I'm Back...

 Hi.  Yes, I've been gone for a bit and I kind of shut down the blog after a simple question I asked on my last post caused the BOTS to go rogue.  I usually have a few look-sees but the last post had 668!!!  WTF!  That creeped me out.  So I put hold on it for a bit.  We will see what happens.  

Not much has happened in our world except my birthday!  It was great spending time with my family and I had a great day earlier with a pedicure and massage! It was nice.  We've been spending time at the cabin, dealing with a broken A/C unit here at home and the usual things that keep breaking down.  Kind of crazy all the gadgets going on the fritz, new roof, just usual things of a homeowner/property owner.  I've been voraciously reading and already am 7 books ahead of my yearly goal of 60.  My big challenge I've decided to task myself with this summer is the challenge of reading Gone With The Wind!  I've never read it and I want to.  

So really not much I want to say here as I'm afraid I'll set off the bots and what I want to say will piss some off maybe.  The election shit is most of it and is wrecking my sleep lately.  I have to stop watching the news, reading Insta of FB.  I am only trying to watch painting videos or cooking videos or the grandkiddo's videos.  Next week I'm going to a drawing class for the next 3 Monday's and looking forward to that.  I've also started going to the Life Drawing class on Thursday evenings again, sporadically.  It's great practice.  Next month I'll go to a workshop with the ultra talented Kyle Ma!  THAT is exciting.  

Toodles.

This and That Tuesday

Good MORNING!  The sun is shining, and the eclipse happened and nothing bad happened.  We're all still here.  Good grief, how can people be so bamboozled to think crap like that.  I guess some people just can't be logical about life in general.  

Onward.  yesterday was an extremely busy day.  I had a TAG meeting in the AM and it went well.  When I pulled up to the house I checked my emails and was so excited to find out that my painting, "Waiting" had juried into the Allied Artists of America Online show that runs from May 15, 2024 to May 14, 2026!  From this show it CAN, POSSIBLY jury into the 110th physical show!!!  So excited.  This is my third painting that has juried into their online shows.  I've had two in physical shows.  

Feels really good to have these affirmations in my art.  It was fun to get to share in the art group too.  Makes me feel like a real artist.

Last night then I had a class reunion meeting.  We are moving right along on the 50th and I have work to do today to get the info out since we made a lot of decisions last night.  Sadly we found out yesterday that one of our classmates had passed away that morning.  We knew she had cancer and had hospice brought in, but it's never easy.  Then two of the committee members, sitting on either side of me revealed they have cancer!  One breast cancer and one they're not sure yet.  DAMMIT!  I hate this, really hate this.  

So onward with my day and lots of good vibes to my dear friends.

Textbook

Good morning.  Yes it has been a minute since I've been here.  I've just been mentally absent from most social media.  Can't STAND the political crap going on so I am just staying off, except to see grands or post an art pic here and there.  We've been hanging around town a lot because of a lot of dance stuff and I just choose not to go to the cabin by myself lately.  There are times, it's true, that I need to be alone, but lately, I'm enjoying his company, quirks and all.  There is a reason we've been married 48 years.  I mean you HAVE to know that when you sign up for the long haul, you accept the quirks, the idiosyncrasies that person has.  They may drive you a bit nuts but you HAVE to just get over it.  They belong to the person you have chosen to love forever.  With that little soapbox thing, my brother and his lovely celebrated 45 years last weekend and our oldest and her hubby celebrated 16 years yesterday.  HAPPY ANNIVERSARY!

"Purple Majesty"

14x11 oil

This little gem of a painting I finished yesterday.  I started it in my little art group on Thursday.  The reference photo I took when I walked into my doctor's office building on Tuesday.  It was on the reception desk and it just stopped me in my tracks with such beauty.  I just knew I wanted to paint it, and so here we are.  I went to the studio EARLY yesterday morning, 7 am with this NEED to finish it, which  I did.  So very please with it and it really makes the eyes happy, at least my eyes.  

I finished these two last week and have already entered them in an online show.

"Pop"

12x9 oil

"Pink in a Bottle"

7x5 oil

(Reference photo by my oldest)

Now, speaking of my doctor, I went in on Tuesday, mostly to check my thyroid, physical is in September.  You know I have a slight problem with the "white coat syndrome" going in but I steeled myself, gathered my confidence and was ready for him.  I honestly have not felt better, health wise in a very long time.  I'm moving much easier, my hair is nearly to my butt, my nails and skin are looking great, and my insides are working so very well.  I feel great and I wanted to show him I did.  He's pushed the diet shot at least three times and I was NOT going to let him get me this time, I was ready for a fight if need be.  Turns out he did not even mention it!  I did see the damned scale go up 5 pounds which kind of deflated me but I was not going to let it get to me.  I still held my head up high and went in the room to have my BP taken.  I was shocked when he said it was TEXTBOOK!  That was absolutely awesome.  I knew it!  I felt it!!!  So I will really knuckle down and continue the OsteoStrong, building muscle, which is I think what is happening.  Hopefully, the scale will start showing some progress along with my better eating.  

Happy Labor Day Weekend

Happy Labor Day Weekend.  

I've chosen to stay in town this weekend while The Hubby is on a guy trip to Colorado.  Good for him.  Yesterday I decided to do a figurative workshop in town, a one day event.  Frankly I was quite disappointed in how it turned out.  The morning "instructor" came in looking like the cat dragged him in and complained he didn't sleep much, up late painting for a show, he said!  He started to talk, kind of hem-hawing around and sketching a model that sat for him.  He was using an extremely light pencil, so light I could not see ANYTHING he was marking and I was sitting close.  Half the time he just tentatively drew without talking.  I nearly went to sleep.  Then the last 30 minutes of the morning we drew the girls head.  I didn't do too bad, and it looked like a girl, just not that girl.  LOL!  He never looked at what I did to critique it, not once.  The time was up and he was out of there.  Lunch, which I brought then we were to have a "long pose" with the same model.  She models like this for a living, nude modeling, all over the country and actually world.  WOW!  Back from lunch she was set up on a chaise lounge like thing, nude for an entire pose but the bad part was it was the same view I had from 3 hours of the morning!  BORING!  I started over and over again and really got too bored from it all.  The last hour and a half I just did her head, even left-handed as I nodded off then finally I just packed it up and looked at my phone.  I really like the quick poses that make you make marks.  I don't think I am a long pose kind of gal really.  Or could be the set up was just not inspiring me at all.  Oh yes, I'm glad I did it, got to hang with artists, but, probably not again.  I'll still do the Thursday evening gathering, I love that, but taking an entire Saturday, maybe not.  I don't even have anything to show for my trouble. 

Life carries on.  I cannot believe they are all in their happy little home and trying to get back to the new normal.

 

Change

Change, is anyone okay with change.  Change is difficult for anyone, good or bad.  We've had a lot of change in our world lately, the grownups, and the kiddos in our life.

This one has been through it, with a new brother, not living with him yet, and her momma being gone now for 3 months, and spending a lot of her time with me and her Auntie Biff.

When Max does finally come home life will not at all be the same for her.  She will probably have to drop out of her day school because of the possibility of bringing home germs to Max.  

She's had some bright times at school, meeting new friends, like this little guy she met at the hospital.  His little sibling is in the hospital with the same thing as Max so there is a bond there.  Plus the family lives in Tulsa so they may get to see each other many more times.

This little guy who knows the hospital as his norm, will very soon (probably next week) have to adapt to a whole new surrounding at his actual home with a 3 year old sister and 3 cats.

Snicklefritz has also gone through a ton of changes in her very young life.  First we lost her Great-papa then her Mimi, then Max's entry into our world.

And with Min spending so much time with me, day and night, for weeks, her previous room was taken over by Min.  So we had to adjust for Snicklefritz and make her own space for spending the night, a more grown up space for her.  She has been so wonderful letting that happen, without grumbling, but with joy in helping with the process.

Now we are at the time where WE are retiring and the "shop" as she has known it since she was 2 years old is changing.  She's actually known our offices since birth but her first 2 years were at the other location where I watched her nearly every single day of her life (minus weekends!)  Since this is the last week of actual business as we've known it we have been gearing up for the auction of equipment, vehicles, tools, office supplies, etc.  So moving drafting tables out and file cabinets and having bags and bags of shredding stuff and boxing up files we have to keep for a bit of time.  All that kind of stuff has to go to storage.  My desk as I've known it for eight years will be in the auction and we had to make a new area for desk work because even though we won't technically be in business, work will still be done with reports and stuff until tax time next year, collecting the last of the accounts receivable and paying the last of the bills, changing the names of accounts, closing accounts, so much to do.  You do not realize all you have to do to shut down a 44 year old business.  

This brings to the changes, for me.  You see I'm yet again moving my art studio.  

It has always been the plan that I would move into our office with my studio.  

I've had a studio in my home for several years...

then Linda and I moved into a shared studio with artist Gil Adams, calling ourselves, Studio 3.

When the landlord rented our space out from under us we had to shift very quickly to another location where Gil left our happy threesome (maybe not so happy for him.)  It was his idea for us to be in the studio space with him, but he's a guy, a guy that had a hideout from his wife, where he could go and eat ice cream late at night and watch TV without his wife knowing.  We cramped his style, he was okay with the split and going his own way.  

So Linda and I moved into a larger space, calling it Lemon Tree Fine Art.  We've been studio partners now for over 6 years, happily.  In that 6 years I have amassed a ton more art supplies, created a lot of paintings that frankly were bad and either will have to be painted over or hopefully sold (the better ones.)

So I am moving yet again, packing up tons and tons of art stuff, making trip after trip to the new space.

The new space, our old office that we are cleaning out now.  The downstairs of the stone building as of next week will be the previous location of Alrac Electric and the new digs of Carla Hefley Fine Art! 

Back to Snicklefritz.  This is all so much change for a little girl and she's so feeling it, I'M feeling it.  It's like a tornado everyday to get it all done and frankly I'm quite exhausted, physically and emotionally over all of it.  I've had to change my business area and will be creating my new art, creative area all very quickly.  It is a lot.  Plus with Max and watching Min.  I honestly can't wait for summer to get here to take a breather, rest a bit.  I want to paint but frankly, I'm not sure where my paints are at this moment.  They're in piles and piles of art supplies.  To top off all of this, The Hubby will be in my art space a lot because it is our building and his "man cave" building is across the parking lot.  Hmmmm, not sure how this is all going to work out creatively with him in my business a lot and trying to dictate how I use this new space.  Saga to continue...

Sketching and Max Update

I have had one busy week.  I was in my car every single day and Thursday I was in and out and in and out of my car.  I was the Granny-Taxi most of the week and boy was I bushed.  Trying to get some art in has been tricky lately.  Thursday, because I knew I was going to be on the go all day, I had spare time at 7:30 am, so to the studio I went to at least splash a bit of paint around.  I went Wednesday too but it was kind of busy there with a customer and friend in for Linda.  Chatting was the task of the morning.  I still have my drawing supplies, or a lot of them, at the house along with the watercolors.  Today I could of gone to the studio but I just did not want to venture out, or put a bra on so in I stayed.  I spent the morning sketching a bit.  

Hopefully the cows will get a tinge of watercolor on it.  My mind is kind in a whirl as the studio move is probably going to be sooner than later.  

The Hubby has been making room for me at the office, even though we are still technically a working business still.  Work is slowing down tons and basically we have a month and a half left.  B has begun the purge of our files, the accounting ones so we can move out some of the file cabinets we won't need anymore.  It's really a bit scary, something I've wanted for awhile, yet scary.  Kind of having a a hard time letting go of my actual desk.  I love that piece of furniture but really it won't be needed soon.  Just need a space for the computer and printer for minimal accounting stuff.  After 44 years of doing what I do yet wanting to be done with it, I am finding it hard to let it go.  Hmmm, imagine.  

Tomorrow will begin another week of the Granny-Taxi stuff starting with heading to their house to watch Min as she doesn't have school on Monday's.  I go there to give him a break of rushing her out of the house.  It's just easier for all.  This weekend they headed to OKC to see Af and Max and Nick finally got to hold his baby boy. Max is now a tad over a month old and is close to heading home!  All he has now is the NG feeding tube in his nose.  This past week they did a swallow test to see if he can be fed by mouth but he failed.  With all the tubes down his throat and having his chest cracked open one of his vocal cords was damaged.  Not permanent but it caused a paralysis.  His cry was kind of a squeaky cry, not full on because of the paralysis and this also affected the swallowing.  It would mend eventually but they can also do an injection of a botox-like medicine that can usually help quicker.  They did that injection on Friday and scoped his throat and saw absolutely no reason that he can't take food via his mouth.  It will just take some time either in the hospital and a longer stay or they will send him home with a G-tube directly in his stomach and his parents can work with getting him to taking food through his mouth and he would be home in a couple of weeks!  Not sure what they will be doing at this point but Af was really down because she wants badly to nurse him but she knows it is what it is.  He will come home and that is the most important thing, at least till about June when he will go back for surgery #2 and not another for 2-3 years.  They need to go home because Min NEEDS her momma.  She is in great need of having MOMMA!  

Painting Challenges

Today I thought I would talk art with a smattering of Max.

Trying to get some painting time in lately has been a great challenge.  I started this oil painting last week and this is about as far as I've gotten.  My studio partner, Linda, finally came in and we started talking and talking.  I haven't seen her since November so we had a lot to catch up on.  One interesting thing is she and another friend have gotten a workshop set up for April in Broken Arrow!!!  In fact, it's  Chantel Barber and I own one of her little paintings and have always admired her.  The thing is she is an acrylics artist and I'm not but I will try it.  That said, we signed up right then and there.  Sometimes I NEED a workshop to shift my mind and inspire me.  I think there will be another on in late summer or early fall with a young gun named Kyle Ma (sooooooo good!)  

Since the oil painting thing isn't happening much I decided to whip out the watercolors and colored pencils for a change, because they are fairly portable.

This one turned out really nice.  I started it early Sunday morning, like 6 am, sitting by the fire at the cabin.  Fun.

This one was colored pencils that my best friend from high school gave me for Christmas.  It inspired me to dig out my many boxes of colored pencils.

Now on to Mighty Max.  He's progressing well.  Today I believe they will do a small procedure to tack a part of his diaphragm.  This kind of wrinkle is not allowing his right lung to inflate properly and if they get this fixed then he will be weaned off the vent and onward to being held and eating from bottle or breast.

Upside/Down Kind of Weekend

 Monday, yes it is Monday morning, and as always (as of now) it is busy with watching Min.  I am really looking forward to it every week so I can spend time with her.  I love my granddaughters and they both absolutely amaze me in everything they are and do.  I do need to go to the office but it can wait till tomorrow morning.  I'm caught up, mostly and there is nothing important that can't wait till tomorrow morning.  

Hopefully today I will finish wrapping the last of the Christmas gifts and the rest of the day while watching Min I have a lot of choices:

Make Fruitcakes
Change sheets on our bed

Play with watercolors (Christmas card for next year)

Declutter the kitchen cabinets (still have Thanksgiving dishes out, clean, but out!)

See I do have a few things to do today and I guess it depends on what I'm feeling like doing today, my mood, and maybe I'll do it all!

This weekend was a weird kind of thing.  

First of all, last week I went to my old Jazzercise group's Christmas party.  It's been several years since I was able to go and it was such fun to see everyone.  We were missing one in particular though as she lost her husband two days before.  He was 91 and had a stroke.  Kathryn though is a trooper.  She has already made plans to travel in March and I've been invited to join on her trip to California in March to see another long time Jazzerciser that lives in CA.  I told them I'm not sure what my life holds right now, we will see.  

All this being said, Saturday, well, here is another part of the story.  Earlier in the week I sent a text out to our Cabinite friends that I wanted to host dinner Saturday night with homemade gourmet tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwiches.  It turned out that only a handful were going to be at the lake and it would be a small gathering.  Then on Thursday one of the girls, that I had a text conversation about the thing sent out a huge group text to all saying she was hosting Saturday for the "game" (no idea what game that was as I could care less) and she would be having soup and grilled cheese sandwiches.  WTF!  So I private sent a text reminding I was doing dinner that night with the tomato soup thing.  She went back and was OOPS, sorry forgot about that but suggested we combine.  I said sure, not a problem and since I don't usually have the capability to catch some of the games, sure.  My thing is that on Saturday I had an art meeting I HAD to go to back in town so would come back for that and then to Kathryn's husbands memorial that was a block away from my meeting.  I thought, in my head I had plenty of time to come back and make my soup and show up for "DINNER" at her cabin.  GOOD F....ING GRIEF!  Our wires were sure crossed because she sent a text asking if Robert was bringing the soup over for the half-time break, and that they would wait for me.  WHAT!  Well, just CRAP.  I told her I would make it when I got back, then as I was driving realized she meant for about 12:30!!!!! DAMMIT!!!!!!!

Then The Hubby sent me a text saying she said her soup would be plenty and she was doing the grilled cheese anyway, not to make my soup, she was making her soup too.  My plan for the Saturday evening meal totally got hijacked and then it messed me up in my head.  My plan was a warm bowl of soup and grilled cheese around our porch fireplace, a wonderful evening.  With it changing so much it also meant I had no dinner for The Hubby.  What we ate was popcorn.  It was just a messed up kind of weekend, fun being with friends, but messed up.

On a good note, last night I bought myself a Christmas present, a painting.  Yes I know I could probably paint it but this is an investment.  I already own one of Kathy Anderson's paintings and this will go nicely on my gallery wall. 

Isn't it stunning.  Honestly I'm not that good with roses so glad I have hers to look at and practice. 

Patrick Saunders Workshop

What a FANTASTIC time I've had these past 3 days.  After it was canceled 2 years ago because of Covid, we FINALLY got to take Patrick Saunders workshop.  What an incredibly nice man and giving instructor he is.  He really wanted to share and help us to become better artists.  

As is usual he did a demo the first part of each day and day 1, Thursday he did that.  Watching those cows appear on the canvas was incredible.  His approach is familiar yet different and refreshing.  I was in such need of a workshop and this was the perfect one to jump start my mind again.

He even had these words to evaluate your drawing/painting process and it was great.  He then gave each of us a little business size card to keep and remember these words, again nice man.

Day 2 was florals and he is quite a master in them.  He started out his working career at Hallmark doing flowers (honestly I like these better.)

 

After each day of watching and then painting I went home absolutely exhausted, mentally mostly.  (You know I take a nap everyday and missed that!)

Day 3 was pet portraits, again he is a master.  Pet portraits and "human" portraits are basically the same process.  

My first day at the easel was a struggle to begin.  I always have that issue on the first day with a new instructor and surrounded by new people who see what I can or cannot do.  I will finish this one and yes it is quite familiar as I've painted this road several times, selling every one I have painted.

My day 2 was yet again another familiar photo that I've painted before and sold but it just spoke to me.

This one needs a bit of tweeking but I felt better painting on Day 2 and more confident.

Also Day 2 I purchased one of his paintings!  It will hang proudly on my collector wall in the dining room.  This painting is also an award winner and I'd seen it on his Facebook page loved it.

I did paint Day 3 but forgot to take a photo of it.  I'll finish and share later, it's a person.

I did finish this in the studio on Tuesday and promptly sold it!  I will probably paint it again because I love to paint roads and shadows playing on the road.

Art and the Swim

The weekend is over, the OVAC tour is done and in the books and it was a grand success.  Gosh, it was really fun to interact with all kinds of people through our studio.  

There was a steady stream of visitors both days, 52 on Saturday and 59 on Sunday.  Pretty awesome.  Who needs an official open house when you can do this. 

On the Thursday before we got to tour the other studios and that was quite interesting.  Matt Moffett's studio is 50+ year old house he and his hubby are renovating just for studio space.  Really cool.  We also went to a place called Black Moon which is where several artists are in residence.  The upstairs from them is a guy named Skip Hill...AWESOME!  Such a nice guy and his stuff is fantastic.  Plus the building is so cool.  It's an old manufacturing building that a conglomerate has purchased and is refurbishing for studio spaces.  

We also got to go to Otto Duecker's home/studio.  Wow, all I can say is WOW!  He is a hyper-realist painter.  I don't have it in me to be that much of a realist but WOW!  Super nice and funny.  His wife was fun too.  His home is up a super steep driveway and I walked up that drive and back down!  Could not have done that a year ago.  

I did finish a painting that I'd started several years ago and I think it turned out great, even with all the people walking through.

"Blue Dress"

9x12

Oh and the grands, oh the grands.  This past week our girls finally got to meet the great-niece.  Such a cutie.  Someday I will get to meet her too, hopefully soon. 

Summer for the babies...

Snicklefritz had her first swim meet last night and I went to show support.  So proud of this girl.  She got 3rd place in her age group-heat for the back-stroke!  WOW! She also got 8th, and a ribbon in the free-style (American Crawl - not called that anymore) in her age group.  She is such a strong swimmer, much like I used to be many, MANY years ago.  You go girl.  I love you to pieces.