AVERY...HOME SWEET HOME!!!!!

She's home!!!!!

Her first words upon entering the house were "Mommy, I'm home," followed by an immediate run to the goldfish bowl, where Gigi the goldfish, and Daddy #2 (the replacement for Daddy #1) were happily swimming. "Wow, Daddy's big!" she observed. As though suspecting that something was up, she rummaged through a drawer and pulled out a pair of binoculars to get a closer look.

When I called last night, she was not taking calls, as she ran from room to room, thrilled to be home at last.

I've said this before, but words are really inadequate to express the gratitude my family and I feel for all of you who have shared your thoughts and prayers and good wishes and gifts with Avery and all of us. Thank you, from the bottom of my heart.

Heart lock...

Heart lock - 10 x 14 acrylic & mixed media collage on deep set canvas

...and speaking of hearts...my niece Avery's new heart continues to beat perfectly and there are no signs of rejection. She's been out of the ICU and on the regular cardiac floor for several weeks now, and is up and about every day, with her energy and humor and spicy personality intact, so it is just a matter of time (a short time we hope) before she is able to go home! Nutrition, eating solid foods and balancing her meds are all that keeps her there at this point.

So once again, my own heart is full of gratitude to all of you who have kept her in your hearts and minds for most of the last full year. My heart bursts with thanks for the basic goodness and generosity of humanity.

Light hearted

Lighthearted - 12 x 12 acrylic & mixed media collage on canvas.

This piece is very whimsical to me. I've had that light bulb in my stash of found objects for years, and it fell on the floor as I was digging through a basket for something else. The colors in the painting matched it perfectly...so that's a perfect example of how I find inspiration. If I had dropped some old teeth on the floor it would probably have gone differently, but fortunately it was a cute little pink light bulb.

House of love...

I recently went on a wonderful scavenger hunt at the local salvage warehouse with some fellow artists...I am already planning a return trip -OMG - what fun!!! Like an indoor yard sale of discarded house parts!!!. Among my finds were the escutcheons and keyholes that now adorn this piece of fence post...the fence post itself was saved from a previous junque outing...I just knew that I'd find a use for it one of these days.

I also brought back some larger pieces - shutters & window screens, perfectly distressed with age, which will find their way into some future projects. I love old things -- well some old things. Actually some things are not so good old. For instance: computers, underwear, milk, Danny Bonaduce, water pipes and teeth all come to mind.

So it's probably safe to say that you won't find any old underwear (or teeth) in my mixed media pieces. Or Danny Bonaduce (or old teeth) in my underwear. I just thought you should know.

Some believe...

Some believe - (trio) 5 x 5 acrylic, mixed media & collage on canvas.

I am in a mood today, or more accurately many moods. They change by the moment. I am uncomfortable in my skin when I get this way, but I know I just have to ride it out.

Do you ever ask yourself if you are enough? Or simply why? Or how?

Multi-tasking & art...

I think that painting - and particularly creating mixed-media works, definitely benefits from an ability to multi-task. I know that for me, it's a necessity. I am often impatient when I paint, wanting to add the next layer or object but having to wait for it to dry first. So, working on several pieces at once helps me to fill in the waiting time and not break my creative flow.

Last night I noticed, while blotting some paint brushes, that one of my paint rags was full of paint & wonderful colors, so while my pieces were drying, I decided to create some decorative paper backgrounds using just the rag and some bristol. Fun!

True...

True - 10 x 10 acrylic, mixed media & collage on canvas.

There is major construction taking place on my regular route to and from work, and it is virtually impassable during commuter hours these days, so I took a side road into work today. As I wound this way and that before being deposited just above the traffic jam, I gave a moment's thought to the creation of roads, and how some of them go straight from point A to point B, while others, like the one I was on, have dips and curves, meandering this way and that before reaching their end.

It could be that winding roads are that way because making them straight would have meant plowing through rock or impossible terrain, but I like to think that some creative soul made them that way because they make the ride better - more rhythmic and fluid.

Either way, it also reminded me to take the side road more often - just for the change in scenery and the enjoyment of the journey.

"Welcome to the '90s!"

...that is what one of my friends exclaimed last year when I gave her my new (and first) cell phone number. Now, like most, I cannot believe I lived 44 years without a cell phone. I carry it with me at all times, check it frequently and recently had to upgrade my texting package. I've lost it twice and both times I thought the world was coming to an end. Though I like to think I am not as bad as many, I have broken all of the cell phone habits I find most annoying -- talking in public, talking while driving, and leaving my ring tone on during meetings. Did I mention that my ring tone is a song by Pink called Bad Influence? It's not a tune you want screaming out of your briefcase at a staff meeting, I discovered recently. And that texting package? At the time I was averaging about 35 texts per month, and it was cheaper to upgrade to 250 per month. By the following month I was averaging 200 texts. WTF? So as resistant as I am to new technologies, I embrace them enthusiastically once I get around to it.


Now I've taken another major technological leap -- because apparently I missed the 80s too. I just upgraded my cable package so that I can DVR. Is that a verb? I think it is. Of course, I have absolutely no idea how to DVR. There have always been about 45 more buttons on my remote than I needed. On/Off/volume/channels/mute -- what else could one possibly do with a TV? Now I need all those buttons, but I will have to take a special ed course at the junior high in order to learn how to do it. In fact, I even have a second remote that came with my TV, and I have never taken it off the end table. I am afraid I will learn that I need two remotes!

One of the things I worry about with my new ability to DVR is that I will like it. A lot. And that I will sit in front of the TV like a giant vegetable and do nothing all winter but watch all the shows that I claim I don't have time for or that come on too late. Because now I can watch them on a weekend afternoon when the only thing that used to be on was Roadhouse with Patrick Swayzee or football and I would normally be doing something more productive.

Like talking on my cell phone. Or texting.

Home...

Home - 18 x 24, acrylic & mixed media on canvas

This is a gift for a friend who just bought her first home. As any of my regular blog readers know, home is a recurring theme in my art and a very important symbol in my life. It represents security, family, comfort, love, and acceptance - the one place I always feel grounded and real and safe.

I wish you all a good weekend and a place to call home.