Returning......

Let me share something with you...this is a sample (actually today's email newsletter) of what I read everyday....or something very similar.

Never underestimate, Theresa, how many friends you have, how close you are, and how much fun you're going to have

Because, as you've seen throughout your entire amazing life, one usually gets exactly what they've been estimating.

You thrill me,
The Universe

When I am tired or down or feeling overwhelmed, underwhelmed or just plain old blue....these newsletters and the words within to cheer me up...and over time give me a renewed sense of being...other things do also but for some reason this little daily dose dose it for me. I have been feeling that way for a while overwhelmed...I have a lot of work ahead of me...and had a lot of housework and yardwork to catch up on. Before the show there was an immense amount of work...selecting paintings, touching up paintings, creating new paintings, touching up frames, selecting new frames, making a permanent address data base. The addresses in and of themselves were a monumental job!! Picture, if you will, two very large leather address books the heavy duty kind with many pages. Inside of that picture numerous slips of paper..large and small..business cards..print outs from the computer, receipts from sales, address labels from postcards, letters and notices from other artists I have met out of state...all packing these two volumes to near explosion. Each and every piece of information had to be gone through and verified in the white pages online...addresses and phone numbers! This was a compilation of roughly 7 years of stuff! Please do not follow me horrible task management! If you are building a client list or mailing list...do not delay start now and get organized. If you have already done so I commend you for your organization or delegation whichever th case may be! Believe me I would rather be painting....just painting! Not advertising, not cleaning, not keeping up with STUFF, not doing anything on the computer, not bills or any of the other worries that come with running a house, business or family! Well, I can stop raving now I have most of the tough stuff behind me now. I can go back to painting and gardening....my two main loves...although I have many more interests...I just don't have the time anymore. So there is my explanation for not posting for awhile. While I am on that subject I would like to thank several of the bloggers for writing me personally to see if I was alright. You have much power in your voice...thank you. Also for those of you that have signed up while I have not been posting thank you!!! I hope you will enjoy the past blogs and the ones still to come.....and what would I do without that core group that is also on Facebook! Thank you for your good wishes and care!

The opening last weekend was very successful in my estimation. Lots of people attended and there were many wonderful comments on my work...I was especially happy to see some of my local friends and supporters...you know who you are...and I am so very thankful for you being there! The show was sponsored by the Edward Jones Financial Group...they selected to represent me over many, many other artists! I was so very honored! They took lots of photos with me and the sponsors and some awards but I have no idea where these went to or what they where for. The photos I do have were taken by friends...as I was trying to keep up with all the guests. I have heard rumors of sales....but in this economic environment..I really don't expect much. So I will be doing two workshops and a demo next month....so I must prepare for that. There are also several shows I am obliged to enter and I need work for them and Cherry's, the gallery that represents me is dangerously low on my work.

The last piece I finished for the show is shown above...I started on it some time ago and decided to do several small pieces for the show. I finished it just in time and it was still wet when it was hung in the gallery. It is a 24x36 and is shown framed below in the pictures from the show.

I also got a nice little treat from a poet on line that used a few of my paintings to inspire others....you can see the images here . I believe there may be one more but I seem to have misplaced it. The poetry site and the image prompts she provides are spectacular.While on the subject of poetry here is a piece written by Lori DeLozier.

Lori is an extremely good poet, this beautiful little piece I found out later was about watching me draw. Lori is also a painter and was also a student for some time. She was also a very strong client...joyfully she owns several of my pieces.....they have a very good home! You can visit her website here.

There are a few photos here of the show...I will put together a slide show tomorrow some time. I am still getting some of my garden in. Max put in lettuce a while ago..I put in spinach today....and I will put in onion sets tomorrow. We have been doing some general cleaning up and I also have seeds started inside. Spring is always so very busy...but so beautiful an enjoyable in so many ways.

Much Love, Theresa

P. S. There is something going on with my font, size and color...I will try to have it corrected in the next blog!

PPS I almost forgot.... I have lost 17 pounds and holding....until the next round of HCG!!!!