Giving thanks...

Among the many, many blessings that my family and I will give thanks for this year is my niece Avery, who has been home now for a month. She now has a new heart, and we have renewed hope for her future and endless gratitude to her donor family, for the most amazing gift our family could ever receive.

We are looking forward to a day of love, laughter, celebration and most of all, gratitude tomorrow, and I wish you all the same!!!

Here are the most recent photos of Avery, home one month (no more tubes, and two missing teeth!).

Happy thanksgiving.

A(nother) new hobby?

My latest obsession...

The Pottery Place in Stuyvesant Plaza, Albany NY...
I have had the intention of stopping in to paint something for about a decade now (way back when the place was called Color Me Mine). A friend and I finally went last week, and I painted this pasta bowl (actual size is 14" round). I had so much fun and I was so pleased with how it turned out that I want to go back and make about a dozen. I might be able to justify the indulgence if I give some of them away as holiday gifts.

The only frustration is the waiting - which I am not good at - it takes a week to get the finished/fired piece back. I only had a vague idea of what the glazes would look like when fired but I liked that part. I loved being surprised at the transformation from dull pastel colors to bright and shiny glaze.

There were hundreds of items besides bowls that I could choose to paint, but I loved the big round surface. Ideas are already spinning in my head about what I might paint on my next bowl (chili peppers? christmas lights? sunflowers?)

Heart rock...

Cool to the touch. Solid. Heavy. Strong. Enduring.

Albany Rural Cemetery...

In 1841, in response to a growing problem with flooding at the State Street Burial Ground (in downtown Albany), and continued deterioration of church cemeteries, a public movement was undertaken to purchase and develop a “Rural Cemetery,” beautifully landscaped and safely outside the city. This led to the incorporation of Albany Rural Cemetery on April 2, 1841.

I had heard for years that it's a beautiful place to visit, and unlike many cemeteries, dogs are allowed (on leash). So Max and I took advantage of a warm, late fall day for a long walk this past weekend. The cemetery is only a few miles from my house, and it will now be a regular walking spot for me and Max, when we need a change of scenery. It is a place of uncommon peace and amazing beauty. Not just the landscape, with 400 acres of narrow winding roads, gnarly ancient trees, and trickling streams, but the monuments as well. Majestic stones carved into angels and crosses twenty feet high, and delicate detailed borders ideal for graphite rubbings. I can hardly wait to return (above ground, that is.)

A glimpse of Avery at home...

I went to visit Cutes (aka Avery) on her return home last weekend. My sister Jennifer was already there, and they were busy baking heart-shaped cupcakes when I arrived. It was absolutely fabulous to see Avery walking, eating, and asking for new "projects" to keep her busy. We did our best to keep up with her, sewing hand puppets drawing, beading and pushing her on her swing set. I also gave her charge of Max's food & treats. She is a tough taskmaster and by the end of the weekend, Max was obeying commands better for my five-year-old niece than he ever did for me. At one point she asked me why Max never smiles. I resisted telling her that she was the reason -- I explained that he smiles by wagging his tail, though I am not sure she was convinced.

As you can see from the photo (baking with Aunt Jes), she still has a tube for night feeds, (to bolster her vitamins & minerals) but during the day it is not connected and she is making up for all of the hospital limitations. Her appetite was extremely hearty while I was there, which was also a joy to see. Other than limiting her salt intake, she can eat pretty much anything she wants... and she does!

For the next several months, Cutes will be confined mostly to home, to protect her fragile immune system as she continues to recover, but home is a great place to be!!!

Halloween fun...

I went to a halloween party this year at my sister's boyfriend's house. My sister (and her boyfriend) both work for Progressive Insurance, and Flo, the Progressive spokesperson(?) is one of my favorite tv personnas. I totally identify with the eyelashes & hair & lipstick. At first, I was intimidated to put on false eyelashes, but they were super easy once I went back to buy the adhesive, which for some reason, is sold separately. I want to wear false eyelashes all the time now because they made me feel so groovy and super sparkly. And I have 2 pairs left because I bought several, sure that at least one pair would end up stuck to my elbow or down my sink. My sister was "twister sister." This photo does not do her justice - she had red patent leather go go boots & her "hat" was the actual spinner board. Her boyfriend was a vampire, complete with a coffin that he built himself.

Now that's what I call a party!

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.

More little heart paintings...

Heart swirls - 4 x 4 mixed media and acrylics on canvas.

I am 45 today. Probably more than halfway there.

Fun fall flowers...

I pass a local farmers market on my way home each week, and they have had the most colorful assortment of late summer/early fall blooms - marigolds, zinnias, & lots of hearty greens. I just love 'em!

Off for a fun fall weekend with family and friends!

Courage, Brains...and HEART!

(from my sister's update...)

I'd be tender, I'd be gentle
and awful sentimental
regarding love and art
I could stay young and chipper
and I'd lock it with a zipper
If I only had a heart.... xo

Hi everyone,
Avery is doing spectacular! She is walking almost on her own, eating (she grazes all day long), weaning on her oxygen, and just looks like the Avery we remember almost a year ago - when this unbelievable journey came to a peak last November when she was admitted the day before Thanksgiving due to her human aortic valve deteriorating.
That was really the start of this extraordinary experience - having a mechanical aortic valve placed in early December followed by a bi-ventricular repair (a 14 hour bypass surgery) in mid-December, and then emergency surgery a week later (on a Sunday night in a blizzard) when the OR team was called in from home to repair her pulmonary artery which was bleeding around her heart.
After weeks of recovery - she was finally discharged home January 26, 2009 - skinny and week - but fortunate to have 2 ventricles (or so we thought).
Avery was home for 7 weeks but on March 22nd we brought her to the emergency room at around midnight for a "belly ache" and what we thought would be a stomach virus. Neither Mike nor I were overly excited about sitting in the ER for 6 hours to be told - "make sure she drinks plenty of fluids" but she had come so far and we didn't want to take ay chances - even if it meant a tired Sunday the next day.
A couple of hours later, Avery went into cardiac arrest -- her first of what would end up being 3 arrests due to coronary artery clotting, spasms and heart ischemia. Avery also suffered severe pulmonary and GI hemorrhages from damage to her lungs and CPR with extensive anticoagulation.
On June 10th she had her 3rd cardiac arrest and was placed on ECMO for the 4th time. She was officially listed on the heart transplant wait list on June 14th as a Status 1A.
On June 15th - Avery had her bi-ventricular artificial heart pumps placed and was changed temporarily to a hold -- or "Status 7" on the transplant list to allow her to recover from her VAD surgery.

On August 6th - Day # 51 on the transplant wait list, Avery received the ultimate gift that would save her life and allow her, with a beautifully healthy heart - to heal the many many parts of her body that had suffered from an extremely sick, exhausted, dreadfully damaged heart.
Avery's liver, lungs, kidneys, pancreas, stomach, bowel, skin, muscles and nerves (especially those in her legs from the ECMO cannulas) were all effected - but are ALL recovering now that she has the heart of her super hero beating life (and love) into her every second of every day!
...and because of this...and Avery's inexplicable WILL to live (as Dr. Laussen eloquently stated one grim night on ECMO) - her spirit, sheer guts, and love for life and all it hands her remains completely unscathed.
On Monday, Avery will have her 4th routine post transplant biopsy and if all goes as planned - she will be transferred to the cardiac floor (OUT OF THE ICU!!!!) sometime during next week.
She has been in the ICU 180 days (which does not include Thanksgiving, December and January)
As I write this - Avery is sleeping peacefully arms above her head, her covers kicked off...as she rests up to welcome another tomorrow. Her DVD player is at the end of Polar Express which is one of her favorite night time movies (year round)...which seems perfectly appropriate for how Avery faces life...
Believing!
xo
Cheryl and Mike

The best of times...

(l. to r.) Cheryl, me, Jennifer, and (seated) mom.

My sister Cheryl (Avery's mom), invited us to a fundraising dinner in Boston last week, to benefit my niece's heart transplant surgeon, Dr. Francis Fynn Thompson. Dr. Fynn Thompson returns to his native Ghana at least once a year (but preferably twice) to do life-saving open heart surgeries on children there. More importantly, the team that travels there is teaching the medical staff there so that they will be able to continue his work and have a cardiac surgery program of their own in Ghana.

The evening was wonderful. We laughed and talked with Avery's doctors and nurses, ate some wonderful food, and contributed to an amazing cause.

And speaking of my niece, Avery has been up and walking - on her own - in the hospital garden. She is progressing wonderfully and we believe she is on the path to going home in the near future.

Truth...

Truth.
11 x 14 mixed media and collage on canvas.

I am working a lot with rusty pieces of flotsam and jetsam that I find primarily on my dog walks. Although there are ways to rust new objects with chemicals and smelly stuff (liver of sulfur), I prefer to find items that have survived the elements. In addition to being rusted, they are usually mangled and crushed and run over and abused, and something about this appeals to me -- perhaps that they have managed to survive, and to me, all that weathering adds a beauty that was lacking in their original form -- another metaphor for life.