Accepted for the Winter White show at the Art Mill in Grafton!

The show starts Dec. 3.  Check it out!

Angel #2

Angel #2. 

Angel #1 from the Angel Garden Quilt

I have been working on a quilt for the past couple of years.  25 hand embroidered angel squares, hand pieced and hand quilted.  Stay tuned for angel #2.

Finally!

This is my first piece since July.  It seemed strange to pick up my pastels again.  I have been obsessed by my Angel Garden Quilt and unable to sit at the table to work.  This one is for the Foodies show at the Art Mill in Grafton, I hope.  It is a juried show so there are no guarantees that it will be accepted.  Whether it is accepted or not, I am pretty proud of this one.  Hope you like it too!

Update on 12/1/11.  This piece was accepted but did not win.  It is hanging in my dining room now. 

Accepted!

 

This is for the birds!

 This is one of the birds we saw in the everglades, an Ahinga (spelling?)

And this is a pelican we saw at a marina somewhere on the gulf side.
I'm not really into birds, but they are having a show here in Port called "Birds of a different feather" so I thought I would try to get in.  It is a juried show so who knows?  I only sent in the pelican.  I was happier with how it came out than I was with the Ahinga.  What do you think?

I did not get a phone call.

It is 6:30am and I am delivering documents to all 40 units in my building since I am the secretary of the board of directors and I have to deliver them at least 10 days before the annual meeting. I just finished getting them ready at 10:15 the night before so I am not feeling too bright and awake.   I met Becca on the elevator this morning.  Becca and I collected our morning paper and we are headed back up in the elevator and Becca says, "so did you get a phone call?"  I know I had a blank look on my face because I had no idea what she was talking about.  I said "huh?"  Becca says "you didn't get a phone call from the Arts Mill?"  I said no.  She says, "that means you are in!"  I said "huh?"  She says, "if you didn't get a call that means they accepted your painting."  The light dawns, and I am excited!  My first juried show and I am in! 

On the Interurban Trail

The Interurban Trail goes right by my building in Port Washington.  If you go north, you will get to Belgium, about 20 miles round trip.  The scenery is mostly farms.  Watch out for farm equipment!

Foggy morning weather related thoughts

I looked out my patio doors and saw nothing but fog this morning.  My usual view of the lighthouse was gone, nothing but gray mist.  Foggy mornings are quiet, sounds are muffled.  It reminds me of when I vacationed in Hermosa Beach, CA.  Every morning was foggy, then the sun came out and chased the fog away.  I don't think the sun is going to take care of the fog in Port! 

My son called, on his way home from work in Grafton, and told me he was going to go wash his car.  I said, kind of a bad day for that isn't it? He said, "why?"  Grafton is about 5 miles from the Lake and the weather was totally different which prooves that all weather is local. 

TV 6 was filming the morning news from Rotary Park in Port this morning.  I bet they were disappointed in the weather, no clear views of our beautiful lakefront today as a backdrop for their show. K asked me to DVR the whole 2 hours. 

Some days it seems a shame to go to work.  

For Sale

These 2 pieces are available for sale at the Cedarburg Cultural Center. 

                                          $250 framed

                                          $150 framed

                                          $100 framed

Squash Ducklings

A summer harvest of yellow squash sitting on the faux butcher block counter in the kitchen at our vacation condo at Summit Beach always looked like a batch of yellow ducklings to me.  K was so proud of her harvest! 

It has been quite a while since I posted a new piece.  My excuse is pain and busy-ness. This weekend was so much fun and I felt a little better so I made some time for Art. 

Honorable Mention

I entered this in the Ozaukee County Art Show and it got a Blue Ribbon(honorable mention) in the Amateur division.  Pretty cool!

Milwaukee Lakefront in Winter 1

I spent quite a bit of time on Green last week, finally had a piece that I was willing to hang in public, then rewarded myself by working on something with no green of any kind!  So, if you are in Downtown Port sometime before St Patrick's day, please stop into the former Lueptow's building and check out the St Patrick's Day Landscape contest entries.  There is quite a variety of images and types of art, from photos to mixed media pieces.  After I saw what everyone else did, I wished I had sent my Red Headed Irish Girl.  The "landscape" part of the contest was not a strict requirement apparently, just a suggestion!

Green challenged artist

I did 2 pieces yesterday.  I was trying to do an Irish Landscape.  I confess, I cannot see green.  The subtle differences, which greens match, is it gray or is it green?  So have you ever heard of an Irish landscape that didn't involve green?  Me neither.  So, I am green-challenged.  Even K thought it was bad and she is my biggest fan.   I have 2 more days to get this right.  Or to find an irish landscape without any green.

No Time

No time....Missed opportunity....I will save some room in the trunk for my pastels when we head for Key West. 

We took my grandson Kennedy to the beach last spring.  He thought Lake Michigan was a good place for throwing rocks! 

It's my birthday.  Gonna have a good time?  No doubt!

And the red head theme continues....

I thought the show was just about Irish themed paintings but now I find out it is about Irish Landscapes so this one won't qualify:(

Oh, well, it is one of my goals to be able to do people better so this portrait of a little red headed Irish girl was a good practice. 

It is the Saturday before my 56th birthday.  Where did the time go?  How much time is left to do the things I want to do, to see the things I want to see?  Of course, no one knows and there is no guarantee for tomorrow.  Seems like I am in a happy place right now, but I have been grabbed and dragged, kicking and screaming out of happy places before so I concentrate on making the most of this time, in THIS happy place. 

Trying the mobile blog. My grandson is an artist too. He made this mask!

Thank you for using Picture and Video Messaging by U.S. Cellular. See www.uscellular.com for info.

Please don't take my picture...

"Stop the car!"  K parked in the middle of the road and I got out, tried to get closer to him but he didn't want anything to do with me.  He walked away, turned his head.  REM's "It's been a bad day, please don't take my picture" is the music running through my head as I followed him trying to get a better shot.  Finally I gave up and had to be satisfied with this view....

Riveredge in March 2010

This piece is one of my favorites.  K and I went to Riveredge for their annual pancake breakfast which happens when the maple syrup is being collected.  Afterwards we walked along the path by this small pond.  It was a beautiful day and the sun was fabulous!  I did this on canvas-hey what did I know, I had just learned about pastels and was experimenting!

Spent a warm and wonderful evening at our friend, B's place yesterday eve.  Talked about our youth.  The protests in Madison are calling us.  Working people everywhere, stand together!  We talked about the Vietnam War protests and the Vietnam Vets we know who are still suffering from their experience after 40 years or more.  People, we have to participate even when it doesn't seem like anything we do makes a difference.  Each contribution is like a drop of water wearing away the stone.  Eventually, we will make a path.

Winter Sunrise

Same view, different day.  Winter sunrise over Lake Michigan is better than summer sunrise because I don't have to wake up so early so see it!  Today is my last day of work for the week:) I hope I will have some time to work on my art this weekend but who knows?  

Sailing by the Port Washington Lighthouse

I got this one all done and was pretty proud of myself until someone pointed out that there were no shadows under the people.  Details, details....

Walk with care....

We picked this one apart, identifying all the ways it is wrong, but I still like the contrast, the waves, the sky.......

Take that Christmas wreath down!

It was early March and as you can see, someone was a little tardy taking down the Christmas wreath.  Still with Wisconsin weather, you really can't blame the farmer for leaving it up. 

Tree by the Southern Path at Summit Beach

Well, it is back to work day for me.  My day started at 6:05 with a text from one of my staff to tell me they are calling in sick-again; and the sound of the plows clearing the snow-again. I will need to leave early or be late to work.  This is the piece I did yesterday afternoon.  You can see this continues the "snowy meadow" theme, although in this one, the sky is clear and blue and the sun has made it up over the lake clouds and is shining on the meadow.  When we lived at Summit Beach, this tree was a love/hate object.  It blocked my view of the water, but it provided scale and perspective to the view also.  Many times the subject of removing it came up, but I hope it is still there blocking/framing someone else's view!

This is looking south over the meadow at Summit Beach.  I love the color of the grass against the snow.  I spent the afternoon working on another piece.  My friend and mentor, Becca, was here with me working on one of her pieces.  I love working with someone else in the room.  I never figured that I would be a social artist!  No lonely artist studios for me.

Good day to stay inside.

My View.  It is very wintry outside today and I am glad I have  a vacation day, one more day to stay home and relax and play with my pastels.  Monday is a great day to take off! 

I live on the "Fresh Coast" and this is my view in winter of the Port Washington marina, harbor and lighthouse.  This piece shows the marina before they put in the floating piers.  Port Washington is a small town of around 10,000, kind of like the place I grew up in, Nevada, IA.  We have a small town newspaper where sooner or later everyone gets their picture published-birth, graduation, marriage, death.  I've lived here only 6 years and I have been in the paper 2-3 times even though I didn't get born, graduate, marry or die!

This marina is a great example of a community investing in their infrastructure.  When the marina was first proposed, a lot of people here didn't want it, didn't want to spend the money, didn't want things to change, thought it would never be used.  The politicians who voted to proceed were all thrown out of office at the next election.  I cannot imagine this lakefront without it.

beginnings 2-20-2011

I guess I have always been an artist, just not an artist with an urgent need to share my art.  I doodled, I sketched, I left drawings on tablecloths in restaurants, on the back of documents at meetings, but to put my "doodles" out for anyone to see?  Well it is a beginning.  Stay tuned.