success?

I read somewhere that to be successful, a blog needs to be updated twice weekly, at the very least. well, at least I'm successful in some areas.......

Recent activities: mixed media painting/collage for IAO's upcoming Red Dot auction. I'm not too proud to admit I've become rather attached to this piece, and will set a reserve if given the option. (Click to enlarge, if you're interested in details.)

This painting is called "Miss Jeannie", after the homeless kitty who inspired it. By the night of Sit.Stay.ART event, all the animals except one had found real homes. Hooray. I just hope Miss Jeannie's new people look after her real good.

Next, a silhouette inspired by Annie and Bindlestiff Willie, for "Out of Sight", an IAO exhibit geared toward those with vision impairments. A challenge, to say the least, but an enjoyable one.


And lastly, a wee possum playing possum, after snacking on leftover cat food.

Busy weekend, and beyond

A cat painting in the works for Sit.Stay.Art; a painting accepted for the upcoming "Out of Sight" exhibit at IAO, and Plaza Festival coming up tomorrow. In the morning, 11 am til 1 pm, come see me at the Spirit Fest, First Presbyterian Church, NW 25th and Western, Oklahoma City. All kinds of free and festive things will be going on, including my body painting.
After that, pop down to see me at the amazing Plaza District Festival, NW 16th between Classen and Pennsylvania. That one doesn't begin until 3 pm (lucky for me), but it carries on till 11, with music, open studios, artists, performers, and who knows what else. I won't be sticking around all night, but as long as there's enough light to see what I'm painting, and enough people around, I'll be there. Besides body painting, I'll have my necklaces, charms, pendants, and brand new shawl pins on offer.

A Gorgeous Beginning to September

People may grumble about clouds and rain and gray days and cool winds and no sunshine, but not me, baby. I love it. I eat it up! Maybe not eternally, but in a place known for mild (hot) weather and no end of sun, I embrace these cloudy cozy days.
My autumn plans included some private parties, some possible art openings (well, definite art openings, but possibly containing my art on the walls), the Plaza Festival, Oct. 3, and the Peace Festival, mid-November. The latter part of all that has changed today, with a phone call. The Oklahoma Arts Institute down at Quartz Mountain has contacted me about modeling for a portrait painting workshop, and having just spoken about the event a week ago with someone else, I simply couldn't say no to this opportunity.
Having checked the website of the artist giving the workshop, I'm ever so impressed, and hopeful that by osmosis I might take away a wee grain of inspiration.
Anyway, with the weather, I've been channeling Bohemia lately.

Here Comes Autumn

The sun is still warm on bright days, but as evening air cools and thins, I know it'll soon be time to dust off the cozy layers, and the stockings, and maybe even hats and armwarmers, in preparation for the season of Scorpiofest. I can't help but be happy.
Of course, I'd be a smidge more happy to acquire an old canoe, like this. We were treated to a glimpse of the Red Cup employees and friends Labor Day bash this weekend, in the wild woods outside of Stroud. A beautiful, peaceful place, with a little pond I could drift on for hours. Or better yet, take photographs, sketch, lounge, and sip a drink while Tony does all the work. ;)



A visit to the antiques market was a fun diversion Saturday afternoon. Several old patterns (both sewing and knitting/crochet), magazines, 2 photos, 2 tiny tins, a pair of battered old fedoras, and a mannequin head all found their way home with me.

This was a lazy day (after a 7:30 am client for me, and an early hours run for Tony). We cooked an egg, onion, cheese scrambled, sipped some French pressed Columbian coffee, lounged a bit, then eventually took a drive out and about, ending up at the book shop for a coffee and shared pretzel. (B&N wasn't our choice, but seemed to be the only coffee joint opened today.)
As the sun lowered behind the magnolia, leaving the front step in cool shade, we cooked a couple garden burgers on the mini charcoal grill. And a foil packet containing broccoli and sliced red onions. Mmmm. Maybe I'll come back and edit in the photos once I retrieve them from the camera. Or maybe I'll just incorporate them into the next post.

Lovely Rainy Day

When I don't have to work (Tuesdays, mostly) I get to play with my wardrobe. Today, after having spent time recently catching up on the vintage forum at Fedora Lounge, I decided to wear my new silk dress. And some pearls, because why not? After coffee at the Red Cup, I hated to go home, but didn't like to go shopping & risk spending money, so the best option was a damp stroll through the cemetery, camera in hand.

I wonder if faeries are buried beneath cemetery mushrooms?


Then there's the kitten Sara picked up in the street last week. She calls it Esther (all sounds pronounced; if you sound like Sylvester when you say it, you're doing it right.) I'm all about another name, at least one for me to use, but nothing has come to me yet, which is odd. It seems perfectly fine to call her kitten, little thing, wee thing, etc. I liked the idea of a literary name. Hopefully I'll discover it soon.

Even if you don't believe it, I really do have all sorts of works in the works around here, just nothing quite completed yet. So I took the camera and a fresh eye, & captured a few old pieces of art gathering dust around the house. There are more than this, but picnik has been freezing my computer during editing; I think my images are too big.
And before you give me grief, yes, I KNOW wings and hats are way, way overdone. Or at least they were last year. They are definitely de trop, and one can only hope maybe, finally, out of vogue. But my winged circus babe collage on cardboard was created in 2002, so maybe I'm forgiven.

Quickie update: I went to Colorado, car didn't break down, weather was gorgeous, scenery was magnificent, cool nights, fog, fireplace, vandalism and eerie noises from wild animals; Sara competed in the National State Games (or something like that, I'm no good at remembering titles); got home safely.

Body painting parties, wiffle ball game, working on several art projects that I don't like to show until they're complete. Here's a hint though - one (maybe two) is an entry for a show designed for the visually impaired, no color allowed! Now that's a challenge.
Last Monday night, just as she was leaving to hang with her pals, Sara knocked on the door and presented me with the wee beast you see below. Said it was wandering around in the street, in the dark, just asking to get knocked over. Beast is a girl, soft, scruffy, skinny, sweet as can be. And still here, obviously.

In the mail; I worked out my budget to allow for a replacement of the Canon Rebel, and even found a silver-bodied one on Ebay, silver being hard to find, and more expensive on the rare occasion it does turn up. Package arrived today - hooray! So these pics may be the last you see for a while, taken with the Sony. I have to refamiliarize myself with the Canon, of course, but that will be a pleasure.
The other week, the most charming, sweet little surprise arrived in the post - this delightful eensy Trollflings snail! Isn't it the bee's knees?

On The Road, Briefly

What have you missed by not being me? The teen finally getting her license to drive, after two consecutive, early morning trips to the DMV; the teen actually buying bits at a salvage shop and installing them on her car (impressive); Tony and me using random nuts and bolts and washers from Ace Hardware to put my gearshift together again; a paper parasol in the afternoon sun; face painting happy, upper middle class birthday kids, & face painting 'life isn't fair' emergency shelter kids; a dead cat; Dr. Sketchy's Anti Art school, July edition.




Tomorrow morning I hit the road for the high country. That's right, Colorado here I come. Only for a quickie though; the now-driving child (who is NOT driving on this trip) is off to the ice skating national competition at the Olympic training center in Colorado Springs. She's actually traveling with her coach, staying in a hotel all week, and that sort of thing, while I'm driving to mother's digs in the foothills of the Spanish Peaks. I'll dangle around the quiet mountain town for a day or two, then head for the Springs to watch Thursday's competition. Must drive home Friday though, as I've a job Saturday, body painting at the Bethany Library's ice cream social. Ya'll come.

Moliere

One good thing about starting over (I'm trying hard to be positive here), is you don't have to wade through tons of photos when looking for images to upload. The latest text pendants are a mix of Tennessee Williams ("Streetcar Named Desire"), and Moliere, translated of course.