Bliss Bikes in Progress

Whew!
Boy it was tough getting this done. A whole lot of life getting in between me and it!
If you remember my last post you'll see my original design. I made a teeny tiny sketch and then enlarged it on my scanner, added the lettering, and then transferred it to the canvas (18x24).
I slathered a good cover of Raw Umber allllll over it. Edges too.
Design has been transferred and all I've done here is fill in the spaces with flat color.
Filled in everything and added some detail on the blue lady and added a bit of lighter brown to the corner to experiment a bit.
Threw some clouds on the lady, a few bike spoke spin lines, and added more of the lighter gold/brown here and there and some star thingies.
A closer look. If you click on the pic, it'll put your eye out it's so big! And I've painted out the star thingies cause I didn't like 'em.
FINE! as they say at the end of a French movie, which has nothing at all to do with this painting, but it's my blog and I just felt like saying it. This picture is yellow and fuzzy, cause my light was crappy, but I'll take another all Bright and Clear tomorrow.
This painting is in my Etsy shop, but if it just hangs out there it's headed to Naked Art USA in Birmingham, Alabama the first week in August.
Love and all good stuff,
Ronnie - in a small town in Georgia
PS If you're a newbie, scroll down a couple of inches and you'll see my design before it jumped on the canvas.

Balancing Act!

Things are humming along better than expected. At least I got this new thing started!
I had planned to finish "Bliss Bikes" yesterday, but Joe drug me off for a long walk around the lake. I whined while putting on my shoes and whined while plopping my old floppy straw hat on my head, but once I got going realized I was in dire need of the exercise. Joe said if only I'd listened to him alllllll these years just think how different things would be. Yeah. Right.
LATER, I settled in the BB workshop and mixed the most BE-autiful blue, using these colors, for the lady in "bliss bikes".
I'll show you a progression (as usual) when it's all done. Should finish it up tonight.
ALSO, I'll be putting these little books I did in the Etsy shop when I get some good pics. Reminds me, I'll be taking mom to have a sonogram of her heart this afternoon, but everything should be fine. She's a tough little bird.
Other drama...the house did get a new roof last week. This is a shot of a very handsome (looked like Zorro) Mexican man who popped up to the second floor to find me sitting at the computer downloading photos while sipping tea and wearing my pajamas. I smiled at him, grabbed my camera, pointed, shot, but he DUCKED!
Here's the roof in progress. eight guys used pitchforks and snow shovels to get the old roof off. An awful racket from the inside! That's my workshop, the window on the top left behind the leaves. The new roof looks great! Next up, living room paint. I'll see you tomorrow with my finished painting.
Have a great day everybody,
Ronnie - aka JOe's stove operator

This IS an art blog!

With Joe's retirement came a whole new "to do" list:
Get the annual physical, apply for long term care insurance, do repairs on the house so we can put it on the market next Spring. So, I went for the physical and doc says, "Looks like your shoulder's still messed up. Time for a trip to the bone and joint man."
I haven't been able to lift my right arm above my head for way too long. I suspect it happened here at the farmhouse. The old windows had to come out and then...
I carried and heaved them in here. Then there was the painting and scraping...

Yep, that's me, on the ladder....
Here too, pulling up three layers of flooring to get to the wood. But alas, good news came today. After steroid shots and several weeks of physical therapy, I'm good to GO!
Yep, this is an art blog and it's back to the drawing board.
Joe has roofers scheduled next week and the living room to be repainted shortly after. I guess he'll be handling that. He's retired now!
YeeeeHaHHAHAHAHsnortHaHAAA! I'll keep you posted. It's a laugh a minute around here.
LOve you all,
Ronnie - struggling to stay an artist in a small town in Georgia

Joe is retiring next week. Wednesday to be exact. My life will never be the same.
I used to look at people my age when I was in my twenties and think, "Well, their heading for the dirt nap." Now I'm there. I don't feel like I thought I would. I feel like I'm stuck at around 33. Then I walk by a shop window, see my reflection and shock myself.
" Who the HELL is THAT!?" Or when I head back UP the hill I just came down and I'm gently reminded by my heart and lungs. Sigh.
Joe will have a lot of time on his hands. Like he has never had before. He has lived an amazing life and I can't imagine what this transition must feel like to him. He asked me today as we were looking around the yard, "What will I tell people I do when they ask?" Good question. He'll be working on that. Perhaps he'll spend more time collecting rocks. Joe is called the Rock Man around here. He loves rocks! He'll see a rock on the side of the road and we'll have to stop to collect it. See these? In the picture above? Yep, you guessed it. He seems connected to them like he used to be a rock. Except the pebbles. He got these at Home Depot and scattered them amongst his rock relatives.
It was a glorious morning. Look at the way the sun's light shines through the leaves of this wild violet. It spang from amongst Joe's rocks. It's quite at home here. I can't wait for it to bloom.
Have a great week.
Love,
Ronnie

A Good Memorial Day

Monday is Memorial Day in America. It's a time for family gatherings and backyard cookouts. A time to visit a military cemetery and perhaps leave a token of thanks and gratitude to a fallen soldier, sailor or airman. Joe and I will travel to St. Marys where on Monday a wreath will be placed on the St. Marys river.

I grew up the daughter of a US Army aviator. My dad was a member of the Army Air Corp, a veteran of the Korean War and Vietnam War.
I cut my teeth while watching young soldiers, paratroopers in training, jump from the mammoth jump towers at Fort Benning. I adored military parades and the music of John Philip Sousa.
I also loved planes, helicopters, anything that flew. And my father was a pilot. I mean PILOT! When he smiled, I swear little stars flashed from his snowy white smile. He was my personal hero.

When I was nine years old my father took me flying over farmer's fields. Dad was attending flight school at Fort Dix, NJ at the time. Illegal as hell, he had my mother bring my older sister and me to a grassy field where he landed an Army L-19 Birddog. Picture a light weight, army- brown, highwing, two-seater aircraft, it's wings painted with the star and stripes.

It was a beautiful day. As the three of us stood in the tall grass of the field, Mom pointed toward the sky. We watched as a tiny plane grew larger, then landed. My hair whipped against my face from the rush of the propeller, then with all the trust in the world for our handsome young father, my sister and I climbed aboard.

I had flown once before on a long trip across the breadth of America and up to the Aleutian Islands and then across the endless Pacific to the island of Japan. It was 1952, the airliner was not a jet, but a propeller driven plane! But today was different. It was filled with spontaneous spirit and that touch of danger that my dad embodied.

As Dad motioned to us, and with Mom's help, we jumped into the single seat behind our dad, sharing the harness intended for a backseat observer. Within minutes, Dad opened the throttle and we spun around to take off. The plane felt as light as a balloon under us. With each bounce across the grass it seemed to want to leap into the air!

I think Dad took that little plane through every maneuver he'd learned and knowing my dad, probably more. We dove and climbed and rolled and did gigantic loops in the air that made our stomachs float into our chests and I heard myself yelling a squeeky little girl Whoaaaaaaaa! in unison with my sister. We looked at each other in wide grinned joy and we both knew we were the luckiest girls in the whole wide world.

Have a good Memorial Day folks.
Here's to my dad and all the other veterans who have passed on. Thanks. Thanks an awful lot.
Love,
Ronnie

A Parallel Universe!

We had a great time at Hatch Market!

The Scoop Magazine/Hatch Market team worked hard tying up loose ends after months of planning this first time event. I imagine this would be a tough thing to do the first year.
Things were a bit hectic as we set up. I didn't get the spot I imagined, which was a 10x10 spot covered by a tent they would provide. Once we got there I realized that the space I was given was not going to work. A six foot table connected to a long line of other tables covered by a HUGE tent. Sadly, no place to hang my art.

It looked like this.

So, Joe and I found a spot under a tree and next to a stretch of fence and were given the okay to set up there. We hoped it didn't rain (no tent) which lucky for us it didn't. Staff did offer to go buy a tent, but it could be an hour or so til they did.
A few things seemed to fall through the cracks, such as SIGNAGE! None on the surrounding streets to attract impulsive, looking for something to do, weekenders or for people intentionally looking for us. I believe that oversight kept the crowd a bit thinner than we'd expected. You live and learn.
BUT, I was very much humbled by all the creative people and true Indie stuff!

Click the pic and you might see something.

One of these days I'll remember to take great close ups for you!

The best part was meeting people like this. Jessica of ButterBeanBabies and Jodi of JodieMO
First craft show for them. What a dynamite job they did!

Here's Joe, my dear husband/pack mule, chatting with a customer.
This is not his thing but he hung in there to the end!

This is Anne Elser. Hey, did you notice! They put her in front of the Air Conditioner!

She makes THE most beautiful handmade journals, one of which I bought for Joe.
His birthday was Sunday.

These two talented ladies are best friends. Joyajewelry and Linwood Avenue. They too were rerouted, but lucked out with this great space in the garden under a vine covered arbor.

So She Sews and her very sweet significant other. I love her recycled creations. Check her out at SoSheSews.etsy.com

I met so many other great artists and crafters,
but no time to run around with the camera.

Bede Sisters Kay and Lori Shumpert make beautiful market bags and I had to have one!
E! La La! makes luscious soaps which Joe and I bought for Mother's Day gifts.
And I met Lolly of Lolly felt like it! Enjoyed talking to her lovely mom too.
It was great seeing all of you!
Great first try Melanie and Jessica! A good learning experience for all.
Love and hugs,
Ronnie

I busted outta here!

The Dogwood Festival, held in beautiful Piedmont Park is the oldest and best arts festival in Atlanta. I first visited 30 years ago pulling my young sons in a wagon.
My sister called and said I needed to join her for the day, that I could probably use the inspiration. So, I did!
A bit of Midtown through the trees. Piedmont Park is like Atlanta's Central Park. About a 45 minute drive from my house on a really good traffic day.
Sheep Incognito! The booth on the right. What a hoot. Cute work and sells brilliantly! Boy, that lady is happy to have her picture taken.
There was good food here, but this was the most visually interesting. It was the forks that got me!

Brilliant artist here. My favorite of the show. And I forgot to get her card! Her husband takes all the photography of her work in preparation for making prints of her originals. He said she paints everyday. Click the pic for a close up!
This guy paints on black roofing paper. A long skinny 10" x 46" is about $4oo!!!
Perfect weather and a great artist break! I wish you could have been here!
I'm back to work now and humming along pretty well.
Switching gears, some of you are asking about the owl chicks. This is the last picture I took of the little one. He was posing for me, but his eyes are closed. If you're interested in some amazing professional pics of these owlets. Go here... JCKnoll.com and click the owls. He's been watching them since they hatched.
Have a great week, folks!
Ronnie

Serious Hair on Fire Mode!!!

Okay, today is the day that I begin in earnest to prepare for the Indie Arts Fair called HatchMarket.
I'm about two months behind, and if there were trophies for procrastination and quadruple tasking with disastrous results, I'd have a full shelf.
So, suffice it to say I need praying and good vibes sent my way. I'll probably head to Walgreens today for a stash of Valerian and maybe some Celestial Seasons Calm the Crazy Person Tea.
Yeah, that's a plan.
Sleeping last night was an Olympic sport. Imagine a sea bass out of water.
Yesterday was spent pushing the reset button on the youngest son.
Lord have mercy! Does parenting ever end!!!

It was determined yesterday that he'll begin the 2009 race season as a V W TDI Cup race car driver. This is the first and only Green (Diesel) racing series. Green? Auto Racing? Auto Racing! Green! Humans will try anything. First race is held at the beautiful Virginia Internation Raceway. Paul Newman called VIR heaven on earth. Wish the boy luck.
And his mother and father too.
I'm off now to chain myself to the art production room. I will check in later with the results.
Love and hugs,
Ronnie

Who Hooed?!

See those two little bumps in the middle of the tree?
Two owl chicks! Waaaay up in a Live Oak tree. Nesting in the resurrection ferns.

This one is chowing down on leftovers left by mom the night before. I know! But that's what owls do.

Way up there. The tree is on a corner next to the elementary school on the main drag in St. Marys. I took these pictures the first week of April when I was down to do the Spring cleaning.
Younger one on the left, still quite downy. Older chick on the right. A man told me they can hatch several weeks apart. Explains why one is so much bigger. This is a good one to zoom/click on. You can see big one's yellow eye and the little one is napping leaning on his sib'.
Little one's face. Big one's bum. Looking for more chow.
I wish I had better camera skills. I walked here several times and was always surrounded by Owl Chick Fans! Tripods. Long lenses. Lots of chatter and pointing.

They never peeped that I could hear. One guy told me the mom owl (a great horned owl) came around only at dusk with a nice juicy meal for her chicks. He said he'd seen the bigger chick fly once, but not very well.
If I'd had the sense to take a shot of the scene below, you'd see lots of folks with their hands held above their eyes and pointing. Four of five tripods with cameras and traffic stopping to look.

I came back as it was getting dark, but didn't see their mom.

Look like two teddy bears.
Joe and I are going back today to stay for the Easter weekend. I'll bet they'll be flying by then.
Have a great weekend, folks!
Ronnie