Pics-O-The-Day - Fireweed, Outsider Art, Lilly Pads, Loon and Firefly

Pic-O-the-Day - The Eagle of the Lake

This morning when finally the sun came out I scurried down to my dock to paint water lillies. The painting was going badly so I decided to take out my boat, camera and get some good pictures. The loons were feeding their young one and making alot on noise they seemed quite nervous.

Ah Hah, there is the source of their aggrivation the eagle watching from on high.

RAIN, RAIN RAIN and I Can Change

It's rained more this summer than any other time its been steady for more than two weeks. Everytinng is so soggy and moldy. We get only a short summer anyway, it's not fair.

When I asked my other mother Vilate if I could stay at her home in Salt Lake and she said "you are as welcome as rain." So perhaps I will bring the rain to the desert. I'd love a good thunder and lightning storm. They are rare here in Alaska. I miss crickets, dark hot summer nights, my family.

I changed my blog template to blue it contrasts my art and photographs nicely, don't you think?
Oh Shit! I lost all my links to my other blogger friends and artists and me with no back up, thats what they meant by "you will lose any customizations you have made to your blog." Be patient with me it may take me some time to get it together.

Today I followed my list and worked very hard on everything except making art even Joy my shedding dog got a bath. There are so many things asking for my attention, still I can only really do one thing at a time and only what's in front of me.

If this damn rain would go away I might get out and paint the water lillies off my dock.

Make-A-Scene

I'm exhausted all day at the Meta-Rose-Square under the clock tower the bands the noise and all the teenagers in the valley were there. I made my debut as the featured artist in the Make a Scene promotional video. YIKES thats all I can say..........The video was quite good made by Blambo Entertainment a couple of very talented kids http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=38877377 I hope this link works to My Space and Blogger don't play well together.

It was a great day. I made some friends this attractive lady just moved here from Massachusetts and is building a house in my neighborhood on a nearby lake. It's a small world afterall. Here is her site http://www.sharenharris.com/ Sharen is nice and an accomplished artist she paints in a romantic style, nice, nice very nice.

Here is a teenager who drew people for $5.00, isn't she cute as a button. Here is me in anime now I'm cute too.

Going, Going, Gone

To see the world in a grain of sand.

and heaven in a wild flower.

Put infinity in the palm of your hand.

and eternity in an hour."

Shakespeare

Last night I purchased an airline ticket to visit my brother in a coma and in extended care in Salt Lake City, Utah. He 's been in a coma for almost a year now. I convinced myself that he was a vegetable and even that his spirit had already left his body, besides; I rationalize, he is not aware of any ones comings and goings so my visits did not matter. Plus my sister-in-law is mad at me for the insensitive things that I said to her on New Years Day, I said:

"how long are you going to let Doug stay in that condition?" Truth is I'm a coward and I didn't want to revisit my home and family.

They say you can't go home again.

The truth is you can but it's very, very difficult.

Whether or not to take someone off life support or in my brothers case just letting them waste away slowly or starve to death more quickly it is an explosive issue and thankfully it's not my decision! When life starts and when life ends who gets to play God. But circumstances lately with Cheryl have opened my eyes. I owe it to my brother to talk to him, tell him he is loved, tell him it's not his fault and to make my amends to him.

I've got a car rented and lots of time to tramp all over my old stomping grounds Wyoming, Nevada, Southern Utah and visit my little sister Patty, see her new Harley and beg a ride on the back and visit some old friends.

What did Shakespeare say? Meeting again is such bittersweet joy that I should say good night until the 'morrow.

Urban Triptych #2

Title: Urban Triptych #2
Artist: Judy Vars
Size: 3 12" X 12" wooden squares
Medium: Encaustic Beeswax and Found Objects
NFS
This was commissioned by a lady in Houston, Texas. I love doing work for people and exceeding expectations however you never know if they will love it or not.

Peter asked me what I wanted for my birthday and I said "A PARTY!"
omg What was I thinking?
I have a hundred things to do;! I must begin to make lists, with lists I can get more things done and pretend that I have got things under control.

Control, what an illusion that one is. Lately I have been controlling less and some funny conquiGods (a word we use around here to describe coincidences where God seems to have helped) keep happening. I love those little miracles, those times when there is a space to just let things happen and trust the universe to deliver, then people and incredible coincidendes conspire for the good. It's as if angels are whispering in my ear telling me to just relax and let the good things happen.

See this is why I don't get more done, I'm so easily distracted.
Today I will suit up and show up, do what is in front of me to the best of my ability and trusting the outcome is for the highest good.
Now, get off your ass and make some lists and get er done.

Life and Death and our Hands and Feet

I have been absent from my blog lately, why? Because my friend Cheryl passed away Saturday afternoon after being in a coma for two days and I have been preoccupied thinking alot about life and death and hands and feet. When she took her last breath all three of her children were there, and she was surrounded by six loving friends. We played Stevie Ray Vaughn her favorite artist, minutes before she passed on she opened her eyes and looked around, Frannie pictured her dancing down the path towards the light with Stevie Ray Vaughn and I'll bet she was right.

We sat with her all day keeping a light hearted vigil by her bed side massaging her hands and feet. At a certain point in the day when her two girls had gone to the airport to pick up her son Jonny, we women friends were alone with her and the five of us got out the sage and rubbed it on her feet. We were having too good of a time and the nurse came in looking at us suspiciously and said "what are you doing?" I said rubbing sage on her feet, another said; to make her path easier and to let her know it's Ok when she is ready to walk down the path. The nurse looked stricken and backed out of the room, too funny. Fran took a picture of her feet to paint them, in the photograph they looked like they were flying so free and etherial. What a powerful painting that will be!At her wake today it was as she would have wanted it to be lots and lots of people having a good time and there was enough food to feed the multitudes. Because Cheryll was a pack rat there were boots that had been turned into flower pots for people to take home. Something she would do, and there was the sand she saved and the shells, beads, broken jewelery, and bottles, we made our beach bottles with memories of a good, good friend. Her obituary said: The most memorable thing about our mother was her unique sense of humor and her creative fashion sense. She had an open mind and a nonjudgemental attitude. She was always there to listen and lend a helping hand and didn't know a stranger. She truly enjoyed the simpler things in life: gardening, collecting rocks, berry picking, bird watching, Charlie brown Christmas Trees, long walks and spending time with her family......

I will add she was the coolest that ever lived.

The Bear Paw Festival and Friends and Family

We had fun today with my daughter and grandsons at the Bear Paw Festival in Eagle River. I painted a siewalk picture Starry Night as a fund raiser to get Shawn Stockwell a new heart. Which is ironic because before I left I stopped in the hospital to see my friend Sherill who is in a coma and dying because she could not her new liver in time. This is for you Sherill, I love you, when you get there save me a dance.

Ok so my painting is skewed too much village and not enough sky and what about the church steeple it's so big. Still it was great fun to be there with my grandsons and daughter doing something good.
The Valley Performing Arts http://www.valleyperformingarts.org/Season32/auditions32.php wants Max and Jackson to audition for A Christmas Story, they were so excited they wanted to rent the movie on the way home. They are both very talented actors and musicans and brilliant kids, I'm not saying it because they are my grand kids, it's true, they could play the leading roles. Everyone thinks Jackson looks exactly like Mc Culley Culkin in Home Alone.

I'm going to take a hot bath.

My Daily Rant about Airport Insecurity

I like science fiction movies, when it was fantasy like Soylent Green a 1973 movie protrays a future where the earth is so overpopulated and polluted that we must eat soylent green wafers to live made from irrelevant people, or George Orwells classic 1984 written in 1948, an ominous warning that the state could dominate people and take away our freedom

Today on Good Morning America I witnessed a airport security machine "the backscatter" so powerful it shows the viewer the pimple on your ass. Is it me or is that just wrong? When are we going to stand up for ourselves and say; stuff it ass holes! I have rights. We should boycott airline travel until it hurts them. I'm sick of airport security they just keep feeding our fears. We're like unconscious cattle being herded through the gates and if someone says take off your pants we just bitch a little and comply, what ever they say or however they treat us we just go along with it. Where did our personal freedom go and when are we going to get some balls and stand up for ourselves? Those science fiction movies we enjoyed because secretly we said to ourselves "That could never happen to us" well look around people it's already happened. Please don't get me started.........Here is a funny post about a plane ride that didn't suck http://cabinfeverinalaska.blogspot.com/2006_05_01_archive.html

The Artey Pico Award

When I got back into town and on the Internet I found that Annie Kelleher of Writers Witches and Words Oh My had given me the Artey Pico Award http://arteypico.blogspot.com/. What a surprise because I am so impressed with her candor she is a skilled and crafty writer. What I find interesting is people read my blog. I wish I could write without constantly censoring myself and wondering what you think of me or my opinions.
Here is a hugely successful blog that I read that invites you right into her sexy real world #1 Stephanie Klein's Greek Tragedy http://stephanieklein.blogs.com/
One of the first blogs that I looked at was when I googled Alaskan Artist Blogs was #2 Elise Tomlinson http://www.elisetomlinson.com/blog/ she is a wonderful artist from Juneau who share her art and life she helped me start my blog.
I found this blog when shopping e-bay for something original and one-of-a-kind and we have become good blogging buddies I check her blog regularly to share her life of art, passion and sensuous so #3 is Patti Gibbons Eat Man Drink Water http://pagibbons.blogspot.com/.
Next is one of my favorite folk artists my blog gets more hits because people from all over the world follow her link to me. We have made cyber friends and we are going to trade some art. #4 Wendy Ryan Folk Art Blog. http://wendyryanfolkart.blogspot.com/ .
#5 Michael DeMeng is someone that my dark muse identifies with. I love his world here is the link http://www.michaeldemeng.blogspot.com/

If you have been selected for the award, please pay it forward, following the steps below:

1) Choose 5 blogs that you consider deserving of this award based on creativity, design, interesting material, and overall contribution to the blogger community, regardless of the language.

2) Post the name of the author and a link to his or her blog so everyone can view it.

3) Each award-winner has to show the award and put the name and link to the blog that has given her or him the award.

4) The award-winner and the presenter should post the link of the "Arte y pico" blog , so everyone will know the origin of this award.


5) Please post these rules!

My Week In Girdwood

Back again the best part of working in Girdwood Center For the Visual Arts was my digs for the week, check it out baby! it even had a hot tub and a beautiful view. I can't believe my good fortune, a room in a B&B rents for $150.00 per night and the Alyeska Hotel is much more. Even though I had a georgeous little cabin, total privacy and a hot tub, I missed my friend Mary McCoy who left Gridwood and the Gallery recently after 17+ years of service to the gallery. They went to New Mexico for a new adventure. Mary was the heart and soul of our little artists co-opp taking care of all the money and most the details she has more energy than three 25 year olds. I love and admire her very much. The powers that be said NO FOREST FAIR THIS YEAR!! so with Mary gone and the Forest Fair cancelled; Girdwood felt like a vacuum to me so working helped. The 4th of July was the biggest day so far and I worked alone, it was great to talk to many people and let my natural salesman out and yes I did promote myself and my art at every opportunity; I got three new commissions.

An attractive middleaged couple walked in and I said; Happy 4th of July, the lady says in a uppity English accent; "were British, and its just a bother for us," another tourist says: "Well just don't forget who won the Revolution," she says; what did you ever give us? and I said you got Bennedict Arnold back, the banter went on for a little longer and exit our British cousins. We all laughed and mockingly said "we hope we didn't offend them" but of course we did.

Peter came on Friday and Saturday we had a good day going on a Potters Studio Tour and even bought some pottery. Then we went to the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center http://www.alaskawildlife.org/ and later a soak and dinner. Here of some photos I took...

They just went for it tearing and ripping the heart, liver, entrails does it get any more grizzly than this?






This herd of bison are in quarantine for two years then they will be released into the wild.
Are you lookin at me.
Ahhhhh the sweet rarefied air of Alaska.





p.s. This morning before we left we were walking to breakfast and saw a mama black bear and three cubs! They were just walking in someones backyard, I wanted to get a photo but didn't have my camera ready.