own food (including animals and the butchering) and made all mine and my family's clothes for about 14 years.


And here is the list of fellow artists I am tagging:
Barbara Muir
Erika Nelson
Vicki Ross
Carol Schiff
Bonnie Luria
Elizabeth Floyd
David Lobenberg

Painting done above was a plein air done on vacation.
Until next time, Theresa

Keeping busy.....

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Gee...it's been almost a week since I posted....Life does get in the way!!! A few updates about what's going on here.
I have the living room about 95% unpacked. All that is left is hang the curtains and the wall art...finish unpacking the china and stemware...vacuum and then move in my easel and taboret. There is still a file cabinet and several boxes in the hallway that need to go upstairs into the office....and then I will have to organize that room again so I can find what I need. I hate this stuff....but always like the outcome once it is done.
I am becoming obnoxious from lack of painting........looks like a a few more days before I do anything artful. Maybe less...hopefully!!
We did however have a wonderful weekend....Last Friday we went to a reception of local artist Andy Thomas.....who has done extremely well!!! His last painting sold for $180,000...yes that's right folks....right here in little old Carthage, MO. Andy is represented by Greenhouse Gallery in San Antonio, TX. and Cherry's here in Carthage....she is working on a new website which we are all thrilled about. Take a look at his personal site here.
We had a lot of fun visiting with Cherry and Joe, other artists, buyers and a few of my clients were there which is always nice to see. Great food and a few glasses of wine topped it all off.
Saturday we went to Kansas to visit with Verna and Jack who own draft horses. They put together a draft horse horse pull and invite people from all over the area to bring there teams and plow. Verna was my mail lady for many years while I lived in Kansas and lives just south of where I used to live. There was a lot of great food....including Verna's famous beans and peach cobbler. It was a bitterly cold and gray day but there was a great fire and lots to see.

I have been invited to come for quite a few years and take pictures. Some of the pictures have become paintings....three of which are shown here. The two old boys are lifelong friends...since grade school. and I gave them each a print for using them as models. The original sold at a show in Dallas, Texas for $1800 it was a 16x20. The draft horses and plow are Jack's and is payment for his electrical work here at the house and a print of each will pay two doctor bills. The third is a treeline there at the pasture they plow and won best of show here locally last year and is now in the possession of one of my old students who bought it for herself for a Christmas present last winter. It is a very good place to go....and I always have a great time seeing the horses work. Jack has a new one he is training so he had three pulling the plow this year. I have seen as many as 5 pulling as one team. This was Max's first year here....and he thoroughly enjoyed it also! Some of the photos are his and the others are mine.
I also included a memory album our host for the Halloween party sent us. So have fun looking at all the pictures!!
Yesterday we went to get some paintings scanned down in Arkansas. He is new to us as my previous scanning company has transferred his business to Scott's Art and Frame. He will be doing the scanning and printing for me now.....it's a long way to go....so I will only go down there when there are about 4 or 5 pieces to scan. We treated ourselves to Vietnamese food while we were down there.....it has become a ritual to have Pho and Bun!!!
That's about it for today....until next time,
Theresa

Hope and Happiness.....

Renaissance Sisters 24x30
We won!...better yet the world won!.....Ok, so now what?

A generation ago, President John F. Kennedy called on Americans to serve their country and they overwhelmingly responded. If you have not paid close attention to Barack Obamas' speeches....he has also consistently talked about a New America with the same universal and charismatic vision as Franklin D. Roosevelt, John F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King. Please read the plan (through the link above) if you have not yet and I hope we can all join together to improve this country and this world. Here are just a few of the words remembered last night from Obama's speech at Grant Park. Obama talks about bottom-up solutions to the economy, to democracy. Echoing that vision, he said last night:

"Let us summon a new spirit of patriotism, of responsibility, where we work harder and look after each other . . . In this country we rise and fall as one nation, as one people."
"The new dawn of American leadership is at hand. To all those who have wondered whether America's beacon still burns bright . .tonight we proved once more that the true strength of our nation comes not from the might of our arms or the scale of our wealth, but from the enduring power of our ideals: democracy, liberty, opportunity, and unyielding hope. ."

There are hundreds of millions, perhaps billions of people who suddenly can believe that they can do anything.....anything......and I am one of them. We have never been a collection of Red States and Blue States: we are, and always will be, the United States of America.This is fundamental to my beliefs. All my life I have believed that party politics and in most cases organized religion separates people rather than uniting them. We have before us a man who has not used the race card, the religious card or the party card to any extreme. In the next few yearsI hope to see hands across the aisle, the borders and the oceans in unity as mankind. I have lived my life and raised my children with this belief. I believe in touching one person at a time by example and the Golden Rule. I strive continuously for excellence in my life. I am far from perfect and it hurts that I am not. I hope we can all come together as Mr. Obama stated last night.

"The road ahead will be long. Our climb will be steep. We may not get there in one year or even one term, but America – I have never been more hopeful than I am tonight that we will get there. I promise you – we as a people will get there."

"There will be setbacks and false starts. There are many who won't agree with every decision or policy I make as President, and we know that government can't solve every problem. But I will always be honest with you about the challenges we face. I will listen to you, especially when we disagree. And above all, I will ask you join in the work of remaking this nation the only way it's been done in America for two-hundred and twenty-one years – block by block, brick by brick, calloused hand by calloused hand. "

I ask you...How can anyone let these words fall on deaf ears. I for one am more than happy to do what ever it takes....doors knocked on or steps traveled....I hope to see this country restored to it's former level of respect and grandeur. Our standards of education raised. A country where the thought of color is not even a thought...but an appreciation for cultures and lifestyles that are simply interesting and valuable to who we are. A country where we see kindness and thoughtfulness and hard work and hope at every level from the youngest to the oldest.

I am here, in the last half of my life, to do what I can do.

Sincerely, Theresa

Voting Day and My Reasons Why........

I am off to vote today......when I get back I will hopefully blog....and now I am back after a few errands and a visit to Cherry's Gallery. The lines here were nothing...I was in and out in no time!
The things and events of time and space...
the stuff that's surrounding you now,
your memory of recent events,
all simply reveal where you've been,
not where you're headed.
These words reminded me of the reason I voted for Barack Obama. I have voted since I was eligible and never missed and I am 60 now. Even when I was driving a truck I still made it in to vote or got an absentee ballot. It is the right time for this nation to have someone who is as diverse as he is. We all know his background...Kansas to Hawaii to Chicago Illinois. Father from Africa who was not a part a of his life. Midwest Grandparents. Hmmm....Not so different as mine...only in reverse and with a few more stops! I like his unflappable manner and calmness in a storm evidenced by his demeanor under attack in debates and on the stump after such devastating family news. I like someone who is not afraid to say they will find the best advisors for the job to surround him in presidency rather than thinking they already have the answers. He appears to be a real thinker and above all he knows who he is. We need someone who can represent this country without the might is right theory, someone who has the appeal to sit down with members of foreign countries and truly listen to them without immediately reacting like a Texas gunslinger. Our infrastructure has run out of steam and to think we can have an economy while sending jobs overseas is implausible. Where is everyone supposed to get the money to buy these goods if they have no disposable income except for the very few. This presidential race is historical for so many reasons...yes...including race. THAT has never been an issue for me...I married two Hawaiians and my stepfather was half African-American....many of my relations and dearest friends are Japanese, Hispanic and many other races. I marched for Civil Rights and cannot believe that in this day and age it is still a problem....yet...sadly it is. I have unfortunately heard it with my own ears. We have had Conservative Ascendancy for 30 years with only a brief break. It is certainly time for Health Care Reform....other countries and yes I do know people from other countries still have an economy that serves capitalism and national healthcare. I love this country and the people in it and think they deserve some help with everything I have mentioned. And My gosh....what is anyone thinking to use up all natural resources without something to back it up.....wind and solar are free and just waiting for us to use them. We in this country have the technology and some of the best schools but sadly our standards have fallen and we now lag behind. I could go on and on...and I am sure there are those that disagree...and that's okay too...that's why we live here.....I just wanted to express how really happy I am and have been for three years since I first heard of Barack Obama and the words that still ring in my ear till today "We just need to do the right thing". Happy that we have a candidate of his caliber to choose from. Happy that we have the chance to vote.....Happy to watch the returns no matter which way they go.....I still live in a great country.
Love, Theresa

Halloween 2008...........

Well, we are finally better! Max and I have recovered from the grand kids "gift" and were able to go to the Halloween party although we didn't stay very late. The next day was a Thanksgiving dinner since some of the family would be in Alaska during Thanksgiving. We had a lot of fun at the Halloween party and almost everyone dressed up. It was held at the home of artist friend Linda Simpson...lots of good stuff to eat and we had a ball handy out candy to all the trick-or-treaters. As I mentioned before Max and I went as Deadwood.....he was an 1800's bartender and I was a saloon girl. The photos are not as good as they could be.....but oh well!

Dropped off my painting at the ANA art show...but forgot to take one to SPIVA our local arts council....I think I may need a secretary..LOL! The dates are confirmed for the two solo shows I will be having next year. I guess all my paperwork is in order except for a massive mail merge address list I need to input into the computer. All the info is on my website.
I am still putting away the stuff in the living room....which also has stuff that goes in the garage and upstairs and in the kitchen. In order to put something away or move a piece of furniture....something else has to be moved and then something else and so on and so on. Combining two households is very, very different from moving into an empty house!!! I am so glad that Max is the patient sort....I tend to be...hurry up and get it all done in one day type. Thank goodness for the balance!
Aside from recovering we are both consumed with the election.....I am addicted to the electoral vote maps....and CNN..as is Max. A day does not go by when we check the poll spread and listen to the latest stumping and analyzing!!! We will be sooooooo glad when this election is over! It is obvious I will not rest until tomorrow after voting. Some of the hate mongering and smear campaigning is becoming way to much for me. Then, of course, there is waiting for the results......!
Well, thats about it for today.....I will be back soon!
Love, Theresa