Where’s The Fire

Unless you walk a dog ( or two ), or have reason to stand at the curb while the fire department hooks up it’s hose to the hydrant in front of your burning house, you’d likely never take notice of fire hydrants.

Asheville has a preponderance of fire hydrants that are,  aside from being vintage in appearance, all different and quirky.

My newest subjects:

Meet Byron of Forsythe Street-

  8 X 11 oil on panel

Cloud liked him. Showered him with affection too…

We left the Caribbean after 15 years for the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains and this remarkable small/big, urbane/rustic ,city/town of Asheville. And took the doggies with us. I think even dogs’ appearances are enhanced by the addition of haberdashery.

Cuba is of the opinion it was more like chicanery than haberdashery.

After tricking them and training them for 3 months with bacon, I was able to get them into the airline approved crates to begin this monumental upheaval from island life to mainland life via planes, vans and cars. It was not easy, it was not swift, but we are here and after all, WHERE’S THE FIRE?

The Face Of The Earth

No, I did not fall off of it.

Merely lending my aesthetics and focus to This Old House. Having a house in the Caribbean is a full time job. It’s an environment that never shuts off and caring for a house here is like having triplets that never  leave home.

By the time you make an improvement to one area, it’s adjacent component screams out ” I’m old and suffering too” !

I didn’t attempt this myself- honestly I’d rather move and dump everything than paint. Everything gets displaced and that requires considering whether you keep it, clean it, throw it out or give it away.

You can see why I wouldn’t attempt this myself:

I’d be one of the Falling Wallendas

Michelangelo and house painters deserve high praise and a life time subscription to chiropractic.

Worth it.

 

 

These are the triplets I refer to:

I know, they don’t look like that much trouble……

I did manage to paint a portrait of my son for his birthday. He is very kind and much handsomer than his Fallen Off The Face Of The Earth mother’s skill in portraiture would reveal:

 

With thanks to Ted Davis and Emy Thomas who reminded me that they missed my blog. So did I.

” Reverie ” – New Painting

” Reverie ” 9 X 12 oil on Ray Mar Panel

A few months ago, we were treated to a world class concert by musicians Dennis Cahill and Martin Hayes. Fiddle, guitar, Irish Folk and Try To Sit Still music. Hypnotic and contagious, I was taken with Dennis’ focused, calm intensity.

Working from a photograph taken that night by the talented Ted  Davis of D & D Studio, St. Croix, I tried to capture that mood. Thanks Ted.

How it began:

Ted’s photo, my sketch.

I like the unfinished, under worked quality of the piece. As hard as it is sometimes to lay down the first brush stroke, it’s often as hard to know when to lay down the dang brush and call it done.

These characters always know when to call it done. It’s usually after a snack, before a snack, after a walk, before a walk, and when we’re in the bed.

Cloud has her own particular Reverie and it often looks like this:

Why The Long Face

This was me- moping, er, mopping my way through the past 2+ months of life. Deciding after 9 years in a 43 year old house in the ever growing climate of the tropics, that some sorely needed improvements were going to happen.

Multi-tsk-ing, oh, tasking, my way through being my own contractor and sourcing, buying, researching and ordering parts and pieces for bathroom renovations. Tsk-ing was more like it. What should have taken two weeks turned into almost 2 months with my studio serving as a staging arena for tiles, sink, plumbing parts, grout, concrete and lots of boxes.

We don’t have Home Depot ( but will in a few months ) so everything had to be purchased blind with hopes that it would all fit and look ok.

This is why I sacrificed painting:

Horrific

 

Terrific

Hard to imagine that a 5.5 X 7 foot room could be so involved- re-routing plumbing, and so many components to coordinate.

I missed you all- readers, artists, bloggers, brushes, tubes, canvas, turps, silence, ( hammer drills, you are irreplaceable but caused way too many Exdedrin to be ingested )

The daily frenzy of coordination and builders tramping through here made me wonder if I was Coming Or Going…………

Coming Or Going  8 X 10 Oil on Panel

 

And because I know you missed her too, and in case you were wondering if the chaos had any effect on her…. this ought to dispel your concerns…

 

Cloud

It’s good to be back.

Think I’ll brush my teeth again, and wash my face again, and comb my hair again……..

” Morning Brew ” – Finished Painting

” Morning Brew “ 8 X 10 oil on linen

 

This was the burnt sienna wash shown in the last post.

Here’s what happened with the Elevens recently. My solo show at Bassin Fine Art Gallery, St. Croix, opened on December ELEVENTH. The show closed on January ELEVENTH. And Shazamm, I sold ELEVEN paintings. With great and bowed thanks to collectors, friends, unexpected walk-ins,  architects of secret surprises and other random appreciators. And to the delightful and professional gallery owners who provided a stunning stage for viewers and paintings. Thank you all.

Dick Blick and King of Frame– I hope your operators are standing by, I’ve supplies to replenish.

 

THEY are not standing by………..

Doing what they do best: laying or lying by. Standing is for when there’s food or promises of beach.

Attention humans in need of an exquisite place of your own to lay around in or beach at:

Take a look around Southern Breezes Villa here on St. Croix. Swoon. Then rent it and come for a visit.

1/1/11- Perfect Date For Stick Figure Artists

Maybe not as perfect as 1/11/11 but who could wait?

No fireworks, just our annual blooming starburst cleredenron- Grucci Brothers, pay attention!

We still have to get past Three Kings Day, the various parades, capricious store and business hours due to the whim of the proprietor and then life will settle down to a more predictable rhythm.

For store hour signage- this must surely be an island favorite- from our trusty art supply store:

My solo show is still up at Bassin Fine Art- have sold 7 so far. This one just went yesterday:

Calypso Dancer 16 X20

In between gallery sitting and the holidays, and the desire to do more than stick figures, I started a small 8X10 with a burnt sienna & ultramarine sketch. No title yet- any suggestions?

My resolution? OUT WITH THE NEW, IN WITH THE OLD. That’s right.

I want my old princess phone from 25 years ago, made to outlast generations. I’m on my third Radio Shack P.O.S ( and it doesn’t stand for Point of Service ) phone in as many months. How do they stop working in 43 days? How do 2 computer mouse (s ) go bad in less than 5 months?

People! Buy ART. It lasts forever!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Happy, Productive, Calamity-less New Year Everyone.

Let’s see if those black eyed peas have some merit.

 

A Rash Of Red Dots

And it’s not chicken pox.

Our winter season finally came with cool temperatures, the long awaited Christmas Winds ( the good winds, not the hurricane winds ) and the debut of the opening of Bassin Fine Art. As is the case here every year, too many events on conflicting dates often diminish the numbers of people who pass through town. Parking lots full, street closings or too many other attractions. In spite of all of those hurdles, so far I’ve seen 5 of my paintings be afflicted with the red dot syndrome.

Clearly, if you want your  work to present well, have great lighting. Check.

Invest in the best frames you can buy. Check. ( thanks to Randy Higbee at King of Frames ) Randy’s frames and service make it all worthwhile. As many people commented on the quality of the frames as appreciated the gallery and the paintings.

Be lucky enough to have a professionally run gallery and gallery owner (s ) support your work. Check.

Thanks to Sam Dike and Ted Davis of D & D Studio on St. Croix for offering me their opening show.

Ted and Sam

( photo credit- Ted Davis )

Most of all, the buyers. Thank You, Thank You.

The man in my painting- the second painting I’ve done with him – wonderful man, great subject.

 

.

Thanks too for my dear son’s visit from NY to share the experience.

Closing out the year with gratitude, appreciation, friends, health, resolutions before January 1st, and a glance at cranberry chutney, done up island style- with carombola ( star fruit ).

Oh, and of course……..THEM!

Happy Holidays to all and a New Year of Peace and Joy wherever and however you find it.

 

 

Cane Cutter- New Painting, and a Show

Cane Cutter 14X18 Oil on Canvas

Season here seems to jet out of the box in a nano second. From the Hades heat of August to the relentless storms and floods  produced, the torpor of summer is finally and happily over. In between weather issues, power outages, more rain than has fallen here in 70 years and the mold and mildew that grows on your feet if you don’t dance, I’ve been able to put some work together for a one woman show.

The debut of Bassin Fine Art, a gallery whose owners currently have a very successful photography gallery- D & D Studio, on St. Croix, will be December 11th across the street from their photo gallery. I’m so pleased to be their opening artist for their premiere event. Please do have a look at Ted Davis’ stunning images of Caribbean life.

From torpor to tumult in 10 seconds. And that’s how it is.

The show will run for a month. So I get to spend the best time of the year in the gallery greeting visitors and bypassing redundant Christmas songs and cheesy decorations.

Talk about cheesy- these two would make lactose curdle with their cuteness.

As for the other missing characters, despite appearances, we do not promote the use of nerve gas for training purposes.

 

 

Fit To Print

Everyones’ favorite Cover Girls- Angel and Cloud.

Chosen to be the spokesmammals for the cover of the Sunshine Foundations‘ brochure ( 5000 of them to be exact ).  One of my pet non profit organizations, they provide spay neuter services and education about same for an under served population here. I’ve been a volunteer  for a year and shared in the recent celebration of hitting the milestone of 1,000 spay/neuters in a little more than a year.

That’s a lot of animals that won’t be born and abandoned, abused or worse.

Lots of support on that topic from the cousin’s club- found anywhere an errant crumb might fall….

The ever hopeful Cuba and Cloud

 

” Look over there, I heard the sound of a morsel dropping….”

” You weren’t using that haunch, mind if I do? “

 

I was pleased to have one of my paintings accepted for publication in the yearly calender put out by The Carribean Museum Center for the Arts.

You can now refer to me as ” Miss November “.

 

 

 

 

Missed September

Like some weekly magazines that only publish 46 issues a year, this was the month I obviously needed to skip. Something about this time ( we refer to it here as Sucktember ) with perpetual eyes on the weather map and two hurricanes behind us that dashed the opportunities to set up serious painting. A quick half hour oil study below:

It’s been a tri-fecta of family diversions ( elder mom complications ), endless clean-up after two major storms, and much as I hate to allow it in, the wing-nut lunacy of the political bazaar that has become so offensive to me, I can’t listen to or read about it anymore.

Watercolor doodles to prevent atrophy….

But I possess  the American Medical Associations’   FDA approved remedy for ennui which can only be found at the foot of my bed:

Cloud and Angel, clearly disregarding MSNBC, CNN and Time Magazine.

Three quarters of the menagerie showing humans how it should be done.

I shall now channel Cher in Moonstruck and demand of myself that I ” SNAP OUT OF IT !”