once upon a time

about 20 years ago...maybe a bit later then that
we saw a group of 'ornaments'
at a local in town store that sold plants and produce in season, and christmas trees and ornaments in december
i will never forget those ornaments
i made a mental note to go back to buy some when we had the money but when i did they were no longer there and the new owners of that store had no idea what i was talking about

they were amazing...
all handmade and i was told locally made.
animals in victorian clothing, but not stylized or caricatures.....
made of fabric, about 5'' tall.......delicate, detailed, and perfect
i can't get them out of my head
the pig's legs just blew me away (pig dressed as a chef....old german victorian chef)
the fox as reynard in a hacking jacket, with boots and top hat
elephant as a major in the british military with monocle !
rhino as an edwardian banker with bowler and briefcase
flamingo with an umbrella....
mother goose as a goose.....
all perfect all tiny all delicate ...........

i have been searching for that artist and those 'ornaments' ever since...(it was some time prior to 2000 i know, it could have been prior to 1992 but i can't remember)

anyway i keep looking.......
and looking

now i suspect they were either sewn over a wire armature or  spun cotton over wire.... but either way they were accurate depictions of the animal's anatomy........and to this day i am still blown away

painting, bird farm, vacation

that's been what's going on since my last post
we had a blast with our friends at the bird farm.....OMG i want to move in there
i've finished another painting in the gouache series...... this one was horizontal petunias
(they're all starting to run together on me)
about to start the last of the series which is a vertical rose of sharon in purple.....
bernie did some stuff around the house .....cleaning and such
he also dry burned our back up kero heaters..... and the generator, got some wood stacked
etc etc.......
while i was completing this latest painting

in studio notes, i am still looking for a 100% cotton, fade proof heavy paper or board to paint on with gouache in dark colors.... i found two that would work but they are in england, without a distributor here- disappointing to say the least....
i'm also in need of new brushes again.....i had seen rosemary and co saying 1.00 shipping but when i inquired it was a typo and 11.00 shipping......
cheapjoes is following me around the net with ads for 1.00 shipping too but when i go to use it they won't allow me
so i am waiting.....
but i so need brushes due to gouache wear-
ohohoh, when we moved the paper boxes off the top of the budgie flight cage to take it out for it's annual deep cleaning, i discovered that i had a stash of paper up there, that i'd forgotten about.....so the next time i get paper for painting on, i am getting 300# instead of 140# as i have a ton (seems to be literally a ton, judging by the weight)...... of the 140#.....
so getting in a stash of 300# hot press paper is what i am aiming for in the future.

we are also about to get our snow tires for the prius..... and are waiting for the wood guy to call us back..... getting wood up here lately is a huge problem..... i maybe forced to look into replacing the stove with pellets -although i did see a grate for the woodstove that took pellets.....
heating is getting to be a real problem here...
there isn't a whole lot of building going on up here so land isn't being cleared and there isn't wood to be had as logs lately .... i'm looking at alternatives but so far i don't think we can get solar that can take over.... but i keep researching.
we did get two solar lights to keep for emergencies..... (i need better rechargeable batteries for them though)
i have a goal of having solar lights for nightlights, emergency lighting and also ambient lighting- so then our total lighting needs after are just task.... which i am going to replace with LEDs so hopefully further reducing our electric use....(which is currently 30% lower then a compatible house/family)- i am hoping to get our use, and bill, down to 50% less....
sadly the studio is the worst because of the terrible walls/windows/insulation.... we're working on it ..... slowly

so that's pretty much it- what's been going on here... i would post photos but google's got my gigs limited..... that's why you folks haven't been seeing any pictures here ......sorry

til next time

the start (after tonight)

of vacation.....bernie's that is
well after he gets some sleep tomorrow
meanwhile i am painting that second petunia painting
and after that a rose of sharon.....then this series is finished

i really need to go through my box of finished paintings and see how many i've gotten done this year....
i also need to get a real official paintbox i think, although i am working on a wooden box right now........ i am thinking of the one from kremers for a metal one, they have a 4 row that holds like 28 full pans, i think that's a good idea....it's got to wait however as i can not see spending the shipping money on it. not right now anyway.

see if i am going to be having to go out in the field, i am so going to need something portable... and i am not sure what the most efficient answer is to that either...it's been so very long since i did field work (they call it plein aire now)
but i'll work on it

in other news that's got me concerned, the old farmer's almanac is calling for a brutal cold snowy winter... we still don't have our wood or studded snow tires...
so that's got me super worried now, being's it's august
i'm tired too from the fibro, so everything seems harder and worse to me
oye

well that's our sunday night.... which really for us is actually our friday night
oye
til next time

in painting news

i am continuing with the gouache on black paper series of flowers
so far, i have:

1. columbine
2. orchid
3. pansy dance
4. pansy cascade
5. petunia tower
6. rose of sharon horizontal

and today i start the horizontal petunias
and i'll finish up this series with a second rose of sharon that is vertical
now in between some of the flowers i've also done some of the arctic or nordic/russian goddesses and a pair of fox
that fox pair is a riot....... it makes me laugh
and next week is supposed to be the bird farm visit, so that should give me enough photos and color charts/sketches for a few more months.
we're planning a visit to the butterfly sanctuary too.....but that won't happen i suppose this year, as they close in september and we've run out of time
so that is the line up at the moment of paintings.....
i really need to sit down and figure out how many i've done so far this year....i would like at least 40 a year......more would be better...... (one or two a week would be best).... but some work out longer

right now it's a nightmare to store them all..... and i don't really know exactly how we're going to get them all shot by ed the printer yet..... i would imagine at this point, there are close to 1000 paintings waiting their turn.
and then........ ........ well let's just say it's overwhelming

so that's todays news....

today is raining AGAIN

bern put the girls out ...it's dark and overcast- and today is our sunday
so now he's making breakfast for us

i have a lot of work ahead of me this week, and i am hoping NEXT week is a visit to the bird farm for the upland game birds and edwards pheasants
as bern is on vacation...
we are also going to be doing the captain's flight cage and the mobile *morgue* table in the kitchen .......* it's really just a commercial stainless table on wheels- but it sure looks to me like something you'd see in a morgue*

i am still arguing with myself about getting my work to copyright, then up
yeah i know
but i'm concerned about it being lifted
everyone i know is getting their work lifted
i know i know....it's  a catch 22........oh and also i have to put it in my IRL name
so that's upsetting too
after all these years of 'don't put things on the net'
it's sort of hard to do it

also i have to talk to a gallery ........ the consensus is a ny or philly gallery but i've been hearing of so many going under and the work being seized to pay creditors
oye
so i need to rethink that as well
and i am still really wanting to get licensing contracts for house flags and such

really it's just easier to start a new painting and ignore all this stuff which is what i always do

i need a manager i think-- don't you?

still painting

that's about all i can do lately
last night i had terrible trouble breathing, plus what sleep i got i had nightmares
horrible violent, blood filled nightmares
now normally when i dreamt of blood i would have a monthly- but me and monthlys never were a regular thing and either way....they are a thing of the distant past.

also today i found out another friend of mine died......LAST YEAR
i feel terrible about that, and not know if a year later i should call the widow, or send a card or what?
there are way too many people i know on the other side now
even for me
meanwhile.......
it's our friday night
i should be in bed
i am going up

in a minute

did you ever get tired

of stupidity?
watching the world lately, i keep thinking it's probably LONG over due for the planet to shake off humans in a mass extinction and start over
i'm very tired of all the crap that is going on
how many ways people can try and bully, control, force, coerce, scare.... etc other people
trying to get folks to do something that could/maybe contrary to a person's inner map
and the fear on all sides

it's all very tiring