It's been almost a week since I've written in my blog

but that does not mean I've been idle. When friends leave Alaska they are faced with the problem what to do with all thier trash, ship it, sell it at yard sales and Craigs list or give it all away. This month I was the benefactor of a windfall of painting supplies, Dawn one of my closest friends in Wasilla, left her husband, home and Alaska vowing never to return. The story is a sad tale but all to common couples dig in and refuse to compromise and start to take each other for granted. I've been the divorce route before so I can see the problems from my perspective (men are basically idiots) except mine of course.

She gave me a huge storage cart, folding table, 2 huge 78 x 48 inch canvases, canvas on a huge roll, stretchers, 2 big easels, one smaller french easel, paints, camera, lighting, about $3,000 worth of art books coffee table size, and small what-nots too numerous to mention. I have been sorting this booty for weeks. In the process I have been attempting to organize and get rid of some of my trash. When I moved up here from SaltLakeCity, Utah in 1994 (yes, is the answer to your obvious question) I condensed my and my sons belongings to one palette and what we could loaded into my Mercury Tempo and left it all behind. Upon buying my little cabin in Big Lake, Alaska my neighbors made sure I had everything that I needed. It was tough the first winter but I quickly learned how to survive and forage for my provisions. Now I am blessed with an abundance that we can pass on some to someone else just getting started.

I washed my walls Monday used my new power steamer super cleaner to blast the dirt from every nook and cranny and today had all my carpets steam cleaned. Whew that feels so good to begin to get my life clean and organized. The Flylady http://www.flylady.net/index.asp is of great help, If I could just do everything the fly Lady suggests (but I think she is too bossy) then look out I would be one of those highly effective people that we all admire and envy. Next it's the windows and hubby has a long honey-do-list that he is diligently working on. The snow is on the mountain tops, termination dust we call it, we still need a couple of cords of wood, the gazebo put away, leaves raked, windows winterized etc. Then maby we can cuddle up for a long winters night, but not yet!

The myth of Pandora sounds alot like Eve.

Poor little Pandora the first mortal woman on earth was bestowed with beauty from Aphrodite, Hermes gave her cleverness, Athena taught her how to spin, Apollo taught her how to sing. But Zues also made her mischievous and idle. The Gods gave Pandora a exquisite box as a gift before she came to Earth and she was told never to open this box. By and by Pandora wanted to be good but was so curious she couldn't even sleep at night, finally she took the gold key from her neck and opened the box just to peek inside. Bad move, Old Age, Sickness, Insanity, Pestilence, Vice, Passion, Greed, Crime, Death, Theft, Lies, Jealousy, Famine and all the rest were unleashed upon the world, Hope was at the bottom of the box (so it's not so bad I guess.)

My box gives Pandora a fair chance, it is transparent so you can see the bad spirits inside and it is sealed shut there is no easy way to open it.






Summer is over old man winter is knocking it's going to be a long cold night, burrrrrrrrr.

Busy Yakking, Painting and Getting Inspired

Yesterday I drove to Anchorage to attend the Alaskan chapter meeting of International Encaustic Artists http://www.international-encaustic-artists.org/, Jannan Kitchen gave her experiences at the last conference. I want to go to the next one in Carmel, CA this October 1 - 4th but I did not meet my goal to sell enough art in a month to pay for the trip. Art is an expensive endeavor; the supplies, the marketing, the time spent, the commissions, the fees, the postage and handling. It's no wonder by the time the client buys their masterpiece they pay for it! I listened and took notes if I only remember 10% I am doing pretty good.

Then I stopped by the Firefly http://fireflyartco-op.com/content/ to move my art into the first room it's better real estate in the gallery.
I was invited to a YAKKING circle with some younger artists. I was inspired to paint a beautiful witch with a partial nipple showing. One of the younger women volunteered to let me take some pictures of her, perhaps I can get her to model for me, a real live model would make a much better painting.

Today, put the finishing touches on my wolf for the juried wolf show at the Madd Matters Gallery October 10th. http://www.alaska-gallery.com/ Last night I left the easel with the painting on it outside the sliding door and later walked past and thought a real wolf was staring in, it was scary just like a dream I had, the wolf was at the door and I tried to light a fire in the living room then run and hide but the wolf kept coming and found me hiding in the closet.

My wolf is very realistic.

I am getting ready for my Encaustic Wax Demonstration and mini class at Make a Scene http://web.me.com/joshfryfogle/MaS!_Music_Fest_09/Performance_Hall.html:

Duh they did not put the date and time of the class in the paper.
October 16th from 4 - 7 p.m.

5 minutes of fun and chaos

In spite of the serene waters the next 5 minutes was anything but serene!

Max and Jackson my grandsons and Nicole my daughter came by today to go fishin, they were doing fine when I told Jackson to cast toward the fallen tree in the lake. I thought the fish might be hiding there, he cast and caught the hook on the branches.

We needed to paddle the boat to get it unhooked. Jackson is a "I'll do it myself " kind of kid and wanted to do the paddling and unhooking. while I was holding his belt loop to keep him from falling overboard we heard this loud plunk and splash behind us.

Max had blithely stepped off the dock into the lake (that is so like him) just as Nicole was catching a fish. She pulled him out as she was reeling in the fish. We paddled back hooked up the boat I ran into the house to get a pair of needle nose plyers as the fish had swallowed the hook. Benson the evil chocolate lab busted out and ran away. It was crazy we were all laughing so hard! Taking pictures almost the whole time.

Another Acquisition For the Museum at Purgatory

This tiny and curious skull was found in the Meadowlakes area of Alaska.
It is not uncommon in this area to find mastodon tusks and bones from the dinosaurs that lived here before the human. Inspite of that this is a truly unique find.
A couple while foraging mushrooms for their soup discovered this most curious little skull, it resembles a tiny ram but says the couple "we are pretty sure rams are not that small."

This small artifact seems as obscure as the jack-alope or the shrunken mummies of Belsharha.
The couple intends to sell this to the Smithsonian or perhaps Ripleys Believe it or Not Museum for a king’s ransom.

But seriously, if anyone knows what this is or has ever seen anything like it, please contact the owner of this blog. All inquiries will be taken seriously.

Save the Beez

Today I was at the Alaska State Fair doing a demo in the Craft House. First I stopped off at the agriculture building and I talked to a young woman beekeeper about her bees and encaustic art and getting raw wax.

It is a romantic notion of mine to have bees. I raise my bees with tender loving care, provide acres of Alaskan wild flowers and clover for my happy bees to pollinate, then I would harvest the sweet golden honey and get pounds and pounds of wax for my art. Did you read “The Secret Life of Bees” by Sue Monk Kidd? I highly recommend the book or movie.

I asked her opinion of the collapse of the hives and she told me about huge bee farmers in the lower 48 states store them is huge connex trailers and truck them to a huge field where farmer Joe pays him to let the bees pollinate their huge crop fields. We don’t do it here because bees don’t survive the winter here unless they are kept in heated buildings from October till May.
The problem is the pesticides and fertilizers being sprayed on the crops! It seems obvious to a layman like me why there is a huge collapse of bee hives?
They are being poisoned!

I buy organic produce most of the time, recycle my trash, use my own cloth bags for shopping and consoludate my trips to town for fuel savings. It’s small steps for now. In the future I dream of a self sufficient home that does not impact the earth. I and am hopeful that we are going to solve the devastating problems we face from overpopulation, greed, addiction to fossil fuels etc.

I was inspired to make these two pieces of art today in honor of the bees, I invite you do sit down with me for just a few minutes have a hot cup of tea sweetened with honey and simply be grateful for these wonderous little creatures that bring us so much.