Rare talent in Rhode Island

I challenge you to find a more talented group of women. Arts in RI!
Take a gander at this gift basket (scroll down) they ponied up and gave away to a very lucky winner for Valentine's Day. Not only talented in their craft, but extremely generous as well.
Julie Beck! I have been following and admiring her for a while. Her very "uniquely Julie" house portraits are a must have. Watch the progress of her work on Julie's blog.
Paula McDonough! I adore her nostalgic jewelry design. Look for that signature key! Beautiful.
Carol! She makes gorgeous hand woven scarves and dolls in her seaside studio.
Kim! Swoon worthy!!! Her lampwork beads are each a piece of art. I love Kim's work.
Wendy T! Wendy's beautiful work speaks for itself. Stunning jewelry designs made with all natural materials.
Linda! Funky and very cool purses and jewelry. NO whining cuff links. A purse made from seatbelts. You gotta see it!
Lisa! Exquisitely made handbags and pillows.
If you like the new bright prints, She's got 'em. Follow her daily rant at Lisa's blog.
Go visit a while with these fun and talented ladies from Rhode Island.
Little state, big hearts, VERY BIG ART!

Have a swell day, y'all!
Ronnie - feeling pretty good today, thank you.

Beauty stuck in the eye of the beholder

This is a painting done by my brilliant, thoughtful, three year old grandson. Beautiful? Yes!
I think so. It now hangs proudly in my art workroom. Thank you Cooper.
Today, I have a sore throat and sore skin. My hair is sticking out like a pile of pic up stics dropped on my head.
Could it be the result of the mind body connection....
"I'm too sick to think about any new ideas. I don't feel like myself. sniff.
Yeah, that's it. Self reflection can be uncomfortably revealing sometimes.
Two "Family Faces" victims are waiting to be brought into the world. One I promised to my dear story-telling, ocean-loving grandson and the other for a sister as a commission. A third BIG painting is for a gallery fund raising dinner...the theme being Visual Art and how it relates to Music, due by the end of the month. Blahhhhhh! The most I feel like creating is rice krispies treats.
What do I do? I take Sandy Mastroni's advice and try another medium.
I got out the new box of Sculpy. Thatta Girl!!! This is what happened...."Cat Fish Love" on the far right. On the left, a bunch of what Joe called Donut Flowers. A heart pendant hiding behind a teeny tiny purse. And in the middle a little monster.
The monster is a clear violation of design rights, meaning how dare I take a perfectly brilliant idea conjured in the mind of JunkerJane and screw it over like this??!!?! I guess because I love her monsters and they haunt me every waking moment along with brilliance that falls out of SAndy Mastroni's brain. Look at this.........
I adore this image. And the thought behind it. Good to be odd. Odd to be Good. Brilliant.
Don't you think? How could you not?!
Have a good week y'all,
Ronnie - cough, cough, oh, whoa, cough, whine, moan

Has your Muse drifted off?

I've been hearing a lot of talk lately: My Muse is GONE. I've lost my Mojo. Can't seem to get it together.
Perhaps it's Winter and the lack of sunlight.
Maybe our minds need a bit of a respite.
Relax. Release some of the pressure.

You may be surprised that it all comes back.

:)
Have a good day,
Ronnie

Big Biddy, Sand Hill Cranes,Trip to Town, and Giveaway

I painted another Big Biddy this weekend, celebrating my love of Chicks, Checks, Dots, Red and Yellow! You'll find it in my Etsy shop.

Sand Hill Cranes! They're heading back up North. This could be a good sign for you all up there.
I was doing the morning dishes and heard Joe call, "They're BACK!!" And I could hear them. DRRRRRR Drrrrrrrr Brrr DRRRRR! Hundreds of them flew over the house!
HUndreds and hundreds of trilling cranes. Can you imagine it?! Click the pic for a closer look.
This event thrills me no end! I ran out and took several pictures, but this is the clearest. I am no Shelagh Duffet!

Thursday I headed into Atlanta, Virginia Highlands to be specific. It's a small charming village surrounded by turn of the century houses. This is Highland Woodworking where you can learn everything you want to know about wood.
40% off sale on canvases at Sam Flax, so I was on a mission along with lunch with sisters.
A Valentine display and my reflection.....
This caught my eye as I was about to cross the street.... Painted Windows!
And here's the guy that creates them. I had to talk to him. So, I did! Charming man with elegant long hands and a passion for what he does. He paints these in reverse!! A brain buster to me. Click the pic to see a closer look at these great paintings. Here's his website....HERE!
A Yummy gourmet food shop....bella cucina
And heading out to eat with sisters. Sorry! I put the camera in the car at this point. We had sauteed veggies with Tofu and a luscious baby greens salad. Gawd this is a bunch of boring crap.
Are you there?! I didn't think so....Blahhh.
Oh, and that fabulous Giveaway!? Check here at B's place!
Love to you all,
Ronnie - aka JOe's stove operator living in a small town in Georgia

Hey guys,
I was tagged this week by a bright new talent. She is a sharp little artist living in Australia with a studly husband and TWO real cute kidlettes.

She has a great new blog sharing her life in Australia,
Where it is now Summer!
I know! Booooo! Hisssssss!
(This is for all us in North America and Europe!)

To see Kaili's brilliant paintings, stop by her spanking new Etsy shop also called Billyandbutton!

As for the TAG, it requires that I show you the fourth photo in my fourth photo folder and pass it on to four other bloggers.
I dread what I'm going to find. I'll be back in a minute.


Well, not exactly what I'd hoped for. : (
If it had been the FIFTH folder and the FIFTH picture it would have been the night I went out with George Clooney and we stopped on the way to Burger King to pick up Brad Pitt to discuss my part in the next Oceans 11 sequel and I said, "Nah, throw Julia a bone. She's been busy with the twins and I've got a lot on my plate with the blog and all and keeping Joe in Cheerios."
So, this is what you get. And these were the rules! : )
later gators,
Ronnie

This tag stops here. Enjoy.

billyandbutton

If not for you

Here I am sitting on the side porch of the 146 year old house that I am very slooooowly renovating. I am in a moment of creation! HaH! Many of us create here, but I digress.

If not for you, the things you create would not exist. This is Bob and I am his creator. I made him for a friend as a gift of love. His purpose is to ride strapped to her motor scooter as her constant traveling companion.
My delightful story telling grandson. If you could see the next frame, he would turn and tell you a story about this old cabin. His mind is always creating and he loves to tell you about it. Perhaps one day he'll become a writer and we will all be changed by his creations.
This is me trying to convince Joe to grab the other rake and put down the camera. WE are creating a garden. If not for us there would be no delicious greens for our dinners. I forgot to mention, Joe did the tilling.
A neighbor of mine worked hand over foot to create this work of art. I bought it from him at his yard sale. I tried to convince him to keep it, but he said he had moved on. I proudly display it on a ledge overlooking my vegetable garden. It brings me joy each and every time I see it.
This is my oldest grandson (Yogi tea boy). He is lost in creating. Or perhaps he is contemplating how to get back at his cousin with whom he has just had a pebble fight. I chose to believe the former.
I'm often lost in the act of creating. It is only after I've completed something as simple as a good cup of tea or a scooter-riding Bob, that I realize, "This didn't exist a few moments ago!"
If not for you it wouldn't exist. So, I leave you with this quote by Martha Graham...

"There is a vitality, a life force, an energy, a quickening that is translated through you into action and because there is only one you in all time, this expression is unique. And if you block it, it will never exist through any other medium and be lost. The world will not have it. "
-Martha Graham

Have a brilliantly creative day folks!
Ronnie

Another day at the Market....

The trip to Bangladesh was grueling, but well worth it. I had to pay for extra baggage, as my carry on would not hold all of my bracelets.

Third Victim in the Family Faces Series!

When I looked at this photo of my oldest grandson, it said, "I'm a monk. Paint me."
I waffled a bit, waking up one night with an image of this cherubic face as a Pentecostal Southern snake handling preacher, but I came to my senses by morning. This is a collection of things I gathered as inspiration...the Dalai Lama and a book on 1000 year old Indian paintings and a box of Yogi Tea which is down in the kitchen.
The black and white copy enlargement of the face is from the smaller color picture. First off, I colorized the photo using acrylic paints and Prismacolor pencils. You'll see the results of that at the end.
Here is my finished drawing. I later transferred it to a 12"x16" canvas.
Painted the canvas a BRIGHT orange then washed it in a khaki color then ragged with burnt umber. My photos drive me crazy! They don't show any of the subtle colors or patterns.
I've chosen my color scheme and started painting. I white-out the face so the dark background doesn't show through when I apply the face.
Did some striae on the blue and added some trim designs. Then I COMPLETELY lost myself and forgot to take any pictures until I was done.....
Which is here. Click the pic for a closer look.
YOU are handing him a cup of good old Yogi Tea! And he is very grateful.
This boy is so adorable, I could have painted a wort hog around him and he'd still look cute.
Later gators,
Ronnie

Due for a Change. No, not Obama. My Work Space!

This is where I have been working. It's a wreck! If I wanted to sew, I had to clear the painting stuff off and throw the machine on.
It was youngest (finally flown the coop) son's room. The gigantic poster of a Ferrari is still tacked to the ceiling for viewing when he was in bed. Dave Matthew's Band pic on the door. The Undertaker, a wrestler, on the back of the door. Remnants he left behind. Not exactly my space, but I was getting by.
Then Scoop Magazine called and wanted an interview with pictures for their next issue! Oh no, this would not do! An artist's digs with shades of vacated college student?!
Monsters and Minor Whiners agreed. So, I started packing it up! Take over the bigger room across the hall with a nice view and better light without 4,000 blue spots of poster putty dotting the walls!
Here it is! All nice and clean after two days of work and Joe helping me hang new blinds on three windows. And Junker Jane's monsters and kitty pillow placed on the bed.

Throw in the easel and move the monsters and pillow to the rocking chair. Made a nice big table from a door and two put-together bookcases (which hold more stuff!) and covered it in colorful vinyl. Called it good.
Now, I have TV! Better chair. Better light. Better get to work.
Have a good one,
Ronnie
If you live near me, look for Scoop Magazine! It's Free or as they say, "Priceless".

Summer Photos of St. Marys, Georgia

Joe and I discovered St. Marys over eight years ago. We fell in love with this unpretentious, friendly, quirky town. This is not a resort town. If you want to go downtown on your bike wearing your dirty gardening clothes to get an ice cream, your fine.
Everyone knows everyone, which can be good and bad. I've been known to lay in the middle of the street just 'cause I can. My sisters and I have chased cars through town on our scooters. Not motor scooters. The kind you push with one foot.
Fishing is great and you can catch a bunch of blue crab in an afternoon just by dropping in a net with a chicken wing tied inside.
Since it has been so cold lately, I thought you might like to see a bit of Summer. A bike ride on a particular day in July. Not in any order...
When I'm in St Marys, I take a bike ride both morning and afternoon. This is afternoon on the fishing pier. That's Florida in the distance.
Early evening on the boat dock, looking toward town and the boat ramp.
This is what the dining room looks like when I'm there without Joe. Art supplies!
The cemetery is two blocks from the house. I love to explore here. St. Marys, Georgia is the second oldest city in the United States.
St. Augustine, Florida is the oldest.
Many Acadians from Novia Scotia buried here.
Trees. These are Live Oak. Very old and protected by the city. You can't touch one, even on your own property, without permission. The Spanish moss blows gently in the breeze.
This is the marsh and sailboats at the marina. The marsh grass changes color with the time of day. Turns a beautiful golden color in the winter.
A winding creek heading for the brackish water of the St. Marys river
The old Bachlott House. It has been completely restored by the National Park Service. Administrative offices for the Park Service and their Rangers.
A National Park in St. Marys? Yep. This is where you catch the ferry to Cumberland Island National Seashore. Most famous for the wedding place of John Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn B.
This is the Ranger Station where you get your ferry and island info and stop in the lovely gift shop for postcards and seashells and posters of wildlife.
This is my bike. I've named him Carl. Everyone thinks I'm a bit crazy to have a bike with a name, but I loooove Carl and I have the most fun with him.
I've stopped here for a walk in the old cemetery after first shopping at the downtown Farmer's Market for fresh veggies. That's what's in Carl's basket.
Then, it's back to the little house to paint a bit and do some yard work til evening comes, when I'll head out again in hopes of catching a nice sunset. Sigh. I wish I were there right now and it was Summer.
Have a great day, folks.
Ronnie
If you are so inclined, check out the St. Marys link in my link list. It'll tell you waaaay more than you want to know.