Florida...

Days pass at G's brother's house which is right on the Gulf of Mexico. Today we watched dolphins from the screened porch. It's hot and humid and beautiful. Ahhh.... hope everyone is doing well.

bye for a few days...

K gave me this cute little plastic kaleidoscope lens to put on my point and shoot. Fun!
I'm off to the wilds of Florida and Vermont to visit our families. I'll check in while I'm gone and try to post a few times.
bye!

Can't Stop Smiling

Today while checking my email I found the rejection letter from Kimmel-Harding-Nelson Center for the Arts. You might remember me getting very flipped out about submitting an application for an artist residency with them a few months ago.
Only it wasn't a rejection letter. I got the residency. Me. Janice with no credentials, degrees, shows, a 57 year old who-do-I-think-I am artist.
So... I'm going to Nebraska in January (which should be interesting), but I'm going!!!
It felt darn good to be picked.
And I never would have had the courage to apply if it weren't for my friends and girlfie. Support means everything. May we all try hard, be tenacious, and persevere.
yahoo!

Oh my!

Ok, really need comments on this one.
Remember you will NOT hurt my feelings.
It seems done, but the sander left see-through, skritchy layers in the paint.
Do I like this? or is it annoying?

Last night watched "Alice Neel" a documentary made by her son. Not a great documentary, but lots of good footage of her painting. Sigh, I love Alice Neel's work.

Walking on the 804 Trail

When the big tsunami hit Indonesia my relationship with the ocean changed. My view of the ocean as some sort of benign, protective, spiritual entity transformed into an uneasy walk on the beach, complete with thoughts of earthquakes and how would I drag the dogs through the pine trees to high ground? I made Ginger promise that when the tsunami came she would escape and not look for me. What was great about this walk was that I forgot all of the above and just appreciated how the seasons were changing on the coast, and the great beauty right in front of me. The ocean is the ocean, calm and benign and big and raging. Two days ago when I made this, it was beautiful.

Score!

There is a fabulous Elks Club thrift store in Florence, Oregon. We stopped on our way home from our trip to the beach. My gem: this 1966 game featuring the ten commandments. Cost: 75 cents!!

I remember when I first learned about Moses and the commandments. I thought they were something that had been created recently and when I read "thou shalt not kill" my 6 or 7 year old self breathed a sigh of relief and thought, "good, people won't do that anymore".

My family was not they type to sit around playing bible games. Maybe an occasional game of double solitaire with my mother, or a game of Risk with my sister... I can just imagine asking all kinds of questions while playing this game and I still want to know the answers.

The staff at the Elks club were somewhat entertained by my enthusiasm for my find. The woman stated: "Yep, that's why there are thrift stores, for people like you".

Making House Beautiful and another kinda silly video...

I realize now that when I walk into a house that is perfect several things are probably true:
1. The person who lives there has worked really hard to make it all look so nice.
2. Maybe they have help in the cleaning department, or all they do in life is clean.
3. The people who live there don't own much and have quit reading or sorting mail.

All that being true G and I had a good morning fussing over our house. It does feel good to have more art on the walls. It's like our friends are beaming at us from their frames. (And, that was www.kristindeluga.com (s) beautiful print in the frame.)

And What Was I Doing???

G and I worked hard today. It was fun work, at least for me. G is almost done with the bathrooms and I painted the bathroom mirror and finished up a bunch of paintings. We had an agreement, fueled by the desire to finish up our projects. When we came upon each other staring into space, or doing something other than the project we were to ask: "are you distracted?" It worked pretty well.

I was standing on the chair above to take a photo of this painting which is finished. It's big for me (16x20) and I'm happy with the layers in it and the color.

Off to bed, I'm tired after our day of getting stuff done!

School Night

I don't usually work in the studio on a school night (have to work tomorrow). I get way too wound up and then have quite the problem going to bed!
The more I paint the more I love to paint. I just totally enjoy the way the brush feels making marks on the wood. I enjoy the unanticipated and I learn constantly.
Painting is like a good relationship. The longer you participate the better it gets.
And speaking of relationships, who would have thought that a little, white, fuzzy dog who used to pee on everyone's feet could steal my heart.

Coveting

These Korean funerary figures from the 18th and 19th century made me very happy.
No known artists, old, worn colors, and some sort of elusive purity surrounds them.
I especially like the strange animals.

It's been quite a weekend. Kinda way too busy, too many projects.
I sold my big etching press to Lane Community College which feels great.
I'm really excited about having an in the house model.
And I want to sew some things.
There are not enough hours in the day.

A slow start of a day...

After I made this silly video G and I went to the U/O art museum and fell in love with the wooden Korean funerary figures. I'm going to go back tomorrow and take some photos.
Brrr... it's getting cold.