Forget the mistake, learn the lesson. What a new friend can teach you.

 When I moved to coastal Virginia I starting exploring to learn more about the area.  Some people might use the Concentric Circle method or the Just Make a Left method to learn their way around.  I used the Use Instagram To Stalk Cool People & Then Try to Meet Them in Real Life method.  Recognizing it sounds vaguely creepy, this latter method has been instrumental in meeting some genuinely awesome individuals.

 I met Anna through her salon/gift shop/coffee house/gathering place in Port Warwick.  Anna was kind enough to host me and another artist for a tremendous Artist Dinner, fired up First Fridays worthy of my former Stifel & Capra days, and was a real gatherer - of friends, people, events and connections. But she was not making things any more (she is a talented metalsmith and jeweler) and felt her life wasn't in balance so made the brave decision to listen to herself and give up her business to concentrate on own creativity instead of just facilitating others.

 This shocked pretty much everyone around her, but the outpouring of support and love is palpable. Everyone wants nothing but success and great things for her. I agree.

I see in Anna what I jokingly call a support group of women who just LOVE to start things, see the potential in everyone and everything but don't necessarily take care of our own to- do lists when it comes to ourselves. Watching this clever, witty, talented person pivot with grace and enthusiasm gives me hope that I can do the same.

Carytown: old friends and new haunts

 Literally lying about contemplating my day.  Had the wonderful fortune of taking a low key Girl Play Day with an old friend in Richmond.  She is starting a new job tomorrow (HALLELUJAH!) and we celebrated by getting our toes done, having a lovely lunch and then wandering Carytown.

It was warm enough to sit outside The Daily and watch the world go by.
The Fig & Pig pizza was pretty darn tasty!

 If you are not familiar with Carytown it is a wonderful neighborhood in Richmond that is 99% independent businesses with a jolly selection of vintage clothing shops (swoon!) and some really styling home decor and lifestyle shops.  I felt so at home today chatting with engaged shopkeepers who went out of their way to make us feel welcome and determined how they could be of assistance.
We had a good stroll, a good 6000 steps worth by my count, and wandered past a coffee shop.  While my friend grabbed herself a coffee I checked my email and HUZZAH Plaza Art was having an in store sale. 10 large canvasses and a dozen tubes of paint later, I hit the road.

Carytown Collective reminded my a LOT of my old brick and mortar in Falls Church. 
Really interesting range of artists and artisans and the owner was wonderful.

I was happy to be there for my friend to celebrate, comforted by the fact that I could be. In a delightful coincidence we have 4 sets of friends that have relocated to Richmond from DC.  75 minutes away from our coastal home is totally doable for a day trip and it is like a little piece of our old home came (almost) with us.

Glass Boat was a stunningly curated fashion and home goods shop.
I didn't shop early enough to get this in my size but I covet it!

 My favorite thing about old friends is there is a lot less explaining to do. Back stories on relationships, histories that have evolved over time, if you are having a bad day (or a good one!) old friends "get it" and need less clarification or detail on the actually reason why.  With social media today it is easier to stay in touch at one level.

Sexy salon set-up at Ruth & Ollie. I was enthralled by their chair selection!

 But nothing can beat the layered shorthand of years of conversation.  I felt very blessed by my day.

Also feel blessed that I found a local replacement for Alice-who-has-cut-my-hair-for-thirty-years.
Thanks for the trim Hayley! (This was dried by driving home with the windows open - she's good!)

Different parts of the brain. Or is it?

 As I have been sewing since I was ten (thanks to mom!) my upcycling work doesn't take a heck of a lot of conscious thought.

 Hunting and gathering skills, yes.  a sense of proportion and form, yes. But analytical thinking? Not so much. Happily, it is play in the process.  (I just realized in posting these photos I have made three changes while pinning.)

 And meditative in the hand stitching process.  I am still more cognizant to my brushwork when I am painting- painfully aware of when a stroke goes where I don't want it to go so fabric is a solace. A mental break and something that refreshes so I can go back to the challenge that is art making to me.

 I know there is a HUGE war about the different between "art" and "craft". I find it somewhat ludicrous.  I see art in a fine seam and exquisite craftsmanship in an oil painting.  Both feed my soul. One is no better than the other.

It's like saying an engineer is more important that a plumbing. Hmmm, wait a minute.  We DO say that.  No disrespect to our engineers, but I can't imagine living without a plumber. Or a cute skirt.

Sea Change Revisited

"Constance" part of the Sea Change series

sea change

/ˈsē ˌCHānj/

noun

1. a profound or notable transformation.

   synonyms:

   transformation, change, alteration, modification, variation, conversion, revision, amendment, metamorphosis, transfiguration, evolution, mutation

Individuals can only make decisions for themselves but when they gather together to affect change - profound things can happen. A sea change can occur. Over the last year and a half I have been painting a collection of resolute women are examples of the traits needed to affect change. Buried within the contemporary mixed media portraits are scraps of ephemera that harken back to a time when women didn't have a voice in public.  It's important to absorb the past to illuminate the future.

After a solo show last year of resolute women of all shapes, sizes and colors I am expanding my Sea Change series to include more faces of valiant humans that want to change the world for the better.

I believe the next generation sees the world in an entirely different way than I did when I was in my teens and twenties. Talking to my kids and their friends I am thoroughly encouraged by their fierceness, intelligence and despair of their cynicism and stoicism. I do believe that they will be part of a sea change that will make the world an entirely different place when they are in their mid-life.

As a encouragement seemingly from above, this weekend one of my series paintings "Constance" took the blue ribbon at the 2nd annual juried show at Gloucester Arts at Arts on Main in Gloucester, Virginia. This honor came with a cash prize and a solo show at the gallery in 2020.  I am thrilled with the concept that these voices, these faces, these ideals that inspire me will be able to be shared with you in this wonderful space. 

The best part of the evening was speaking to curator Jennifer Morningstar and listening to her thought process on how she picked the award winners for the evening. Listening to someone tell you how and why what you made with your own two hands moves them was very special. I will never forget it. 

If you would like to follow the progress of the work please visit my art website here. There you will find social media links, photos galleries and an online shop for originals, prints and cards.

  

Small town traditions

 Nothing better than a small town festival. Today's Gloucester Daffodil Festival is famous for its parade but our favorite part of the Magnificent Mutts Dog Show.   Check out the porcine interloper below!

 This year there was the added attraction of a beer garden at gourmet purveyor Kelsick's market- complete with Virginia brewed beer, a band and creative vendors.

 Our local blacksmith was doing demos- I was so fascinated I forgot to take photos while we was working!

 Virginia's Museum of Fine Arts brought their mobile art gallery to the festival.  It was a forty foot trailer full of original art work from Virginia natives. It was a complete multi media experience complete with recorded interviews, an interactive game for kids and very charming docents.

Such a sunny, fun event on what was a pretty darn gray day! Hope you are having a GRAND weekend.

Why a prosthetic leg is like a toaster oven.

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While people are seemingly sympathetic to the average amputee they are seldom aware of the daily indignities and inconveniences the average amputee faces.

My husband generally walks just fine with the modern miracle of his prosthetic leg but he needs to park in a handicapped spot.  Why? Because he can't get OUT of the vehicle unless the door is completely open as his leg doesn't doesn't cant or twist, it only moves forward and backward. It is like trying to exit a car in a total leg cast.

When my beloved is in a suit you might notice he walks with a limp but you wouldn't guess he was missing a leg.  Small children and little old ladies generally run him over at wedding and in church lobbies!  When we are in crowds I cajole my husband to wear shorts- people are much nicer about not crowding him and giving him room to walk.  These bad boys don't turn on a dime you know.

So about that toaster oven.  We had an old Black & Decker toaster oven for over twenty years and it worked magnificently.  Toasted, "ovened" and everything.  Only design flaw was it had a sliding toggle switch to turn it on. This wasn't an issue until "somebody" in the house tossed a load of groceries on the counter in a politically incorrect plastic bags and, you guessed it, leaned into the toggle switch, melted the bags and the groceries and nearly started a house fire. That led us to get rid of the said toaster oven and get a new one.  We have been the proud owners of 3 toaster ovens in 5 years since then because they have malfunctioned , broken or just plain don't toast.  In these days of planned obsolescence they are not repairable either.  We have given up and reverted to a slot toaster.  Our back - up is a nineteen FORTIES toaster that still works.

My husband lost his leg 12 years ago from complications from a blood infection.  After he was healed enough to wear a prosthetic he was awarded a truly spectacular top of the line C leg. It had a computer microprocessor that mirrored his gait and aided his gait.  It was amazing.  After almost ten years it started to die.  Not unlike and old laptop.  It would give out while he was crossing the street leading to over 60 recorded falls.  Insurance fought us for 1 full year before they replaced it with a mechanical "foot on a stick".  As this is better than falling in the street, he made do.  And then, it broke. Weeks out of warranty.  So we are battling for a new leg.  What does one do in between you wonder?  One's helpful prosthetist gives one a "loaner leg" or loaner knee, or loaner part. Whatever you need until your paperwork comes through and you have a piece of equipment you can use to get back to life. Oh, and the visits to the clinic have eaten up six days of work in the last six weeks.  Thank God for an understanding boss and flex hours.  Others are not so flexible with their employment.

So after in the last 2 years my husband has had FOUR legs or loaner legs.  And last week he fell down again.

We want the Black and Decker back.

PS - Having an amputee in the family is cause for a lot of dark humor in our family.  Lots of "one foot in the grave" comments among friends.  Once w
e rinsed off Bob's shower leg and left it, naturally, in the shower to drain.  Our poor middle schooler house guest went to take a shower and screamed to her mom - "Mooooooommmmm, there's a LEG in the shower and it has a CROC on it. We were not sure if she was more upset about the leg or the Fashion Disaster that is the Croc.  Be warned, if you come to visit, it lives in the downstairs closet...

I want to be my daughter when I grow up.

art history minor schooled me telling statue ages by hairstyles!

I wasn't one of those girls that dreamed of what my family might be like when I grew up. As someone who didn't date in high school I couldn't fathom a husband, let alone a family. Fast forward a couple of decades and we have the dollhouse version of a nuclear family: mom, dad, daughter and son.

not just a sculptor and cad designer but a screenprinter also!

 Moving all the time (7 schools in 12 years) and a nerd (before it was cool, plus being six feet tall and not athletic) it took me until my thirties to gel. So I was determined when I had kids that they would own them selves in all their goofy splendor and know that home was not a place but where love lived.

cum laude and employed 

The teenager that didn't study Sociology in college because business was more practical grew up and gave birth to a son who is majoring in Psychology and wants to discover the root causes of anxiety and depression. 

art school aluminum casting selfy

The woman who wouldn't lay claim to the title Artist until her forties gave birth to a daughter who graduated with a BFA from a Division I school. 

make a neckpiece that is not a necklace, they said.

 I thought I was supposed to teach my daughter and instead she teaches me:
to be bold, creative, loving and centered.

"mom, turn your hat sideways and rock the mohawk at Gold Cup!"

Happy Birthday Beautiful One! Love, Mom

July 29, 1929 - Dear Albert,

I love to use vintage ephemera in my art. I scour thrift shops and flea markets mostly. I am also lucky enough to have friends that gift me with stacks of paper goodness. I use them for backgrounds and cut them up for texture like the hair highlights in this work in progress.

But sometimes things come across your table that you just can't take scissors to.  I was gifted a pile of old papers and in this piles are some amazing letters. Frustratingly there are single pages of some sassily provocative correspondence.

Read this!

I need to find page 2! And how about these pages?

Who are Dotti and Albert? How could someone let these go?

I have no letters or papers from my family.  Even though I doubt they could compare with Dottiotoski!

The 100 day Challenge

I am an all-or-nothing type of girl. I either exercise everyday or sit on the couch for 6 months. I eat well daily or it's Fritos for a weekend. I create everyday or I don't walk into my studio for a week. 

People say "do the most important thing first" but that's hard to really do, isn't it? After all one can't exercise first, make art first, call your mother first,  clean your house first,  etc.  

A part of the creative journey of becoming a working artist is recognizing the fact that, although I like to do my personal chores first so I am mentally clear to create, I don't have to. If making things is my job then I'm allowed to go to work even if there are dirty dishes in the sink. 

That might not sound exactly sound like rocket science to you but it was a big epiphany to give myself permission to put my personal and professional efforts first. 

 I find writing about things clarifies them in my head which is why I am challenging myself to post a daily note as part of the hundred day challenge.  

I'm notorious for writing and then abandoning my entries again and again. If you look back over the last year you will find me saying that I am starting again. Yet again and again. I'm hoping by publicly saying I'm attempting this challenge it will help me to create a new habit. How about you? Is there a new habit you'd like to establish?  If you'd like to challenge yourself also you can read more about this annual project  here .

#day1of100

#stifel100dayproject

PS- Day 1 efforts nearly didn't happen.  First I thought I would try to be slick and dictate into my phone and forgot to save my post (apparently the phone app doesn't auto save like ti does on your laptop. Secondly, I re-entered my post and then saved the logo and it jammed the app so it would save as a draft but would not post, So I then printed out my phone draft, dictated it into an email and cut and pasted this paltry post into the blog on my laptop. I am about to hit the publish button. Pray for me. Pray for me now and in the next 99 days that I can solve my technical ineptness and share something you want to read.

PPS I made the Day 1 deadline - it's 11:52 - WOOT!

I'm not the only one...

After writing yesterday's post I opened an email (admittedly from over the weekend) from The Rising Tide Society with a headline of 
"We're going to come right out and say it: January 14th is the new January 1st."  That made me feel ever so slightly clever about my "beginning again on January 15th with my writing efforts pretending it's the new year today".  You can see their goal setting guide here.  

Monday's challenge prompt was: Decide what matters and what doesn't. What's your big picture? #BESTGOALS2019⠀⠀⠀

I have decided first that I am not going to be legalistic about starting on the same day as everyone else.  Because after all this is not school, there is not only partial credit but full credit for effort. Am I right?

tools of the trade 2018 tw stifel

What matters?  For me it's

Time spent creating

Time spent with family and friends 

Transparent relationships

Good stewardship of resources

Becoming fit

Staying healthy

Flexible schedule to accomplish these things

Pensacola Sky - Commission 2018 TW Stifel

So by process of elimination this means 

events and actions that don't contribute to these things need to be minimized or go by the wayside. 

Seems too simple doesn't it?

Next Step: pondering what that looks like.

Family Dinner - Christmas 2018