Margaret

Just over a year ago a very dear friend of mine died from cancer. She had put up a good fight, went into remission, but the second time around was too overwhelming. Margaret was also an artist. And quite a shopper!

Soon after we met at a painting class Margaret and I started to bond. We had a lot in common, even though there was about a 12 year age difference between us. We took many day trips together, went to a memorable watercolor workshop, and we could talk for hours. Even when she was feeling so bad and focusing on her illness, I could usually get her to laugh at something stupid I had done and, I think, pick up her spirits for a while. I miss her every day.

Her husband and daughter asked me to come over to go through her painting supplies and I am now heir to some paint and paper and various and sundry other items. It was very emotional for me to be there, in her painting room, seeing and touching her things. But, at the same time, I had to laugh in my tears. She always told me that she wasn’t about to clean up that room. Since she had to clean out her mother’s house when her mother had died, Margaret’s attitude was “let the kids do it!” Her daughter, Cindy, told me it took several hours each day over the course of a few days to go through everything.

So there we stood, among all this stuff, still sorting and carrying it out. When I got to my car I looked up and said, half crying, half laughing - “Well, Margaret, you always said let someone else clean it up, I just didn’t know it would be me!”

I have another wonderful friend, who I also met through painting (who says art is solitary!). Sometimes I think about our age difference – about the same as the one between myself and Margaret. So, someday my “studio” will need to be cleaned out. Since I like Margaret’s idea of letting someone else deal with the mess, and since my space is more than twice the size that Margaret’s space was, all I can say is, she’ll have her work cut out for her! (I just hope it’s a long, long time before that happens!)

God bless you, Margaret.

There comes a point in your life when you realize who matters, who never did, who won’t anymore, and who always will. So don’t worry about people from your past, there’s a reason why they didn’t make it to your future.

Be kinder than necessary because everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle.

On Line Article!

I have just had an article about casein published in the "webzine" www.CreateBetterPaintings.com. If you are a member of the site, you can log in as a member and read all about it!

If you are not a member and are interested in reading the article, send me an email and I'll send you the info about how to log in!

Beading FUN?????

Once upon a time I thought that beading would be fun.

I’m crafty – over the course of many years I have done needlepoint, knitting, crocheting, quilting, sewing, painting – so, the thought popped into my head “wow, wouldn’t beading be fun!”.

Like any other hobby you decide to try, you need to buy supplies. There are many supplies needed to bead. Lots of supplies.

Of course there are the beads. And most of the beads are tiny – very, very tiny. (And way more expensive than you thought something that tiny could be). Then you will need crimp beads to fasten the beads onto the wire.

Then there is the wire to slip the beads onto, which of course comes in many various sizes, so you need more than one roll of wire. You will then end up buying even more wire than you need because you will not realize that the size of wire which you have just purchased will not fit through all of your beads until you get home and attempt to run it through your beads.

And in order to fasten the beads to the wire you need tools. So there is the crimper, and the wire cutter, and various pliers which are “special” because, unlike your husband’s pliers, these have to be small and delicate in order to pick up and deal with the tiny, tiny beads.

Then, you realize, you need something to place all of these tiny, tiny beads onto or into in order to sort them by color, size, type, etc. before you make your creation. (I purchased a bead tray which I never use - instead I put them onto a rubberized cloth which holds them better).

You will need something to hold the sorted beads in. You will then find a vast array of small containers marketed with “The Beader” in mind and you will purchase many of these in various sizes, shapes and forms (none of which will ever be exactly what you need). And then you will need something to put all of the small containers into (I purchased a small tool box).

So, finally, you are ready to begin beading. And, of course, one of the first things you will do is pour some beads out onto your cloth and spill half of them on the floor. You will then proceed to pick up most of them - the rest you will locate with your bare feet or when you step on one and slide across the room in your clogs.

If you have managed to actually separate your beads and decide what you want to make and start putting them on the wire, you will find that you pretty much cannot see the hole in the bead into which you are expected to slip the wire, so now you realize you need Granny glasses.

Then, if by some miracle you actually make something, you have to deal with another one of those ^@#& crimp beads and crimpers in order to finish off the end. And, of course, you will never be able to get the beads pulled tightly enough so that the wire doesn’t show, or, you will accidentally cut through the wire when you trim it and all of your hard work will fall to the floor in a bright, bouncy shower of beads.

And none of this includes wire wrapping – another fun event in the beading Olympics.

In what universe is this considered fun???

(Photo of some beading stuff laid out on my work surface - covered with an outdated calendar! Here's a little tip - big calendars make great surface covers - just tear off and toss when it gets messed up - I even use them as a palette for my acrylics - and you can pick them up different places, free toward the end of the year).

Fall Classes

Started my fall class at Dunham yesterday and had almost a full complement, even with the weather problems and power outages. It was odd driving in town - going down the main streets there would be an area with power, then one without, one with, etc. In an area where I was sure most of the big, old trees would be down, there were just some large branches missing, but some of the small, young trees pulled out by the roots. You wouldn’t think it would be so random.

Since we are a class of all “ladies” this time, we are painting a close up of a peony (what is it with me and peonies??? Now that I think of it, I have always loved them, and when my husband and I were dating and first married he would sometime pick one from the bushes at his mom’s house and bring it to me).

Anyway, this is a painting similar to the one we are doing in class.

I (Don't) LIke Ike!

Thanks to (the remains of) Hurricane Ike through our area today, my computer is off and I'm using my husband's, meaning I have no access to photos, etc. Oh well.

We were lucky, according to the TV news. The Greater Cincinnati area has 600,000+ customers without power, tons of damage, schools and businesses closed - may take a week for them to get power back. And since a good many of the Duke Energy employees are down south helping out Ike's other victims, it will take them a while to return here to help out at home.

Spent a good portion of the day running outside to grab something else that was blowing across the yard. We were lucky, though. We have a generator, and so had power, and other than a couple of overhead fans broken, a piece of aluminum dangling and tons of trees down around the property (barring any more damage my husband finds tomorrow morning) we will survive. Our poor little fruit trees look like mid-winter - completely stripped of their leaves!

Well, enough of the weather report here in breezy southeastern Indiana . . . Just didn't want to be out of the "blog-o-sphere" for too long, but looks like it may be a few days before I can post more photos.

In the meantime - I have two show openings this weekend:
Queen City Art Club opening on Saturday, 6-8 p.m. at Kennedy Heights Arts Center on Montgomery Road
Greater Cincinnati Watercolor Society show opening on Sunday, noon - 4 at Sharon Woods Nature Center

If you are in the area, hope you can make one of them!

Going, going . . . gone!

My first giveaway is over - there were two flag paintings and now they are gone!

And I connected with a "bloggerite" (the real purpose of this exercise!) from the Pacific Northwest - how cool!

Keep watching - I'll be doing this again soon and hope to meet someone else from "Blog Land"!

Gift Paintings - Flag

Rhonda Carpenter had a very neat idea on her blog some time ago – she was giving away some of her paintings. So, copycat that I am, thought I might try it, too. So . . . here is the deal.
· I will put up some photos of my class demo paintings with a short description of them.
· None of them will be matted or framed – just the painting.
· Even though these are all original paintings, there may be several similar, since, once again, these are class demos and I have done some of them repeatedly and – here is the caveat –
· Some may be better than others!
· They will go on a first come, first served basis.

So, if you are interested in a free original watercolor painting, email me at dwardart2@yahoo.com. Put in the subject line: free blog painting. Otherwise, I just might delete you – I do not open any emails from people I’m not expecting mail from – kind of like not opening the front door to strangers. And, for goodness sake – be sure to leave your name and address so I can send you the painting!

Of course, the real reason I’m doing this is to try and engage some of you visitors into a blog dialogue! Hope to hear from some of you.

Flag, watercolor on Arches 140 CP, 1/8 sheet - 2 currently available

Got Google?

I must say, after finding some of my paintings online during a Google search, I’m a bit ambivalent about my feelings on that matter. On the one hand, it’s very satisfying to think that someone uploaded my paintings (how does that work???) but on the other hand, kind of creepy that someone found and uploaded them (without asking me first) which of course I knew could happen – once it’s on the web it’s free game. Anyone have any thoughts on this subject?

Hobbies for Life

I have just finished six weeks of classes at Evergreen Retirement Community.

One gentleman, Don, is 90+ and still a wonderful painter.

It got me to thinking about the aging process and how important it is to have something that you love to do that will keep you interested in life until the end of life.

Hopefully that is what art will do for me. That is, if I can remember where I put my art supplies!

(Sorry, no photos with this one - forgot to bring my camera to any of the classes!)

Retreat Paintings - Part 2

Here are a few more paintings/sketches from our retreat.

These two are by Sharon:
This painting is from a photo taken in Africa by friends of her. She worked diligently and SLOWLY on this one and it's beautiful!

This one is a sketch of my son, done in Russian Sauce, a very different medium. She did a good job, but he thinks it looks like a "mug shot"! (Everyone in my family is a tough critic!)

These three are by Sue:

Plants outside her gallery in Statesville, South Carolina (I think???).

The next one is from a family trip she took; I love the sky!

And the last one is a drawing she has made in preparation for a painting of the building across the street from her gallery. It is quite ambitious, but I know she will do a great job.

This one is by Monique:
She has a sketch book to die for - I always admire people who do that. She is so meticulous, and does a wonderful job.


She also did a full sheet poured painting but she was not totally pleased with it. She may be doing it again.

Quite a talented group, wouldn't you say!