Grizzly Man the Story of Timothy Treadwell

It's my blog so I guess I can review a movie if I want to:
Last year when Tim Tredwell and his girlfriend was tragically eaten by an old grizzly here in Alaska, I was interested in the movie. The movie is a documentary of sorts: Treadwells passion for bears was to me the sort of passion that seems rare in our complacent world. On the other hand he seemed to need antipsychotic drugs. His feelings for the bears to me came from a naive point of view that these wild creatures posess some kind of human emotion and love for him. I think they tolerated him because in some way they sensed that he was a slightly unbalanced human and was harmless to them.

I feel like in some unknown metaphysical way he tried to enter the secret realm of the wild grizzly and become one of them, perhaps in the end that is just what happened. He spent 13 summers communing with his friends the bears and finally got his wish.
The movie intrigued me on many levels and I found myself thinking about it for days.

In some way I’m like him I refuse to feel afraid of the bears when I take my hikes. I don’t want to meet one face to face any more than they want to meet me face to face and as long as I tread lightly and respect their turf we will get along just fine and hopefully I won’t become dinner. Then every so often too close to home for comfort some innocent fifty-year-old lady jogger will become an appetizer while her frantic son tries to beat off the bear.

Its too horrible to contemplate and it happens in Alaska all the time.

HGTV and Me

I spent most of my day preparing an application for a spot on HGTV. I could demonstrate my encaustic wax art. They wanted a recent picture and they wanted to know my age. So I asked Nicole my daughter to come by and take some pictures of me. It must be important how old I am and how photogenic I look. I hate that it matters and I hate it that I care. It would be fun to have a tv crew come to Wasilla, AK and come to my own bit of paradise my home on the lake.

When I was young the quality of my life didn't matter much there was so much of it
Later when I was still young enough to care but too old to start over again
I would pick up the pieces and scraps as evidence to my ego
and vow to let me live life until I'm too old to care

As a Stud Benson is a Dud or El Pierro Hoto

Its just like I thought Benson is too immature to know just what is expected of him in the stud dog department. Rosie the female was also young and inexperienced they never made the connection. Oh well maybe next time.

I'm going to finish the last couple of pages of my latest self-help book, (It's All In Your Head) or Thinking Your Way To Happiness. Pollan and Levine. I got this book because I saw it reviewed on good Morning America. The first quote in the book:
Happiness is a How, not a what; a talent, not an object. -Hermann Hesse
Or suffering is a human condition and like the Buddha preached all his life practice mercy and nonviolence. All you need to do is change your attitude toward life.

Today I will accept that my best is good enough, today I am supremely happy. That is a start. Spring or as we Alaskans call it "break up" is finally here the temperature is 40 to 50 the sun is out. That is a recipie for a great day and a good attitude.

Benson Gets Laid or How Hillbillys spend a Sunday Afternoon

Saturday I took my handsome chocolate lab with me to do errands. While I was in the All About Herbs store. Some guy poked his head in the door and said hey anyone in here own that chocolate lab!
So I ran out thinking he escaped or something. This guy Jim was searching for a lab to breed with his two bitches. I began to tell him the story about how my hubby and I bought Benson from a guy in Kenai about 300 miles away at the crossroads of the Glenn Hwy and the Seward Hwy. The guy was shabby (I don't judge) drove a $50 car and smelled strong. He was the same guy! What are the odds of that? Anyway he is pretty sure that he is not related to his bitches. So we arranged to have him come over and let Benson get it on with not one but two lab girls. We will get another puppy from the deal. I do not want another spasztic big dog like Benashnoz so we will sell it.
I want a monkey just like Frida or the Victorian ladies of days gone by. I could put a diamond collar and a leash on it and go for a walk in the mall. Ha ha ha ha.

Palmer, Alaska gets all artsy fartsy n shit

Well I'm not one to brag but our quaint little hamlet of Palmer, Alaska is making its first baby steps towards having their very own art scene. Last night at the old newly refurbished train depot they had a fancy formal wine tasting and art show to kick off the premiere of "Proof" The Pulitzer Prize-Winning Play by David Auburn. The play was generously sprinkled with swear words like Fuck, God Dammit, Jesus Christ. I must say the artsy crowd were very sophisticated and appreciated the intellectual play. It was about a brilliant mathematician that went crazy compulsively writing in hundreds of notebooks strange mathmetical formulas for everything. His 28 year old daughter took care of him and came up with her own mathematical formula she was a genius also and quite possibly as crazy and high strung as the old man. The play started a week after he died. It was quite entertaining both the play and the people watching. Two of my favorite artists showed their dog paintings Eric Deeter and Chris Wakefield That is some real eye candy.

More About Lenore

Eric was one hour late last night so I began painting without seeing his demonstration. Finally the maestro arrived. He is a self taught artist like me so I'm impressed with that. What I was able to glean from his demonstration was the way he makes the painting alive with color. The way he switched back and forth from warm to cool while building his picture. A caution not to make the shadows too cool. It’s interesting for me because I have gotten out of thinking about whether my painting is warm or cool and how to balance the effects.

Here is the second installment in the Lost Lenore. The painting is at the place where I'd like to hide it in a closet. But my process is to see all my work to completion good, bad or awful. In this way I can process and learn from my mistakes. Hopefully Lenore will be a masterpiece.

Yesterday I sold my Spawning Salmon on E-Bay. I was so excited that I did my happy dance.
There are bids on my Northern Lights Raven also. My work is begining to bear some fruit.

Eric Deeter and a study in shadows

It just so happens that http://deeter.myexpose.com/">Eric Deeter is giving a demonstrating working with shadows tonight at the college. This is perfect for my Lost Lenore. I want to create shadows dancing in the candlelight and across her body and on the walls. Very moody. Tomorrow I will post the progress that I accomplished on Lenore.

The Lost Lenore

My model finally came over. Yesterday I called her about 11:00 am and she was still in bed. She said she would be right over that I should have the house warm and a pot of fresh coffee brewing. So that is exactly what I did. Here is the first stage of the painting, She is sitting is the parlor with her legs crossed, her pet ravens, a candle and a martini glass of green absinthe.

Some People Just know How to Make Money

I have been watching this fantastic artist that I found on E-Bay she isThe Raw Artist Her paintings sell everyday she is a power seller, her many web sites are cool, she is prolific, pretty, and smart. I don't know this person but her marketing techniques are brilliant. She is implementing an idea that I heard of a couple of weeks ago. Its called million pixels art gallery so for 1.00 dollar you buy a little pixel (you need about 100 pixels) to show a picture of your art when you scroll over it your name appears when you click on it you are linked to your web site. It's almost half filled up! $$$ Gurrrrrr, I thought of that after I heard about the college guy who make a million after brainstorming about how to pay off his student loans.

Well I have to remind myself that it’s not the money or the prestige that is the goal. It’s doing what I love and doing the best I can today.

I have a model coming over today providing she is in the mood I have been at the whims of her moods for a month now, and I thought artists were temperamental.

The First Day of Spring and 7"

Seven inches of snow! Today is the first day of spring and it snowed all night and is still snowing. I measured 7 inches. How I love to be snowed in its not that I can't leave but I choose to stay home and hibernate, what a luxury. I feel like painting an icon and listening to the radio and that is just what I am going to do.