Diogenes the Flute Player

My interperation of the mysterous Fayum portraits: The Fayum Portraits: Greek and Roman painting style, encaustic on wood, part of the Egyptian culture (funeral portraits).They show the faces of the inhabitants of ancient Egypt at a period influenced by Greeks and Romans. The Fayum portraits are the best preserved paintings of Antiquity. Some of these produced by Greeks who worked in Egypt, part of the Greek population that settled in cities like Alexandria, when Egypt was ruled by Greek kings after the peaceful conquest of Egypt by Alexander the Great.
The first one I painted was so gorgeous that I gave him a kiss when on one was looking. Saturday at Art on Fire a teacher from Japan fell in love and took him home.
So I made Diogenes #2. Peter came home and said he looks like a gay guy at a Greek party. Wow, that's soooooo funny I forgot to laugh.
So I ask you dear readers become a critic and tell me which one do you prefer and why, dead Greek guy #1 or dead Greek guy #2? Please respond in my comments and let me know. Diogenes the Flute Player #1 or #2?

Diogenes the Flute Player #1

Diogenes the Flute Player #2

Enigmas for my 500th post.

Enigmas
I walked around as you do, investigating the endless star and in my net during the night I woke up naked, the only thing caught, a fish trapped inside the wind. Pablo Neruda
by
Judy Vars
Encaustic Wax
12 X 12

EXTRA EXTRA READ ALL ABOUT IT

My blogger friend Patti from Woodstock tagged me to answer personal questions
Well OK I'll play.

The rules:1. Respond and rework; answer the questions on your blog, replace one question that you dislike with a question of your invention, add one more question of your own.2. Tag eight other people.

1. What is your current obsession? My encaustic wax pieces. I have created 9 12 x 12" pieces and am going to make at least 18 to 20 more in 6 weeks.
2. What is your weirdest obsession? The first thing that comes to mind in my thing about pillows, I need feather pillows but they must be tripple cased and during the night I trade off for the cooler one that I keep against the cold wall. I think its menopause.
3. What are you wearing today? Black valor pants, black tee shirt, and a black zippered hoodie with red skeletons. Its kind of nippily in Alaska today.
4. What’s for dinner? Cassaba comes from Costa Rica its fried plantain, pasta dish, meat, rice and beans, salad.
5. What would you eat for your last meal? Whatever is for dinner.
6. What’s the last thing you bought? A 19" flat screed LCD Emmerson TV $228.00 yesterday for Fathers Day at Wall Mart.
7. What are you listening to right now? The U.S. Open Golf it's just background noise, I used to not be able to stand the boring sound of golf on tv but its gotten more interesting since Tiger came along
8. If you could go anywhere in the world for the next hour, where would you go? I would love to be transported to the high mountain top with a view of forever and just sit for an hour with God
9. Which language do you want to learn? Spanish, Portuguese and Arabic.
10. What do you love most about where you currently live? My home is too close to a lake but has been grandfathered in so I can keep it, sometimes it feels like I live in a houseboat there is an abundance of wildlife in my backyard. Sometimes I ask myself how I ever got so fortunate.
11. What style is your current home decorated in? I'll call it Alaskan Eclectic.
12. If you were a time traveler what era would you live in? The Golden Age.
13. What is your favorite color? Black because its all the colors.
14. What is your favorite piece of clothing in your own wardrobe? It's my Harley Davidson tattoo shirt i bought off my sister Patty.
15. What were you doing ten years ago? This is an all time first for me because I have been married to the same man for 10 years in August! Ten years ago I was going hot and heavy with my fiance and planning my wedding.
16. Describe your personal style? I choose to ignore this question.
17. If you had $300 now, what would you spend it on? Getting my carpets cleaned!!!!
18. What are you going to do after this? Check out the progress on my encaustic painting boards.
19. What are your favorite films?Owl and Pussycat, Leaving Normal, Twin Peaks, My Familia, Dune, Batman, Jonny Depp films, I like most things.
20. What inspires you? Passionate people
21. What doesn't? Rush Limbaugh
22. Your favourite books? I don't read alot but I loved The Fountain Head, I read it over to understand it better when I was a teen.
23. Do you collect anything? and everything.
24. What makes me follow a blog? Its people I like and would like to know better we have things in common and learn from each other.
25. What was the most enjoyable thing you did today? Let me give you a hint it's something we should do more of.
26. And my question? When is the last time you wrote a letter to a loved one?

tagged: Annie, Nicole, Charmaine, Angela, Rose, Yoby,

St Jude Thaddeus - Hope for the Hopeless

Jude Thaddeus

Saint Jude, Hope of the Hopeless, Pray for me

Oil

20" X 16"

Judy Vars

$500.00
 

This is St Jude the patron saint of lost causes and also of artists. Saint Jude reminds us to stay optimistic in difficult times.

 

NOVENA TO ST. JUDE

 

O Holy St. Jude, Apostle and Martyr, great in virtue and rich in miracles, near kinsman of Jesus Christ, faithful intercessor of all who invoke your special patronage in time of need, to you I have recourse from the depth of my heart and humbly beg to whom God has given such great power to come to my assistance. Help me in my present and urgent petition. In return, I will make your name known and cause you to be invoked. Say three Our Fathers, three Hail Mary's and Glories. Publication must be promised. St. Jude, pray for us and all who invoke your aid. Amen. This Novena has never been known to fail. This Novena must be said for 9 consecutive days..

Girdwood is my second home

Yesterday I got up early and drove 2 hours to Girdwood http://www.girdwoodchamber.com/cgi-bin/commerce.cgi and guess what? I was not scheduled to work! So I drove around looking for a place to pitch my tent instead. Girdwood now has No Camping signs all over town because of the partyiers from the last Forest Fair. Rumor is they found a lady floating in the river 2 days after the festival.
I drove to Hope, Alaska which was a 45 minute drive. Buddy and I went for a 5 mile hike on a beautiful trail in Hope on the other side of the Cook inlet. There was a sweet little campground for $14.00 a night, but I hate to pay to pitch a tent. It seemed safe with a camp manager but that was a long drive back so after searching I decided to sleep at the gallery in the mini gallery room off to the side. With an air mattress, sleeping bag and a pillow I'm right at home. Problem is there was a big controversey about my sleeping at the gallery last year. Some said; whats the big deal, and others said; it's inappropriate and not covered under their insurance. So I snuck in after 10:00p.m. and got up at 6:00a.m. packed up my gear and went for a walk until opening time. Still I will probably hear about it. While on my walk to the coffee shop I spied a big black bear about 150 yards from me in a residentual neighborhood. Finally after all my walks I finally saw a bear.
I am at the laundormat this computer and internet access is costing me .15 per minute and some register sign keeps popping up and robbing me of time because I cannot type when it is on and guess what there is no one to complain to, gurrrr.

In the gallery there are people from everywhere, Buddy the schnauzer is my greeter, he puts everyone in a good mood. I wanted to talk a little about selling art. In the past I sold cars and I was good at it always the number 1 or 2 salesman, I made a good living for many years. I came to Alaska to live my dream and become the artist I always wanted to be. I am fortunate to have realized that dream. Problem is when it comes to selling my own art, I am not that aggressive sales person that I used to be. It's perhaps so much of my self is tied up in what I create, which is just silly, yes I created it but it isn't me.

There are 4 steps to the sale; the greeting, the permission phase, the objection phase, this is where it gets dicey, they say things like; it costs too much, I don't have anymore room for stuff, there is no room in my luggage are common objections. This is where I fall down I assume they are just lookey lews and do not really want to buy. My job tomorrow is to get to the bottom of their objections try to answer their concerns. The final step is to ask for the sale! Hey whats the worst that can happen? If I have done the first three steps the ABCs then asking how would you like to pay for this, or so would you like to take this home today, or it would make a wonderful gift for your mother-in-law, do you need a box, or how would you like this shipped? It should be a no brainer.
Oh look .47 cents or 3 minutes left and I'm all done.

Loon Today Saint Tomorrow

Loon Magic

Original Oil Painting

16" x 20"

by

Judy Vars

It is finished and signed, this one turned out nice. I won't show you the failed attempts to paint animals just the ones that good ones.

Lately I have given myself a strict schedule and am driving myself to get er done. In the morning I take a five mile walk to work. When I get back to my studio I set my stopwatch and do nothing else but paint for at least 4 hours. It's very interesting how much painting gets done, the last three days I've done a painting a day. Encaustics go rather quickly and I get some amazing paintings. I have two shows coming up, a mini show at The Girdwood Center for The Visual Arts in July 16th to 31st and the show at the Madd Matters in Palmer in August. It would be great if I had all new work. I do not have a name for this show yet. I am creating encaustic paintings, some assemblage, oils and icons all the things I love to do. I hope from that eclectic soup will come a theme or idea.

Tomorrow I will post St Jude, patron saint of hopeless cases.

In order to win, we pay with energy and effort and discipline. If we lose, we pay in disappointment, discontent, and lack of fulfillment. Maya Angelo

Art Therapy and G-O-D

The Universe or G-O-D has an uncanny way of answering my prayers; let me explain over the years I have had an dilettante like interest in Art Therapy. I have read articles and books on the subject and practiced it in my own creations.
The Wikipedia dictionary definition is: Art therapy is a form of expressive therapy that uses art materials, such as paints, chalk and markers. Art therapy combines traditional psychotherapeutic theories and techniques with an understanding of the psychological aspects of the creative process, especially the affective properties of the different art materials. Boring.

I am not a professional art therapist (yet) with a Masters Degree in psychology, yet because of the assemblage class I did for the Two Spirits Gallery the universe has provided me an opportunity to work with the Mental Health Consumer Web doing art workshops. I don't know everything about the psyochotherapeutic theories and techniques but I do have patient compassionate nature combined with a desire to help my fellow man. I do know how to make and facilitate the make ing of art that is individual and helps the creator understand themselves a little better.

Monday I will talk to Hossanna and more will be revealed...........Thank you once again for prayers answered.
Love
Judy

The Joys of Garage Sales

Daughter and I went to G-Kids school for a tea party and entertainment.


On the way home we were bitten by the Garage Sale bug. Years ago I released my inner pack rat and started to comb second hand stores, yard sales, junk yards etc. Once, I lost my old boots to a shoe repair shop, they had been all over Europe with me. I found them at a flea market, it was like finding an old friend. I actually shook with excitement at seeing them.

My mother, grandmother, sister are junk collectors they seriously save everything. My Grandmother had a box car filled with magazines, clothes, newspapers, records, can labels, diaries simply everything. My mother also horded and saved she shopped second hand stores compulsively collecting purses. Patty my sister is a master collector with the most amazing ephemera, bottles, trunks, trinkets, jewelery, boxes, old glass chaskies. It is packed in boxes in the attic for her grandkids to discover. She knows the secret pleasure of snooping just like me. I have an excuse for collecting junque, it's for art.

Quote out of the Art of Assemblage

Junk culture is city art, Its source is obsolesce, the throwaway material of cities, as it collects in drawers, cupboards, attics, gutters, waste lots dumps.
Objects have a history: first they are brand new goods, then they are possessions accessible to few, subjected, often to intimate and repeated use; then as waste, they are scarred by use but available again… Assemblages of such material come at the spectator as bits of life, bits of the environment. The urban environment is present, then as the source of object whether transformed or left alone. Lawrence Alloway


Here is what I bought:

• Doll heads and body parts. .50


• No hands magninfing mirror .75


• Old mason jar for Folgers coffee 2.00


• leather toolers letters (some missing) .50


• Blue pottery bowl med 4.00


• New Lancome brush set, eye makeup remover and cosmetic bag 3.00


• Big Lace crochet doilie FREE


• Bottom Line 10.75
  

Yesterday I took my $75.00 winnings and bought myself a new comfortable pair of Burkenstocks for $71.00 and treated myself to a black tea chai smoothie, yummy.

Whos The First Place Winner of the Raven Show? Me Thats Who

First Place- Judy Vars "How the Raven Steals the Light"...Second Place- Amber Johnson "Abstract Raven" and Third Place and also People's Choice - Dena Tanquay "Kutqli, A Raven Reborn"
How the Raven Steals the Light
by
Judy Vars

In the beginning the world was in darkness. The raven who had existed from the beginning was tired of groping about and bumping into things.
The raven knew of an old man who lived with his granddaughter. He had a great treasure, a box that concealed all the light in the universe. The raven vowed to steal the light. Raven changed himself into a pine needle and dropped himself into the river just as the girl was dipping water from the river. The raven slithered down her warm belly and grew into an odd looking human baby.

Despite his odd appearance grandfather loved him anyway But the old man promised dire punishment if raven baby ever touched the precious treasure box. Nonetheless the raven child begged and begged to be allowed to hold the light just a moment. In time the old man yielded, and lifted from the box a warm golden sphere, which he threw to his grandson.

As the light was moving toward him the human child transformed himself back into his raven self with his beak open in anticipation. As the beautiful ball of light reached him raven captured it in his beak. Moving powerful wings, raven burst through the smoke hole in the roof of the house, and escaped into the darkness with his stolen treasure

And that is how light came into the universe

Assemblage Class @ Two Sprits Gallery

My Assemblage Class is Saturday and Multi-tasking

I am not a multi-tasker in the past I knew how to multi-task but not anymore. Trying to do several things at once makes me feel crazy, I notice that I am trying to do multi things I start walking around in circles and talking to myself and not being productive. When I am on the computer please do not try to talk at me, I am not listening. When I am watching my stories don't interupt me with questions, when painting I'm in my happy place and don't like to be interupted... It's so funny to notice how easily distracted I am, example: While cooking dinner (Ok I'll admit it, I don't like to cook) and trying to blog or check my e-mails and talk on the telephone, dinner gets burned or it's sub-par. It's much nicer to have dear one cook my dinner.

Today am learning how to slow down stop and listen to people when they want my attention.
I make it an active meditation to focus on one thing at a time, do it and do it well.
My blog has not been getting my attention but everything is great, I am getting up earlier, Peter & I walking 5 miles, we are eating better and communicating better.

For the past week I have been concentrating on preparing for my assemblage class and not painting anything. http://twospiritsgallery.com/pages/art-classes
August it is my ta,ta,ta,taaaaa art show at the Madd Matters Gallery, I have 86 days until my show. I do not know what to call it yet. I drempt of myself in a purple dress. Any suggestions???

p.s. My Raven Triptych sold for all the dough!

One-Day-At-A-Time

Ok so here is the skinny, I'm giving myself a birthday present and lots of attention so here are my goals.

To quickly improve my health, outlook and apperance in time for my show at Madd Matters gallery August 8th, 2009 and on time for my 57th birthday!

1. Lose 2 pounds a week until I reach my goal weight


2. My birthday is 16 weeks from today I will weigh 32 pounds less!


3. I will continue to walk everyday and eat heathfully


4. On July 1st 6 weeks from my art show I will go to the gym and work on the weight machines and sculpt my figure.


5. On my birthday I will have fun and continue my live-it improve my well being and life.
6. My show will be a success and I will be happy with the Judy I am.

I'm a Proud Grandma in Bloggersville

This is my 484th post just 16 away from 500! Woo, Hoo I should throw a party for my blog! Here is my grandson Max at Midnight Suns talent show. It's not like I am a proud grandma and my grandsons are not talented because they are. Max is only 10 he got an electric guitar for Christmas and this is how he can spank that thing.
This one is better if you can get to it http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1676784108&v=feed&story_fbid=1028478847019#/video/video.php?v=1073739968234

Max plays Electric Funeral by Ozzie Ozborne

She should put it on U-Tube so the world can see it, he is sooooo talented.

Is This Kitschy ART?

Me the ever self effacing, I go to Girdwood yesterday to pick up some of my art work. There is a piece that I did out of an old window frame, It has birch bark, encaustic wax, moss, it's a quint folksy piece and would work in a rustic Alaska cabin or with someone who likes fun artwork. But I find it in the gallery bathroom, no one wants to buy the bathroom art. So I say to the lady at the gallery,"I 'm taking this home I think it is a little too kischy for your gallery." She just nods, smiles and agrees. Snarkey, snarkey.

Peter laughs at me and tells me kichey is not a word. So I ask my Jewish friend in San Francisco, Marty, if it is not a Yiddish word for low class or tacky? He e-mails me back and says: No, I don't think that "kitchie" is a Yiddish word...I think it's modern slang, meaning like "it's a bit too much", but who knows?

Then daughter Nicole finds the definition with a different spelling, bingo I am right on! When it comes to vocabulary I am better than most.

Kitsch - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Kitsch (/kɪtʃ/) is the German and Yiddish word denoting art that is considered an inferior, tasteless copy of an extant style of art. The term kitsch was a response to the 19th century art whose aesthetics convey exaggerated sentimentality and melodrama, hence, kitsch art is closely associated with sentimental art.

However, this beggs the question is this piece of artwork Kitchey or should I add some kitchen curtains???

How the Raven Steals the LIght

by
Judy Vars

In the beginning the world was in darkness. The raven who had existed from the beginning was tired of groping about and bumping into things.
The raven knew of an old man who lived with his granddaughter. He had a great treasure, a box that concealed all the light in the universe. The raven vowed to steal the light. Raven changed himself into a pine needle and dropped himself into the river just as the girl was dipping water from the river. The raven slithered down her warm belly and grew into an odd looking human baby.

Despite his odd appearance grandfather loved him anyway But the old man promised dire punishment if raven baby ever touched the precious treasure box. Nonetheless the raven child begged and begged to be allowed to hold the light just a moment. In time the old man yielded, and lifted from the box a warm golden sphere, which he threw to his grandson.

As the light was moving toward him the human child transformed himself back into his raven self with his beak open in anticipation. As the beautiful ball of light reached him raven captured it in his beak. Moving powerful wings, raven burst through the smoke hole in the roof of the house, and escaped into the darkness with his stolen treasure

And that is how light came into the universe

The Art of Assemblage - click on picture for a larger view

When Kay Klose the Curator of two Spirits gallery bought my Frida Assemblage she asked me if I would be receptive to teaching assemblage art. Well it's just like me to jump in with both feet so I said great! I love to make assemblage art and I love to teach creative people what I know about my craft. I will be teaching the art of assemblage at the Two Spirits Gallery in Anchorage. This is an opportunity to do a little art therapy, one of the art fields I would love to learn more about. One of my biggest frustrations or should I say challenges is to create art that inspires me, or makes me think outside the box, or is beyond my comfort zone in some aspects (that way I learn) vs painting the things I think people will want to buy.

Assemblage art is a non-conventional art form using found objects. Based on the artists personal vision the objects are imbibed with new meanings and associations sometimes telling a story and sometimes unearthing feelings that need to see the light of day.

I enjoy workshops for that reason it's just a chance to play again ,mingle with creative people and make a piece of artwork that it uniquely one-of-a-kind.

To make it more affordable the class is $35.00.

Presenting My Slide Show of Costa Rica in no particular order

snowbirds; a person or persons who vacations in or moves to a warmer climate during cold weather.
It's too late to stuff the genie back in the bottle, we've had a taste of the snowbird lifestyle and want more.

The End of The Day

We've been back to my home over two weeks now and we are getting back into our routines.We are restored and renewed with our priorities back in balance. Peter and I are walking every morning and eating a more heathful diet. The added benefit is my creative juices are flowing! I've noticed my art work going through a metamorphosis. The raven triptych that I am working on is going to be outstanding! I am making it for a juried raven show at the Madd Matters Gallery in Palmer. It is the story of how the raven steals the light. Pictures and info about the show to follow.

With my computer woes I haven't been able to download my photos, do my taxes any of the hundreds of things that I use this tool we call a PC everyday. It's been annoying but now I am up and running. Oh except Photo Shop and that's still a pain in the ass.

Here is a short video of the sunset on the OSA Peninsula is was the last light on a beautiful hot Costa Rican day. We had hiked in the Corcovado National Park saw macaws, monkeys, raccoon like creatures with long anteater snouts. If I could only use Photoshop I'd make you a slide show perhaps I can figure something out soon. We did get some good pictures really....my holiday is slowly becoming yesterdays news. I want my slide show now so you can see it.

Gurrrrr its business as usual and my main computer is on the fritz.

It's hard to come back from a month of holiday in paradise and have to do crappy things like taxes.

My taxes are reaching the deadline and my computer is still out-of-service and needs a new hardrive. My techies ordered it last Friday and said it would be arrive the next day. Yea Right sure. April 15 is fast approaching and I have done nothing to get my taxes done. I guess I could sort receipts or something.

A phone call just came and my techies said the part came at 5:30 and the computer will be ready in the early afternoon. YAY I can do my taxes. If I had the money and I wasn't basically cheap I'd take them to H&R Blockhead and save myself the aggravation

I did start two new paintings today; St Jude the patron saint of hopeless cases and artists
and a raven with the northern lights (a painting that usually sells). Tomorrow I'm going to some art shows and Sunday is Easter so taxes will have to wait until Monday. Hows that for procrastinating and waiting until the last minute?

I'd rather be painting and playing.