Counting My Blessings-Photos for a Friend

"Counting My Blessings"

I am wearing my friend Schnooks' Grandmother's dress and Schnooks' Great Auntie Gi Gi's(how cool is she for actually having the name 'Gi Gi'?!" gorgeous necklace. Schnooks and I have been friends for about 15 years or more I think. We met as conservators at a museum and worked with the artifacts. She was kind enough to give me her Grandmother's gorgeous dress and Auntie's necklace years and years ago so a photo with them is LONG overdue. Thank you Schnooks!

I am so far behind in everything. I need to catch up with friends, write letters, clean my house and on and on! Working on my next gallery show which will be for El Dia de Los Muertos at the Indianapolis Art Center and I am behind(I made some huge mistakes with my gigantic frames-gah! I have no idea how this will turn out).

In November I will be having a show of my Photography at the Ashland Gallery here in Indianapolis which is a great gallery as well and I am so honoured to be have a show there.

Then I will be working on my beadwork jewelry and Art doll commissions through the holidays and more work with window and interiour displays in boutiques and galleries which I love to do.

My poor little cats are going through their fall allergies-they were just at the vet and they still have extra goop in their eyes, noses and ears-every year this happens! Poor babies. Thankfully, I am just like my Nonnie and stuff tissues up my sleeves.

The weather is finally cooling off, migraines are worse and I am going to try to say away from the doctor but am caving. There have been some sad times and a lot is changing. I am crying a lot-at sad things, surprising things and very good things. I was happy to find that several of my friends have always expected this of me-the whole "laughing and crying at the same time thing". I'm not fooling anyone. My 7 year old nephew "Baba Baby Boy" or just "Babe" is like looking in a mirror for me-he even has my beauty mark! He keeps tissues for me! We had a big talk about some sad stuff-whew! Then he made me a big surprise-a wonderful drawing of an ice cream cone with a cherry on top! It is just gorgeous! I will scan it and post it. It made my day-I was so happy I could have cried all over again, but I need to just go to bed!

Hope all is well with everyone out there. Wishing you all the best.

The Scream Heard Around the World

Finally,She's Ready

The most amazing gift showed up at my door the other day from my younger sister Fox. See, I am turning the big 21(yay! drinks in public!) soon and this gift was on my list of " the most divine pieces of art ever". When I saw how it was wrapped I knew right away what it was and I was so giddy that I almost started crying. Then, I was so overwhelmed that I had to wait a few days to open it to let the whole idea of it sink in. I knew it was one of my favourite paintings done by the artist DJ Berger. You can read about his paintings on his blog HERE
He is also a writer(la-tee-da!) so you can also read about his writings too which are also fantastic and can be very funny(some lines of them are etched in my brain! They make me laugh in my sleep! Thanks a lot DJ). OK, I will break down opening this amazing gift, but first here is a photo of DJ himself with his equally talented and gorgeous wife C. They are most definitely the fancy and beautiful people with lots of book learning and smarts.

DJ Berger


His gorgeous wife C

So, first I got this big box of goodness into my house and just looked at it for a few days and debated if I was worthy of what was inside. Then, after a late night at the gallery, I was kind of down and worn out and needed to see something FANTASTIC and decided that the next morning I would opened it so I did. Here I go!

Bienfang-I know you are not in there! There is something far more unique!


OOh! I love this artist! A little sleepy person on the postcard just like me!


Interesting, a conversation between a giraffe with glasses and tiny cat...


Oh my, I can just see the goodness!


Ack, So wonderful my eyes are burning! Must look away!


Here she is! "Finally, She is ready" by DJ Berger.
Mixed media and Oil on canvas, 16x24 inches. Part of the "String Series".
I love this so much! Check out her awesome mask and black lips! OK I just love everything about this painting!

Here it is from another angle. I just really love her-more than I can explain. Currently, I take her from room to room so I can stare at her. I drag her around like a blankey or something!


Remember this piece? DJ also did this one of me based on one of my photographic self portraits-the ones of me in the feather duster turned headdress. I love it so much and think I look gorgeous with that adam's apple and mossy green skin-seriously! This one is titled "The Adventure Friendship Costume Club". Wait, I don't think I got that title right. Anyhoo, this one sold-BOO! Anyway, DJ left some cryptic message about the Tooth Fairy or something. I love how I look like a wounded soldier because I feel like one. I have worked in Vet hospitals(war vets, not animals) because I felt like I was with my people. I would surely be the soldier who would run the opposite way though and be a total pain.

Anyway, Thanks DJ! I will build you that Art Shack! Red right? It can be for your bigger paintings and the "man room". I can do that and my twin and friends say I am really good nanny too so it will all work out fabulously!

Big Hat Gallery Show

So, the Big Hat Books and Arts Gallery Show Opening has come and gone. It was an amazing night full of surprises! I was surrounded by friends and family and some amazing artists. The gallery looked amazing and it was a beautiful night. I am really pleased with my sales too. Some of my pieces have been shown before and for others it was their first show. Most of them won't be coming home and I am very thankful for that. Now I must get ready for the Dia de Los Muertos Show which opens in just a few weeks! Ai! Here a some photos of my pieces in the show and from the opening night.

Getting the Shows Together

The show at Big Hat Book and Arts Gallery opens this Friday night and we are almost ready-pretty much ready-we will be ready! I will get some photos tomorrow hopefully. This show will be up until 10 October and I am showing in my dolls and mixed media photo shadowboxes. My next show for El Dia de Los Muertos at the Indianapolis Art Center. I am working on the self portrait photographs as my ancestor Lydia for that show still. I am still not sure about them. I want to do the photos rather then a painting or monotype because I feel it will really make her "real" instead of a story if that makes sense. I also hope that having them really large will give people that feeling too. I plan on having an antique mirror up so people can look at themselves too and see how we are all very much the same.
(FYI-if you haven't been following my other posts, Lydia is one my ancestors who were hung for being a witch in Salem MA around 1620-I am doing my altar for her to show that she wasn't a witch but just a person who the victim of stereotypes and scape goats among other negative things. I also want to make this altar to her just full of light, nature and beautiful just for her.) Here are some recent photos. I will probably take them all over again! I do this all the time! Hope all is well with everyone else!

For Lydia and Other Things

OK, I need to go to bed! Sleep for me is not going well again. I am trying to get everything ready for the first show. The gallery owner is fantastic, loves "more is more" and keeps saying that everything "fabulous and divine" which is really funny as those are 2 words I use to describe everything. She has also decided to put the show up a week early and tonight. So, here I got-fast! And, I did some self-portraits of my ancestor Lydia for another show I am doing and just wanted to get them done. I Saw these beautiful pink roses and went in the store to get them because I was so drawn to them. I was amazed to find out that they are named "Lydia" roses. I had to take the photos NOW! If I waited, Lydia's roses would have spoiled. So, here are some of the photographs. Still never sure what I am doing-mostly taking photos without my glasses on(and I can't see at all-I listen to the camera instead-I know that sounds crazy). I am wearing a gorgeous necklace by Jen Parrish of Parrish Relics Jewelry wwww.parrishrelics.com
Hope all is well with everyone in blogland! As always I love seeing and hearing about what you are up to.