Friday, September 29, 2006

Friday again

Here it is, Friday again. As usual, I didn't get everything done that I wanted to. I did complete quite a bit of painting though! I have missed working in the studio, so I was inspired to get back to painting this week. I started a larger flower spiral abstract today. Glad today is Friday, looking forward to having a weekend off to spend with the family!

Here are a couple more paintings finished yesterday. These are also 8 x 10 inches on canvas board. They will be going up for auction by next week. I will add the links once the auctions are started. Don't forget to check out the paintings from yesterday's post as well. (Update: These auctions have ended, all unsold auctions will be posted for sale in my etsy shop, follow the links)

Click Here to Buy

SOLD

Thursday, September 28, 2006

Busy Painting

I have been busy the past couple of days in my studio. Most of the day Wednesday I spent preparing canvas boards and canvas. I bought some 8 x 10 inch canvas boards but decided they needed a bit of gesso to smooth them out. I also bought some unprimed canvas, so after stretching the canvas, I gessoed them as well. I finished a couple of small canvas board paintings yesterday and a couple today. I prepared 21 canvas boards so I can get back to painting everyday again. I hope to list a painting everyday, sometimes two. I am also looking forward to starting a couple of new larger canvases. These will be a continuation of the flower spiral abstract series. This time with different flowers. Below are three of the paintings I've finished this week, I wasn't happy with the photo for the 4th one so I will post that later. I plan to list these at auction starting tonight, tomorrow and Saturday. I will add links once the auctions begin. Update: These auctions have ended without a buyer, so I have moved them to my etsy shop. Follow the links to buy.

These are all 8 x 10" H2O Oils on canvas board.

Click Here to buy

Click Here to buy

Click Here to buy

Monday, September 25, 2006

Finally a day off!

The State Fair has come to a close and I am finally enjoying a day off. Seventeen straight 12 hour days was rough! I'm not whining, I'm just exhausted! I did enjoy being out there everyday, meeting new people, having my confidence boosted. I fell just short of my sales goal, but with the couple days of bad weather we had, there was nothing that could have been done.

I received an invitation for a gallery show in Gallup, NM. This was pretty exciting to me as the gallery owner is interested in my newest works. There was a lot of interest in my newest spiral abstract flowers. I needed that boost to my confidence. It was good for me to get the confirmation that what I'm painting now will be accepted. I decided months ago that I will no longer paint what I think people will like. I'm painting what is inside of me and even though it makes no difference whether or not people love it, it felt good to find out that my joy for what I'm now painting shows in the work.

I made some great trades with other vendors which is always one of my favorite things to do at an art show. Receiving compliments on my work from other artists has always meant more to me than compliments from regular people. Not that compliments from regular people don't mean anything, it's just that other artists are "experts in the field" so to speak.

So, it's now back to being holed up in the studio. I'm planning to go crazy with new paintings, now that I can afford to stock up on canvas! I hope to have an open studio event soon. I have wanted to open the studio up to the public for some time, but just haven't gotten around to doing it. Now that the outdoor show season is over, I should have plenty of time to plan and make it happen. Stay tuned for more information on that.

Tomorrow I will be back at work. I have several paintings and painted boxes to put in my etsy store. I'm also going to put a few up for auction on ebay.

Thursday, September 21, 2006

Almost over!

Four days left out at the State Fair. It's been a busy week. Yesterday was dollar day, so it was the most crowded day so far. We had a downpour early in the afternoon, but it didn't scare anyone away. I sold the painting that I posted a couple of days ago along with another painting I completed out there. I have one more that I did that I need to photograph today. The other one was sold before I had the chance to take a picture of it. This has been a very successful show for me, which has been very nice. I needed the confidence boost!

I'm taking the day off on Monday, but plan on putting up some new listings on Tuesday. Once the fair is over I plan on only one more weekend out at the outdoor market for Balloon Fiesta weekend. Then it's inside for the rest of the winter. Time to paint my heart out and get ready for Christmas time.

I will try to post my other painting sometime today if I can get the signal long enough and strong enough. I have also painted a few more boxes that I need to photograph. I sold one without getting a photo of it. Wouldn't you know it was my favorite one! I may have to paint another one like it to keep!

In other news, my oldest son called recently to tell me that he's looking into joining the Air Force. I'm proud of him for his patriotism, he was brought up to be patriotic, but I fear for him being in the military in a time of war. Luckily, the Air Force is probably the safest branch for him to join. I'm being supportive because I know that flying is his one big dream. As a mom, I just can't help but want to keep him from it. However, being a veteran of the US Army, I know it will be the best thing he can do for himself. I'll just keep hoping and praying that he won't ever be in harms way. Just like every other mom of a service member. I guess it just gives me more reason to promote peace.

Monday, September 18, 2006

Peace Jam

http://www.peacejam.org/

Thanks Cynthia for the link to the Peace Jam website! I may have to look into starting a Peace Jam club here in Albuquerque, if there isn't one already. What a wonderful organization! We need more of these type of people in the world. I only wish I would have known about the conference before it was over!

This is the last week out at the State Fair. The fair ends on Sunday. I have really enjoyed being out here, meeting people from all over the state and even a few tourists. One of my favorite things about New Mexico is the great diversity of the people that live here. Every other place I've been has seemed so one dimensional compared to here. Then of course there is also the natural beauty of this place. If you have never been here, I must suggest you come out for a visit someday. When you do, please stop by and say hi!

Busy weekend and a great article on Peace

I had a very busy weekend at the Fair. Met lots of very cool people! I hope to post some photos very soon of the paintings and painted boxes I finished the past couple of days.

I also received this article on a Peace project from my Peace listserve a day or so ago. Thought it would be nice to share with everyone. It's just too bad that there were no American kids involved.

Published in The New York Times -- 03 September 2006
On the Web at http://www.nytimes.com/2006/09/03/movies/03hays.html

30 Teenagers, 7 Short Movies, 1 Dream of Peace
By MATTHEW HAYS
GALIANO ISLAND, British Columbia

THE organizers of this summer's Peace It Together Camp here never expected it would be easy to bring together 10 Israeli, 10 Palestinian and 10 Canadian teenagers to make several short films in a spirit of dialogue and collaboration. But they also never expected to do so in a time of war.

The conflict erupted in Lebanon just two weeks before the youths arrived on this gulf island on Canada's west coast. There were some sleepless nights, acknowledged Adri Hamael, co-executive director of this 18-day event, arranged by the Creative Peace Network. Suddenly the Middle East looked like it was on fire. If bombs are dropping on people's heads, they tend not to be in a very generous mood. When violence escalates, people become more polarized and skeptical about programs like this one. But I had faith that we would make it happen. Canceling really wasn't an option.

Gathering young Israelis and Palestinians in a safe environment as a means of breaking down barriers is not a new idea. Several charitable organizations undertake such efforts annually in North America, and one such meeting was captured in the Oscar-nominated 2001 feature-length documentary Promises. But the Creative Peace Network, which had organized a previous peace camp in Vancouver, British Columbia, in 2004, decided to use filmmaking as a way to promote cross-cultural understanding and cooperation after being approached by the Gulf Island Film and Television School. In early August the 30 adolescents arrived from Israel, the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, and Canada to get to know one another while creating a series of short films. Our point has always been to use dialogue and creativity as a means of breaking down barriers and changing lives, Mr. Hamael said.

The students, all between 15 and 17, were chosen by regional coordinators. Thanks to private donations, their travel and living expenses were subsidized. A small tuition of $400 was required of each participant. On arrival the students were broken down into seven groups to work in either animated, documentary or dramatic filmmaking. Each group was assigned an adult mentor to help with brainstorming sessions, screenwriting and technical matters. Each morning the teenagers met to exchange views about their lives and the Middle East conflict; in the afternoons they worked on their films. The idea was that the discussions would be enhanced by the collaborative effort of moviemaking.

Ala’a Abu Dawoud, a 17-year-old Palestinian from the northern Israeli town of Majd Al-Kurum, said the camp was an extremely difficult place to be at times. "Sometimes I feel like crying", she said during an interview here. "Sometimes I feel I've done the wrong thing by coming here. Sometimes it's hard to interview here. Sometimes it's hard to rethink the things we've been told and the things we see on the news every day. But I realized over time that I was having fun with the Jewish people who were here. And now we've become friends.

For Ms. Dawoud and the others, the filmmaking process helped to bring them together. "I thought it would be so complicated," she said. "But because we're doing something I really love, and because we're showing the conflict in a different way through our eyes, the act of making the film has been really fascinating."

Not surprisingly, exchanges could occasionally prove acrimonious. "Some people might see this as a feelgood project, but it can be very intense," Mr. Hamael said. "The youth who are here are a product of violence. They are born either under occupation or under the threat of violence. They come with emotional baggage."

While the topics of the seven films were varied, they shared themes of promoting peace and conflct resolution. In the five-minute documentary Sweet Like Chocolate, several teenagers describe what they think peace would feel, sound and taste like. In the seven-minute drama No Place for Dreamers, a Palestinian man and an Israeli woman find it impossible to continue their budding romance because of a roadblock that a checkpoint places between them. In the film's conclusion the despondent woman looks through a fence as Israeli soldiers tell the Palestinian man that he cannot pass through to the other side. Part of the inspiration for On the Line, a combination of documentary and drama, came after one of the Israeli youths, Nir Ayalon, revealed to the other teenagers that he would serve in the Israeli military next year. "There were some faces made when I told them," Mr. Ayalon, 17, acknowledged. "But I will not be serving in a combat capacity, so there's no way I'm going to be shooting at anyone."

The film depicts Mr. Ayalon's friendship with one of the Palestinian teenagers at the camp, but concludes ambiguously with a fantasy sequence in which the two meet up again, in 2008, when Mr. Ayalon has become an Israeli soldier manning a checkpoint.

Alternately sweet and bitter, the films by the teenagers at times seem naïve, until one considers that the Israel and Palestinian youths face very real threats of violence, and that their scenarios are all rooted in that reality.

The camp's organizers have said they hoped to screen the anthology of seven films on the film festival circuit. "I feel we have made an impact," Mr. Hamael said. "Even if that is a limited impact, it is something nonetheless. Governments spend billions of dollars every year on the possibility of war. We are trying to spend something on the possibility of peace."

David Ozier, a Vancouver filmmaker who worked as a mentor, said those who attended appeared to be affected by the experience. "Both the Palestinian and Israeli teenagers learned to work together and formed some very strong friendships," Mr. Ozier said. "True to stereotype, the Canadian kids were often the ones who were filling a diplomatic role when there was conflict."

Thursday, September 14, 2006

Relief!

So the middle son is home again, safe and sound. Well, maybe not safe from us! He has some serious nerve. He did make the right decision to come home, but he's being a snot about it! Oh, to be 16 again and know everything!!! He is too much like I was.

Day 7 at the State Fair. After today, 10 to go. We haven't had any rain for a few days and the forecast for this weekend is sunny and clear.

Below is a photo of my booth set up. I actually have half a booth. It's hard to get a good photo without showing the other booths. Today has been extremely slow, but I'm looking forward to the coming weekend. Supposedly, this weekend is the busiest.

Wednesday, September 13, 2006

Yesterday stunk, hope today is better!

Yesterday ended up being a terrible day. I stayed positive all day, I don't even mind that I made only one sale.

I woke up with a fever and feeling just terrible. I've had a cold with sore throat and upset stomach for over two weeks now. Yesterday was the worst. I still had to go out to the fair, so I took some tylenol and my fever broke before I had to go.

That isn't even the worst of it. My 16 year old son ran away yesterday evening because we are "trying to control" him by making him get a job! It seems he IS too much like me and has to learn about life the hard way. Why can't teenagers just realize that we parents know what we're talking about....I've been there before for crying out loud! I so thought I could make it on my own at 16, only I had a baby to support too! I was worried at the beginning, but he called my youngest son and told him he was at a friends house. So, at least I know he's not wandering the streets, which is a little scary to me living here in Albuquerque. Hopefully, he will show up at school today. My husband teaches at the high school that he goes to, so we will know right away if he skips school. I've always known that he would be the difficult teenager, he is the middle child after all. He has always been the most difficult of the three boys. I am getting close to the end of my rope with him! I guess I'll just tie a knot and hang on tight! Luckily we went through a similar situation with my oldest son, so I know he will eventually come around and apologize for being such a pain. But at the moment, I just don't know what to do! Anyway, keep some positive thoughts going for me!

Monday, September 11, 2006

Imagine Peace

Another day at the State Fair, nice and quiet today. Plenty of time for painting. I finished the painting below today and will put it up on ebay for bidding by the end of today. The wifi connection has been sporadic today, so I don't even know if I will get this post up before I lose the connection again. I had planned to paint a new Peace painting today in remembrance of 9/11/01, but this sun spiral came out instead. I just go with the flow! I love these colors together, I may have to do a couple more! For some reason, my cropped version didn't save right so I will have to fix that later. Just trying to get this posted before I lose the connection again.

8 x 10 inch H2O oils on canvas board
SOLD

Sunday, September 10, 2006

Day 3

Yesterday ended up being a wonderful day out at the Fair! I reached my sales goal for the day, it only rained a little, but the leaks were fixed, and we ended up going to the Ozomatli and Los Lobos concert to top off the day! The concert was awesome! We really wanted to go, but didn't think we could afford it. Turned out the tickets were only $13!! I'm paying for staying up so late today, but it was well worth it! Only problem is, I forgot to bring my camera cable again today, so I still can't post photos.

Saturday, September 09, 2006

New Mexico State Fair 2006

Out at the Fair today, luckily I was able to get a wireless hook up out here. Yesterday we had a downpour in the evening, leaks in the roof, lots of fun! It's nice and sunny today though. I was hoping to post some photos today, but I forgot my cable to connect the camera, so it will have to wait until tomorrow. I took photos yesterday of the dark rain clouds right before the wind blew in and the clouds burst over us.

Wednesday, September 06, 2006

Procrastination

I just love to procrastinate! Here it is, one day before I'm supposed to set up my booth at the State Fair, and I'm messing around online! Actually, I just finished cutting all my mats, so I'm taking a break. Still a lot of work to do to get ready. I'm hoping there will be wifi out at the fairgrounds so I can keep up my blogging.

However, just in case there isn't, I will be out at the Fair for 17 days starting this Friday, Sept. 8th. If you are local to Albuquerque, or even New Mexico, and plan to make a trip to the fair, please stop by my booth in the Enchantment Arts and Crafts Show. We will be set up behind the Manuel Lujan Bldg.

I plan to take my paints with me so I can play while I'm there. I'm still thinking a lot about the direction of my work. I will hopefully be able to post the paintings I do in the next couple weeks. I feel like I'm at a major transition with my art, even though I'm not yet sure where it's going, I know it's changing. Maybe not really changing, but morphing is a better word to use.

Until I get a chance to post some new work, here is an original I currently have up for sale in my etsy shop. This is an oil painting on paper. Priced to sell at $25!