Sunday, July 15, 2018

Majestic and deadly


Majestic and deadly, and also apparently, very tasty!
We tried to eat lionfish while down in Florida but were unable to find a restaurant that had them. 
I have been told several times they are a delicate whitefish.
They are on our menu if we can ever find them!

Lionfish are an invasive species that are now almost all over the Gulf of Mexico. Several years ago, they were down in the keys while we were there and the divers were just starting to hunt them. There was a simple bounty on them at one time, but now the chefs are calling  them for their menus. I have had several divers tell me that they can make a good bit of money on a weekend diving trip. 

Some fast facts about our denizen of the deep.
They can eat 1/2 their body size.
The largest one ever caught was about 19 inches.
They have 18 spines  that carry poison on their sides.
They reach adulthood at 2 years.
The female can release eggs every 3 or 4 days, approximately 2,000,000 per year!
The eggs are in a casing that has it's own poison, preventing other fish from eating them.
A single one can reduce the native juvenile population on a reef by 79% in 5 weeks.
One lionfish was found to have 60 juveniles in it's belly.

Are they harmful?
Surely. we must all support the eradication of this species from our waters and send it back to where it belongs in it's own habitat in the Indo Pacific.

Majestic and Deadly, Acrylic on canvas, 12 x 12
Day 14 of the 100 days~100 paintings 2018

Saturday, July 14, 2018

The Dolphins playtime


I slept in a little later than I have been (7 am) I have been getting up at 530 to be able to drive to Mobile and teach all day at the Mobile Museum of Art. I would then arrive home around 615 making for an almost 12 hour day!
That week was incredibly fun and exhausting at the same time!

Today started out innocently enough.
I purchased a small jewelry box about two weeks ago with intentions of making it my makeup holder. The whole point of that was to eliminate the mess created by various pieces of  base, eye shadow, mascara and such from cluttering the top of my slumped glass sink. It is a beautiful piece of glass about 3/4 inch thick and all in one piece. It is also about 3 1/2 feet wide. 
Anyway, the point was to clean this area up.

The box was already painted white, so all I had done was to make two little boxes to fit in inside to hold my makeup. The problem was, the box was too high to fit on my shelf in the bathroom next to the sink. I went upstairs to my studio, and grabbed a hammer to move the shelves on the unit. I had to remove two large jars of shells and a sailboat with a broken bottom so they would not hit me in the head. I was ready for the shelf now. After a bit of banging, my better half showed up and asked if he could help. I was getting frustrated trying to hold the shelf, move the plastic pieces, tamp the shelf back down, then praying it was level. We both were trying to be in control of the process and were getting snappy with each other. I wanted to move the towel holder as well, and we needed a screwdriver. To the 'Junk' drawer we went. After considerable looking and rummaging we found the necessary tool to complete the moving of the towel holders. I left Chris doing that and I emptied the junk drawer in frustration. After throwing some things away,
 asking him to take various tools back to the shop.
Do we really need three pairs of pliers in this drawer? 
(He has a habit of dumping whatever is in his hand from the shop into the drawer.)

I wiped down and neatly arranged the drawer to my satisfaction.
In the process of finishing up the junk drawer, I had a plastic take out fork, napkin set. 
I wanted to place this in the regular table tools drawer. 

The table tools drawer was a mess, so I emptied it out too! I cleaned the tray, wiped down the inside of the drawer and put the various tools back into their proper places. I put all the plastic take out tools into a cup in the pantry along with our disposable plates and cups. I then had a large knife left over that belonged in the kitchen tool drawer.

I went to the kitchen tool drawer and tried to place the knife into the slots, not gonna make it!
While trying close the drawer, I realized that it needed cleaning and straightening as well. 
4 knives left over, a medicine spoon located that I needed two weeks ago, the drawer was neatly cleaned, sorted and put back into place.

Meanwhile Chris had taken the two pairs of pliers, screwdriver, and ear plugs to the shop. 
Laundry calling my name, finishing one load and starting another.
The bathroom and the jewelry box then beckoned. 

Before I could place everything on the shelf, I had to figure out the arrangement. I placed the box and then turned to the makeup on the counter. I also removed the makeup I had in the big cabinet and sorted, tossed, and made a pile to give away.

Finally finishing that, I needed to clean the shell jars for the shelf. I washed both the jars, rinsed the shells and rearranged them in their jars. They both looked really nice. I then saw the jars on the window ledge, Sea glass, Sponges, mermaids purses, a fish sculpture our daughter painted when she was about 10 years old, as well as a Neptune Santa and a beautiful blue glass jar. This was all cleaned, dried and placed on the ledge after I wiped it down. Meanwhile one of the jars I was cleaning had a tiny piece of something hit the sink and it went down the drain before I could catch it. I unscrewed the plug for the sink, trying to see the object that I heard. 
Nothing, nada, zip!

At least as far as the object. Now the drain was a gunky mess. So, I poured baking soda and vinegar down it as well as some plunging. While I was doing this, I was distracted by the hair my eyebrows and upper lip. I found the hair remover, put some on,  and had the timer on the stove. Chris walked in and just laughed at my face covered in the remover. 
I didn't flinch, I was too focused on trying to finish the job at hand. 
Finally sink cleaned, too many items washed dried and put away to mention!

Well over half the day was gone and I had not lifted a brush!
The box looks great in the bathroom though!
I just felt like a fireman all day, putting out little fires here and there.
What started all this, I Konmari article this morning.
It basically said, If it does not give you joy, toss it, sell it, or give it!

I finally settled down and painted this afternoon!
(That is, after grocery shopping, emptying out the car, and sorting the art supplies 
to their various places of abode!)

"The Dolphins Playtime" Acrylic on shadowbox canvas, 12 wide x 36 tall
Retail $295
Day 13 of the 100 days~100 paintings 2018  

Friday, July 13, 2018

The Look


I know each and every one of us has gotten "The Look". It may have been a teacher, a spouse, a parent, a child, or an animal, but they all can give the look.
We have a couple of dachshunds that have perfected it! 
Sometimes it means just stop it! 
Other times it is given in disbelief, such as when a teen gives it to you or another teen. 
I've spent the last 5 days with a delightful group of teenagers 
that occasionally gave each other the look. 
Any way you see it, it is always something that 
will stop you in your tracks and make you pay attention!

Short and sweet tonight folks!
55 hours in the past week, thinking about, driving to and from, and preparing for ART!
One more week of art camps to go, then I'm done for the summer.
I have a huge respect for the teachers in our lives that teach day in and day out!
God bless them all!

Thursday, July 12, 2018

King of the roost


We have several Blue herons that hang around Fairhope and the surrounding areas. 
They are protective of their stretch of the beach or pier. 
Almost comical, and always intimidating, swooping in out of nowhere. Drop a hook, a cast net, or carry a pole down the dock, if they're hungry, you can't miss them. We were once down in the Florida keys kayaking and as we came out of the mangroves, the three fishermen arrived as well. No sooner than they laid their boxes down, the Blue appeared. We jokingly said watch your bait! The fishermen replied, No, watch your catch, he took one just as we were reeling it into the shore! The fishermen were worried about the hook, but needless to say they didn't want to fight the blue!

I enjoy painting them too, they are a never fail me beautiful painting. I am also wrapping up my 5th week of teaching over the course of 6 weeks so far. I have one more week to go, at the art center here in downtown Fairhope. The classes here are not necessarily easier, but really a lot shorter. I leave the house at 6:45 am and arrive home about 6pm. The traffic going and coming across the bay can be fierce. With people rushing to get somewhere fast, there are accidents, fender benders, and with our hot and hazy weather, heavy downpours. I missed today's thunder boomer apparently, the streets were wet when I got home to a husband ready to get dinner out. 
Ah, such is life here, quiet, peaceful, and sometimes wacky!

King of the Roost, 24x 24, Acrylic on shadowbox canvas
Day 11 of the  100 days~100 paintings 2018

Wednesday, July 11, 2018

Commander of the sea



Well today was a  first! Lisa (Our share the beach coordinator was confused) When she called to bring the team to the water, she didn't know if they had one nest or possibly two! 
Apparently there were a LOT of turtle tracks. 

I could not go and help as I am teaching full time at the Mobile Museum of art this week. My week has been interesting to say the least, with preteen boys and girls in tow. We've gotten a great deal of work done, but we still have an incredible amount more to complete.
 Me and my grandiose plans!
 I always have dreams of everything going perfectly and that is never the case! 
We have two days to finish two rather large steampunk projects.
 At least the Acrylic and watercolor class are going swimmingly.

Commander of the sea, acrylic on canvas 12 x 12
Day 10 of the 100 days~100 paintings

Watercolor turtle winner
11x15inches
Bonus painting for day 10

Tuesday, July 10, 2018

Kid's play



Today's offering is a simple painting, created at the Mobile Museum of Art in Mobile, Alabama. 
I really enjoy teaching children and this summer has been a challenge. I've already taught pop art, watercolor, impressionism, and several recycling classes. This week finds me teaching Steampunk, Acrylic, watercolor and an Atelier (Artists studio) class too. The Atelier has the same three as the first hour, and the steampunk is spilling over. The kids voted to work over yesterday, and today we did steampunk hat construction in the first and Dirigible making in Atelier. The kids seem excited about their Airships and the imagination is flying hard and fast at the Museum. I finish up next week teaching my last recycled class at the Eastern Shore Art Center here in Fairhope. 

This painting was done during the acrylic class. We started out with a freehand drawing and the children following along. They then were allowed to pick out their octopus color and I guided them through the process. It has been a long day, of driving, teaching, and praying for others that have crossed my path. I think I will sleep soundly tonight for a change after preparing for the next day with the kiddos!

Kid's Play, Acrylic on Tar paper, 18 x 24
Day 9 of the 100 days~100 paintings 2018

Monday, July 9, 2018

Octopod




Octopod~any animal with eight limbs. esp. an octopus

Does that mean that a spider is an octopod? 
Arachnids not so much, as they are an arthropods, not sea creatures. 
Musings of an artist sitting at the easel. 
Lots of strange things go through your mind while you are doing something else altogether. 
I've solved many problems with my hands in dishwater while washing dishes. I've also managed to  solve problems or have ideas while driving. I sometimes even solve things in my dreams. 
The human mind is a beautiful thing, made to grow even into our later years if we let it. 
I've witnessed a lot of people that are elderly, keeping their minds active by taking classes to improve themselves or at least get out of the house.  Growing older, I'm convinced if you stay at home, in a vegetative state, watching television and not remaining active, you'll cut your life short by not exercising your mind and body. One of my favorite art kids grandmothers was beginning rock climbing in her early 80's.

Grandma Moses was a late bloomer as well. She began her art career at the ripe old age of 78! 
One of her paintings sold for over a million dollars recently.
I guess it goes to say, you can never start too late!

Do you have a passion you haven't fulfilled yet?
It's never too late! 
I did not start my "art career" until 1993, making this my 25th year of creating!
I hope I never, ever stop!

"Octopod", 4x12 inches, 
Day 8 of the 100 days~100 paintings 2018
Retail $45