You’ll have to talk to people…

Talking to strangers isn’t a skill of mine. Talking about art isn’t a skill of mine. Talking to people about my art? I can feel my throat tightening up right now.

My art show opening at the Basement Gallery is this Saturday from 4:30 pm – 9 pm. The gallery owner, a very sweet and accomplished woman, told me that I should be there at 4:30 and during the event she’ll be sending people over to talk to me.

I hope they’ll do most of the talking. My plan was to hang out by the buffet and eat and smile. Eating, smiling AND talking to strangers is just going to give me indigestion. One of my biggest fears is dropping a canapé on my shirt. But the biggest fear is that my temporary veneer will fall out after taking a bite off a crusty roll.

I’ll let you all know how it turns out.

Extrovert

 

 

Watercolor Friday (And Some Random Thoughts)

The Disintegrating Magic Carpet by Snoring Dog Studio

She's a Peach by Snoring Dog Studio

Here come those Santa Ana winds again. One of my favorite songs by one of my favorite groups, Steely Dan, came to life this week in California.

Gingrich says his front-runner status is “disorienting.” Could it be that he WAS only in it to push his books and accumulate high paying lecture deals? A man with lots of ideas isn’t necessarily the man to elect for President. But so goes the mess that is the Republican party.

Older people are now a large portion of the population. Hear that, you brats and whippersnappers? Yesterday, I spent a little time downtown at our local First Thursday event to check out some galleries and shops. By the time I left, my feet were groaning loudly. Arches had gone almost completely flat. I was walking on pancakes for feet. My legs ached as well. I got to a stoplight, hit the walk button and when the white walker showed on the signal I began to shuffle across the street. 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, seconds … WAIT A MINUTE, people! I’m still in the middle of the crosswalk! How do the elderly and physically challenged get across the street in time? If we’re all going to be living among a bunch of old people, things are gonna’ have to change, starting with those traffic signals. We need double the amount of time to get across. We may even need helpers. There’s a job for some out of work children and youth!

I sat through the fourteen minute Lady Gaga video. The Cheerios had a lot of fun. “They say I lost everything. But I still had my BeDazzler.” Almost 8 minutes into it, she finally starts to sing and dance. Lady Gaga is incredible—quite an entertainer, but she’s got far more substance than Britney Spears or any of the pop stars on the scene today. I hope she has a long, healthy career.

Watercolor Friday at Snoring Dog Studio

Pondering the Deep

We’re expecting rainy, snowy weather today and during some of the weekend. Tomorrow I’ll be heading over to do a Fall Rake-Up event at a home somewhere nearby. That’s the kind of volunteering I like to do: something active and helpful. But every bit helps in volunteering.

So much has happened this year to make it a very different year from all the others. My parents finally were convinced they needed to move. They now live in a beautiful, one-story home next to my oldest brother in San Antonio, Texas. It’s a relief having them closer to a relative. None of us siblings expect our older brother to be next door constantly, but at least when Dad runs out of chocolate, my mom and he won’t have to drive themselves out to replenish the supply. I think we’ll all rest a bit easier now. My mother gets her arm cast off in a few days. Their new home is better lighted and so we’re hoping for no further incidences of stumbling around in the dark and missing the toilet seat.

My sister retired on November 1 this year. And then she shaved her head. Completely. She tells us the reason was so that she could discover what her true hair color really is. I believe the reason was to shed the past, to start fresh. She has a beautiful skull. Perfectly shaped, now with a brisk turf of salt and pepper hair. No one, at least not enough people, will ever realize what an incredible asset my sister has been in all the jobs she held. She worked long hours without being requested to, she held herself to a standard that few people could match. She made a difference in each company and she made a difference in people’s lives. She believed and still believes in doing the right thing. She is the most honest person I’ve ever met. And she never, ever stood by while others said, “Yes” when the response should have been anything but. When my sister came home that last day from work — late again because she needed to tie up “loose ends,” and not leave a mess behind for her staff, I reminded her of her saying, “Expect Ingratitude.” A legacy of worth would be nice, but people forget. I wish her a long and joyous retirement. I’m looking for a lot more home-cooked meals now that she’s got the time to prepare them. And I remind her of the saying, “Expect Ingratitude.”

Today, many, many years ago, a girl was born in Greenville, South Carolina. Today, at 8:00 am in Boise, a man will die. It’s his time. Someone enters the world, lives through decades, some stay to see what’s next, some leave to face whatever is next.

It’s a joyful day. It’s a somber day.

Be at peace, friends.

My Artist Biography and Watercolor Friday!

Before I venture on to the next art gallery and foist my work upon them, I’m told I must have an artist biography, written in the third person. Piece of cake! I think.

Snoring Dog Studio was born a long time ago. The year isn’t important. Stop asking! Her first painting project was …

Snoring Dog Studio first noticed an interest in painting while watching her mom paint her masterpiece, “Sunflowers.” What, Van Gogh painted that? You lie!!

Snoring Dog Studio came out of the womb holding onto a paintbrush. Metaphorically speaking. DUH!

Snoring Dog Studio chose watercolor as her medium after suffering a severe bout of hives when her hands came into contact with oil paints. Or, it was the fifth of vodka. I can’t remember.

Snoring Dog Studio paints watercolors, when she’s not practicing her first love: nude topiary.

Okay, this isn’t going that well. I’d rather have someone else write it for me.

This is, officially speaking, Watercolor Friday. I know I’ve missed a few. The last painting I posted was destroyed.

Yuk.

By me, as a matter of fact. I took it into the kitchen and washed all the paint and pencil off. That’s one of the reasons YUPO paper is so useful. Because of its slick surface, it can be re-used. I’m thinking of using it to paper one of the rooms in my house.

Sometimes a painting just isn’t successful. One of the learned skills of a better artist is the ability to recognize when you’ve reworked a painting all it can stand and, yet, it gets worse and worse. Nothing is improving it. Saying goodbye and starting over used to be very painful for me. I’m still speaking of painting here.

I started this painting last weekend.

Needs a Title

I’m liking it a lot. I don’t have a title for it, yet. How about you all suggesting one?

And while you’re at it … any of you Facebook peeps who can spare the time – could you please wander over to my Snoring Dog Studio Facebook page and “like” it? I’d like that.

Have a marvelous weekend!

I can dream about it.

Just this.