Where Have I Been?

One word: DEHYDRATING.

That's right.  Exactly 3 weeks ago I purchased Gavin and myself an early birthday present:  The Excalibur 3900.  Fifteen square feet of premium drying potential.  Can we say obsessed?  Since then I have dried 26 apples, 7 pears, 14 bananas, 1 huge papaya, 7 mangos, strawberries, green grapes, red grapes, lemons, nectarines, peaches, zucchini, carrots, sweet potatoes, butternut squash, and bell peppers.  I've made a variety of fruit leathers, all kinds of candied nuts, seeds, nuts butters, and nut milks.  A few batches of granola, some raw.  I was making creamy delicious yogurt, which turned out to be a mistake as I am officially self-diagnosed lactase deficient. Local, raw milk or not, I don't digest it!  Lame.  Consoled myself with a variety of raw crackers, flaxseed crackers, raw apple-raisin cookies, raw sprouted wheat cinnamon bread, raw pecan sandies, and carob-coconut balls. While I was at it I made some sprouted wheat bread and a couple seriously delicious pies: peanut-butter-chocolate (Gavin's favorite dessert ever, it has tofu in it) and raw apple pie.  My cupboards are crammed, as is my freezer, and I can't seem to purchase enough jars.  Got myself a bit up a creek, as I am up against some serious deadlines and we leave for Disneyland in a couple days.  Disneyland = Trail mix.  At least we've got that.

Sus Destinos Parecian estar Entrelazados

She set out on a journey; she preferred to call it an adventure.  Her first step was synchronized with his.  Sus destinos parecian estar entrelazados.  His destiny was intertwined with hers. 

When the hot, dry wind blew tumbleweed of doubt across the plain of her identity, she was consumed and he was near.  When the incessant, choppy waters of give and pull, demands and sacrifice rendered her nauseous; his shadow, cast by the bright sun behind her, remained in the corner of her eye. 

Her passions looped through his fingers.  Together, they danced on mountaintops, feeling the warmth on their shoulders, bringing in the clear, fresh air till they were fit to burst.  Together, they swam in the mysterious depths, discovering unknown caverns, wondering how they didn’t know already, and knowing they couldn’t have. 

Their thoughts touch, depart, intertwine, parallel.  Always one, always two, always three.  Destiny, continue our adventure: we are ready.

Illustrious Apiarist

In the intriguing field of entomology, which lies among the yellow blossoms of clover, bordered by rows of lavender and the occasional potted petunia, one among the celebrated apiarists wears the crown.  She is noted for her bravery and dignity in the face of danger, as well as the sweetness of her honey.  To her, we give our most loyal adoration and utmost veneration.

I Heart Running

So, I ran a half-marathon today.

P.F. Chang's Rock n Roll Arizona

2:04:14

Rocked it.

In Print

This is my latest print put out by the Greenwich Workshop.  I just got my artist proofs, and I am a happy girl.  I really like this print, so much that I keep opening one to take a look.  I think it is interesting and simple - an efficacious combination.  I like the colors and the interactions of the figures.  I would love to see one of these in a frame.

Sunday Drawing

Clocks and Hats

For Christmas presents this year I made hats for my 15 nieces and nephews and three more for my girls.  I made the hats on a circle loom with wool yarn and felted them in boiling water.  Felting made them  shrink  and gave them a cool texture.  Of course, the girls got felt flower embellishments.

I also made clocks for 14 of my nearest and dearest.  It was inexpensive, but took a lot of work and solving some tricky technical difficulties.  By Christmas day I managed to pull together a random menagerie of ticking and tocking for the taking.

Although I love making Christmas presents, I always hesitate as I hand out my homemade gifts.  I think they give the recipient a message of love and caring, "Here, I took time and effort to make this especially for you."  Warm fuzzy et cetera.  My hesitation comes when I imagine them thinking, "Great, thanks, what I am I supposed to do with this?  I can't throw it away because she made it.  Junk."  At least a clock is functional and hats keep heads warm, I think I got by this year.

Twenty-Ten

I am super pumped about this year.  I have some exciting projects started and I'm bursting to get to work.
     First will come studies for a large painting of the parable of the ten virgins.  Also, working on getting in touch with Owl City to illustrate one of their songs to make a children's book.
     My sister called this the "Year of the Race" because we have them lined up (starting next week).  I love it, but am trying not to let it distract me from painting.  Balance and hard work will be the theme.  It's gonna be a big one.  Bring it on I say.

Merry Christmas!

I Will Keep my Lantern Bright to Light your Way

This painting is part of a small works show at the Phoenix Gallery in Park City that opened last Friday. It is the first of what will be my "lantern" series. A dollar to the first to tell from which cousin's blog I snagged the picture of the little girl.

Happy Thanksgiving

I hope you had a happy Thanksgiving!

We sure had a lot to be thankful for.

This Thanksgiving commemorates my 17th year as a vegetarian.

That's wacky.

The piece de resistance, I made a coconut cream pie - crust and all.

It was super delicious.

I finally ran a race (I've been running for a long time).

I ran the Mi Amigos Turkey Trot 10k with my sister-in-law, Kristin (sort of, I didn't actually find her till after the race).

It was a good time (especially the orange slices at the end).

Now let's go shopping and get crafting!

John Toone

A friend of mine asked me to paint a portrait of his ancestor, John Toone. Because I like him, and because I thought it would be a killer challenge, I took it on. I am pretty pleased with the turn out. I think I might be getting close to my ten thousand hours (read Outliers), maybe another year or two.

Here's What I'm Excited About

Felt Flowers

My new obsession, thank you very much sister #1. I can't stop making these felt flowers! I have been sewing most of them to rubber bands. They look so cute in my girls' hair. Hun sewed them to some pillows, cute, I think I'll try that next.

Canning

Wish I could can every day, thank you very much sister #2. Sari and our friend Laura and I did pasta sauce last time I was in Utah. It is so good. It makes me sad to be far away from them because canning isn't very fun alone.

Kleenex Box

As I instinctively reached out to grab this kleenex box off of the low end table, it hit me: I don't need to move this kleenex box. After more than eight years of swiftly getting kleenex boxes to higher ground, this is no more! No more winter wonderland on the family room floor, no more feeling like I am wiping my nose with a used kleenex that I dutifully got off the pile, no more steam exiting my ears when I see the mess, no more! I haven't moved the box back to its designated spot for a week now. I just look at it with a secret smile.

Here's What's New

We had a super Halloween.

I love Halloween so much, I almost can't stand it.

I'm thinking about changing my profile picture.

(I'm Storm from X-Men, if you didn't get that. I was Saturday morning obsessed in my youth, and though I liked Rogue better, I'll be Storm every day- I mean any day.)

Cloe had a wonderful Birthday this month,

with a magical fairy party.

Here's What's Old

Delia turned 8,

and got baptized and confirmed a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints by her dad.

We had way too much fun with all the family that came into town.
Beatles Rock Band
Camelback

Chump Reunion Show!

Was so much fun!!

Ya, Gav rocks.

OK, Hun, does this plop me back onto the face of the earth?

Totems

Totems is for a holiday show at Giacobbe-Fritz with 11"x11" paintings from all their artists.

Puppet Show

I sent Puppet Show off to Washington to be in Howard Mandville Gallery's annual miniature show.

Big Wonderful News

I can't believe it took me so long to post this great news! This summer Gavin and I took a trip to Santa Fe, New Mexico to find a fabulous gallery. (And this is how long it took me to get this gem of a picture off his camera... those old ladies made it so worth the wait.) Not only was it a fun trip (love Santa Fe), but it worked!

Here I am looking so very Georgia O'Keiff outside Giacobbe-Fritz Fine Art Gallery on Santa Fe's renown Canyon Road. The gallery has really fun and nice people that I am excited to work with. It also has a few admirable artists there that I certainly won't mind hanging next to. Hip hip hooray for Santa Fe!

Friday

I'll be flying to Utah this Friday for "Hortus Conclusus (The Enclosed Garden)" group show. My dad, sister Cass, and I will have a variety of paintings on display. I will have these four paintings and nine mixed media pieces on paper.

(Sorry the pictures aren't so good).

In her Garden - One

In her Garden - Two

In her Garden - Three

In her Garden - Four

There was a fabulous article in the Arts and Entertainment section of the Deseret News last Sunday (or here it looks better and easier to read) about the show and our artsy-fartsy-family.

The idea that gave us inspiration for this show last year, was medieval European enclosed gardens and the question, "What is in your garden?" As put in the article, "..the idea of enclosure was to create a protected and nurtured space, 'where ideas and people, like plants and flowers, can flourish. The idea of a controlled safe place can represent the family, the community or even the space in one's own mind."

I know this will come off as somewhat predictable, but my mind went to motherhood. Ya, ya, I can't help it. I was thinking about all the decisions we make for our children, from what they eat to what they wear and even the vocabulary they use. Maybe I'm getting ahead of myself, but I've got the scissors and am thinking about when we can cut those strings. My oldest, who just turned eight and gets baptized this Saturday, is on the left. She is just recognizing the strings are there. Then there is my middle. I feel like I am always pushing her to do things she doesn't want to do. And my youngest who I am still keeping close. I'm not really sure what to do with the scissors, and honestly am feeling a little guilty for wanting to use them. I've put us in our garden with a slightly weathered fence which is rainbow in my attempts to make everything beautiful and everyone happy.

Come, if you can, Friday night. It should be a good time. Art Access Gallery, Salt Lake City, six to nine pm. The show will be up through October seventh.

**Gavin: a variant of the Scottish name Gawain, meaning little hawk or white hawk.**

September 18 - Art Access

I'm

almost

finished.

What happened to August?