Safe Landing

The 4 day pastel/oil workshop is over...I was ready for more. There was certainly a "learning curve" for me this time, this is the second workshop I have taken with this artist. I knew what I needed to pay attention to, and I feel I absorbed a ton of technique in a very short time. I could go on and on with the learning. I got 4 paintings done, in 4 days. That makes me a "daily painter" for this week, ha! Believe me, if I had someone to do all the other work, I would have noooo problem being one for the rest of my life. Here is day one's painting. BTW, met and networked with some really great peeps! It seems that I made some helpful and "kindred spirit" connections!

"Aunt Jane's Tomatoes" oil on canvas board, 11" x 14" For Sale in my ETSY shop.

Only in Kansas

As I was walking to a local food fare in Logan, Kansas, where I am taking my workshop, I found this abomination in the center of the street. Had to take some photos. It will especially impress my dad as we often load my car or truck with some interesting hand-me-downs that I then bring back home and are put to good use! I wouldn't have liked to be the one following this load, but I would be interested to know if it made it to it's destination safely or not??

Harvest is Over!

Tried to post last night, but there was a problem with blogger, I guess, how frustrating is that?
I can't let the day get away without sharing my little "photo-journalistic take" on G's hard work the last 11 days straight. He worked for the Bargman Boys, two brothers that farm over 3,000 acres.

They used the Case with a John Deere header to cut the milo or silage out of the fields.

They empty the grain into the tractor pulled grain cart and this grain truck and...


they also filled up the trailer pulled by the Peterbilt with at least 80,000 pounds for each trip to the grain elevator. This is the rig that G. drove making about 5 trips to a grain elevator each day.

Of course one of my favorite camera shots this morning was the Bargman's 13 year old "coon hound" sitting in the sun.

Stay Tuned

Getting ready to do a big workshop with Kaye Franklin, at the Dane Hansen Memorial Museum in Logan, Kansas, who really got me "off and sailing" last year. She teaches in oils and pastels, that is how I rekindled my fondness of oil
paint....mmmm...paint, I love it! I love the consistency of it, the viscosity of it and the feel of it as it's stroked upon the surface, always have, always will!

Check out my Slide Show!

With the exception of a few, this represents my art from Nov.'06 to Nov.'07. Hope you enjoyed it!

Making "Connections"

On Halloween, I had the TV on, while I was doing some stuff on the computer and was watching "The 100th Scariest Movies" or something like that, they were down in the low numbers and highlighted the movie "Cujo" based on a story by Stephen King (one of my favorites). It was explained how they got the St. Bernard to go crazy and try to jump into the car, while the lady and her son were trying to flee. They put "mouse pheromone" into the car to attract the dog, and from the looks of the scene that they then shared, it worked!
pher·o·mone [fer-uh-mohn]–noun Animal Behavior. any chemical substance released by an animal that serves to influence the physiology or behavior of other members of the same species.
Very scary scene, enough to make even "dog lovers" think twice. Well, I now understand how very powerful "mouse pheromone" is, even to dogs! G. was leaving for his harvest job this morning and pulled one of the car out of the quonset hut, that hardly gets driven, a Subaru SVX. He had been saying that we needed to move cars around a little more because mice get into them and destroy them, chewing interiors and wires. He pulled up alongside the dog enclosure at the back of the house and sure enough, there was a mouse living in the trunk. It had piled a bunch of seat insulation near the tire, under the tire cover. We lifted the pile out, and saw the mouse escape through a drain hole in the trunk. It dropped to the ground and ran around the driveway, we were unable to catch it, it scampered away to under the bushy evergreen tree. Not thinking or knowing, we put the pile of 'nesting' on the picnic table that sits right by the fence. Meanwhile, I came in and gave all 3 dogs a much needed bath. Upon letting them return to the dog enclosure, my black and tan dachshund, Herman, caught the scent of the nest. He went wild, jumping on the fence, the other two joining in, once they too, got a whiff. OMG, at once I connected with what they said about "mouse pheromone". I removed the nesting to the trash, far away, went to the studio (still hearing lot of crazy barking) and upon returning, the frenzy had heightened to a crescendo beyond words. The craziness continued! My red dachshund had pulled the chainlink up and out of the way at the gate and had his head stuck through it. I had witnessed him biting the chainlink, even yelping as he did so. I gave up. I tipped the table over and pushed it up to the fence, so they could sniff all they wanted and see that there was nothing there that was causing the smell. Sheesh! I ended up carrying the little dogs into the house (at which they are standing at the door, whimpering) and at least I am lucky enough to have a big dog that minds when you command, "Come Bailey!" So I've come to the conclusion, Hollywood knows, man, Hollywood knows!!
P.S. There have been two mice in the studio (in the jaws of the cruel traps), in the last few days. I think we are being invaded, or at least having the time to notice this seasonal occurrence.
P.S.S. BTW, I took off the Sonific music widget for the time being. If you like to listen to the music I pick out while you read my blog, please leave a "comment". Thanks.

I Take it Back

There are two pharmacies in the town nearby. After visiting the doctor for my yearly check-up, I was given a prescription that could only be filled at ONE of the pharmacies as it is a true "concoction" that only that pharmacist can make. It happened to be the one that I had been boycotting since moving here, they seemed always "cranky", unfriendly and generally not very 'time efficient'. So I sadly went by and dropped off my prescriptions. Told them I would be back the next day to pick them up and left. Mind you it is a 16 mile round trip. Yesterday, having grocery shopping to do and needing to stop by the carpet guy to see what they had for porch indoor/outdoor carpeting, I stopped by to pick up my meds. Would you believe that the one that had to be made wasn't ready? Didn't surprise me!! I took the other one, and told them (nicely, by the way) I would be back to pick it up today. This morning I got a call from the pharmacist, that he would be sending a delivery out to my house and apologized for not having it ready for me yesterday. I have new faith in this pharmacy! It was delivered. I even got a courtesy call when the driver had turned off the highway that he was just about to my house. Now all I have to do is talk to them about the "smoky smell" of their establishment. Some lady that works there is allowed to smoke inside the store. For someone like me, with asthma and sinus trouble (as other people are, too, I'm sure) it is hard to be around cigarette smoke and smells. Maybe I'll just stick to 'home delivery'!