Colorful Friday

I am not fond of doing the Black Friday thing but I did do a bit of online stuff this morning and I may be close to already done!!!!  Just a few gift cards and something for The Hubby!

Yesterday was a pretty wonderful day.  The food was great, the weather was great and the company was great!  We did have a bit of a hiccup though but it was not at our house.  We were all sitting outside enjoying the sunshine and visiting after gorging ourselves when we heard the fire truck sirens running.  We live close to the fire station so wasn't too worried but it kept going and getting louder and louder and more sirens.  We all jumped up and ran through the house and out the front door to see two fire trucks, two ambulances, and two police cars.  They were across the street at our neighbor lady's house. She is in her 90's but is pretty active and I think her son lives there with her.  Very shortly the fire trucks and ambulances left but the police stayed and it was apparent that she had passed away.  After about an hour with the police still there and family members arriving a van pulled up and we knew it was sort of a hearse for the funeral home.  One of our other neighbors said she had been in the hospital a couple of weeks ago.  I really had only met her once but it was very sad.  Kind put a downer on a day of being with family.

Anyway, Sis had asked me to paint her dog Nala and I finally got it done and she was thrilled.  She made sure to remind me to give it to her.   She loves it! 

Today I messed around with an idea.  My mother found this painting in a farmhouse we lived in in Arkansas in the early 60's and it was old then.  It is cracked and some of the paint has fallen off but it's still beautiful.  I had it cleaned and reframed a few years ago from the nicotine from my parents smoking.  It has to be well over 100 years old now. 

So today, I decided I would use it as my reference to tackle it. 

To top off my day today is when I tried to take a nap and just drifted off, DING-DONG...FedX...back to the couch and drifting off yet again when I heard knocking on the front door.  Up I go and as I walked I looked for UPS, no truck, but through the side window I saw a man standing at the edge of the step.  Through the door and glass I asked, "Can I help you." He replied saying something about needing a hard working man.  I said, "No thank you." Then he popped off, "What.  Are you afraid of a black man." OH GOOD GRIEF!  I said, "NO!  GO AWAY!" Kind of scared me to think he was going door to door and possibly just checking who would answer the door, to see who was actually home.  

I never did get that nap.  I did get to see B on the Channel 6 news with Rick Wells and her potholders at Philbrook!  

Happy Thanksgiving Memories

Happy Thanksgiving to one and all.  I didn't set the alarm this morning thinking I would wake up on time to get Mr. Tom roasting in the oven and I didn't miss it by much.  I wanted to be up about six and the mind and eyes were alert at 6:15.  I rushed into the kitchen and started prepping said turkey.  Tea brewing, dressing started, turkey roasting, giblets bubbling, yep it's starting to smell like the smells I remember of years ago.  

When I was a wee kiddo our Thanksgivings were the best time of the year because, number one, we were out of school, number two we got to go to Greatgranny's, my most favorite place on the earth.  I used to think I wanted my ashes sprinkled on that property but as I near the age things like that happen...shiver...I don't want that.  No one is there anymore.  The house is empty and falling down.  What I have left are the warm memories that are with me and I try to share here sometimes for my girls.  

It was Momma's favorite holiday too because she got to shine with her turkey and dressing and I hope I have carried on that tradition for her.  My grandparents lived off the land and didn't have much but a warm home, friends and family, they were RICH!  So many memories of that place that I may just have to take off and ramble here to get the memory out.  

Mother would plan for weeks for Thanksgiving, making lists for her major grocery store run.  We weren't wealthy either so it was a huge chunk of change for her to spend on feeding whoever showed up for dinner.  But that didn't matter.  Greatgranny's was a haven for weary hunters and long lost cousins to come and know that they would be fed and get their tootsies warm in front of the wood stove in the living room.  You know I didn't see a live deer in the wild until I was in my 40's.  They were always hung from a tree being gutted in the front yard.  Men would come from miles around to get Big Dan to help them, teach them how to gut it.  I know, I know you tender hearts will take offense by this but, AGAIN, they lived off the land, even though Big Dan was a college educated man and highly decorated veteran from WWII.  There was never not some kind of "meat" that was not cooked on the table, in the freezer or fridge, frog, turtle, fox, deer, bobcat, etc.  It was an era and I am so glad I got to experience that world.  It made me who I am today.  Made me appreciate everything I have in my life.  Again, they weren't rich but the memories and life they let me be a part of made me and them the wealthiest people in the world.  (I'm getting nostalgic because of the yummy turkey smells wafting throughout my house right now!)

the dining room... 

My favorite driveway to my haven. 

More dining room.  That is Greatgranny, standing in the place that, before they made the freezer room/her bedroom in to a bathroom, Greatgranddaddy sat to eat his meals next to his toaster oven. 

Used to sleep in the bed of that truck in the summer months parked right there next to the house.

The garden. 

 

Great aunt Ree...in front of the many, MANY mounts that adorned the walls.

View to the living room from the dining room...the wishbone doorway.  I now have most of those wishbones at our cabin.

This is Big Dan (my great uncle) with one of many hides that were around too.  I think that is fox, maybe coyote...not sure. 

My sweet, sweet momma probably waiting on a turkey to come out of the oven.  She is sitting in Big Dan's place, always his place. 

Greatgranddaddy and the many minions of kiddos that were always around.  Two of the kidlets I sort of remember, but definitely me, brother and sis!

Grocery Store Repetition

Well Turkey Day is upon us and I am scrambling to get it together.  I went to the store Friday intending to get milk and garlic bread for our weekend to the cabin, instead my Thanksgiving list was screaming at me for the opportunity to get-er-done!  So about $250 later my car was STUFFED and it was already stuffed with art supplies I purchased on Thursday at Zieglar's because of their one day Pre-Black Friday Sale!  I hardly had room to drive.  Still, my car is empty of groceries yet still full of art supplies.  I can't decide if I want to take them to the office art space or inside the house art space.  If I take them to the office that means lugging the crap upstairs and I DON'T want to do that.  Oh bother!  Back to Turkey Day.  I then again went to the store on Sunday for steaks and more milk for the house in town and ended up spending $200 more because I was informed we needed toilet paper, paper towels, toothpaste, Zantac and the few other things I realized we still needed for Thursday.  YET, I have to go back because I forgot sour cream and plastic cups.  Good Grief, that grocery store likes to see me coming!

Ribbons Ribbons

Guess What!!!

The Alpha Rho Tau show opening last night was AWESOME!  I took first place, blue ribbon for my Topiary I worked on all summer long.  So very, very excited.  I love that I saw the opportunity of a painting when I took the photo, free hand drew it, and then made it appear on canvas.  It was a huge challenge and paid off.  

PLUS...I took honorable mention in the same category for my little black-eyed susan painting.  What's funny is I spent all summer on the topiary yet the flowers took less than 30 minutes.  You just never know and I love both of them.  The black-eyed susan was palette knife exclusively with my 4 year old granddaughter underfoot and the topiary was brushed for weeks while painting with friends.  

Can't We Just Get Along

"Can't we just get along."  Words spoken several years ago by Rodney King.  I turned on the television this morning and see rioting in the streets.  See Mr. Trump, what your vile vitriol has wrought.  People, please settle down.  It was voted, it is done, do you think all your screaming, crying and rioting is going to change it, NO.  Get involved in a peaceful manner, no name calling. 

Now on to what I did yesterday to ease my mind, to think happy thoughts.  I let my mind go to creating stuff.

This one I call "Confusion" 12x16 acrylic on gallery wrap canvas.  It was the first thing I worked on trying to get the junk out of my brain...welcoming happy thoughts in.  Trying to utilize what I learned on Saturday at the workshop.

Because I was spending a lot of time waiting for things to dry I was bouncing from acrylics to watercolor on a new product called Yupo paper.  Cool stuff.  It's plastic paper and you work watercolor around on it, swirl it, blot it and wait for it to dry.  Then you take paint off, put paint on, more blotting.  Such fun but I'm not sure it's me.  It's a bit frustrating and I wanted it to work like oils that I am familiar with, but I will continue.

"Black-eyed Susan's" 12x14 watercolor on Yupo paper

Shocked

Last night I just could not stay awake to watch the Presidential returns.  This morning the alarm went off at 4:45 and I quickly turned the television on to see what happened, fully expecting to hear "President Elect Hillary."  Imagine my total shocked surprise to hear "President Elect Trump!" 

WHAT THE CRAP....

HOLY SH.....

I know my girls are absolutely devastated but it is what it is and kind of how I felt 8 years ago.  You will survive, life goes on, it will be fine.  

Now we move to the NEXT election and come on America, let's PLEASE find some better representation to run, please.

Lemons Topiary

Yes, I finished it.  I certainly changed it up a bit as all the STUFF and silver got to me, but I like it!

ANOTHER Art Show!

My voice here has been quite silent lately I know, but I just don't have a lot to chat about.  That's not really true, I have a lot to say but I don't want to offend so I just keep my mouth shut, or at least I try.  

I've been busy painting and just wrapped up a month long show but am gearing up for another month long show, at the same place, different group.  This time around the show is judged and I'm so excited to enter 7 paintings, some of the best I've done.  If I don't get a ribbon I have to not let it discourage me as judging is different with each judge on any different day.  You just never know.  I am excited though to show my stuff!!!!!