Blog Migration

I am migrating my blog to a new place. Please visit the new site at http://serendipityartist.wordpress.com. The new site offers tagging and some other nifty features I hope readers will find useful. The new site is still under construction, but that is where I will be posting from now on.

The Power of the Indian Stray Dog

Here is a link to my online book:

The Power of the Indian Stray Dog

Food Gatherers

I have a few items on auction at the Saline Picture Frame Co. to benefit the Food Gatherers. Here are a couple of photos and links to the auction. In addition I have a small book up for auction that is not on their website yet. I plan to put an online version of the book soon. The print is based on a drawing from the book which is entitled: The Power of the Indian Stray Dog.

I'm back

It's hard to believe I haven't journaled since January. I just got back from the Art Librarians conference in Atlanta. I'm exhausted, yet too over-stimulated to sleep. Feels good to be home knowing that normalcy has returned and that my body will soon recognize that and relax.

When I went to my studio to retrieve this journal I spotted the wood I had purchased for P's meditation stool.
I'm looking forward to making that and to finishing my Zen shrine. I saw a few inspirational pieced in Atlanta including books by Maryann Riker . I also saw some Jospeh Cornell pieces at the High Museum.

New Year

I'm sorry to say that I haven't done much artwork over the holidays. Nothing like getting out of my routine to squelch my productivity. In the creative vein, however, I did paint my bathroom bright blue and did lots of knitting.

On a more somber note, my husband gave me "An Inconvenient Truth" for Christmas. I have wanted to see this move for a long time as I consider Al Gore one of my heroes. It was like watching a science fiction movie about a doomed civilization and you want to tell these people, "Don't you see what's happening? Why are you killing yourselves!"

Being the eternal optimist I have to believe that we as a people are waking up. So along this line I have decided to focus my energy on the positive changes that are taking place now to help solve these terrible problems. My new year's resolution is to collect evidence of these hopeful events.

Here is today's good news:

A Century Later, Los Angeles Atones for Water Sins by RANDAL C. ARCHIBOLD

New Congress Holds Big Changes for Attitudes on Global Warming by Nick Aster

Hot press poppies study

I've been working on studies for the poppies painting. After finishing this first study on cold press, I decided to try hot press (not a surface I usually paint on).

I enjoyed painting on the hot press and liked the way the colors pooled and gave a painterly feel. It seemed to free up my mind and hand.

Vanity and Scams

I spent much of the week experiencing agitation and not doing artwork.

Early in the week I got an out-of-the-blue email from a guy in England interested in purchasing a couple of my paintings. I was, of course, flattered and spent one of my morning art sessions trying to locate these paintings and another trying to rework my poppies painting in acrylic (because this English man was interested in acrylic paiting and so I thought that I should get back to working in this medium, blah, blah, blah).

Then later in the week I thought about doing a little Internet checking to see if I could find out more about this mysterious patron. It didn't take long to discover that he was a scamer! Boy, did that take the wind out of my sails.

Here is this guy's letter - in case you ever get one from him.

I did get a small amount of painting done on my poppies study. Hopefully there will be more to show later this week.