JOHN LENNON AND OTHER WONDERFUL THOUGHTS FOR TODAY

Yesterday, John would of been 70.  I cannot think of a groovier 70 year old.  This morning I listened to

an interview of John by writer David Sheff that was done in August of 1980.  The  interview/article came out in Dec 6, 1980 in Playboy and two days later, he was shot.  I still feel a cold shiver run through my body.  The sadness that grabbed so many of us when we heard the horrible news....  This peaceful man.  Dead.

Violently shot down.  It's one of those moments in my life, when I am ashamed to be associated with human beings.  How humans could be capable of such tragic useless evil.  why?

  here's the interview.. it's worth taking the time to listen to.

http://www.npr.org/player/v2/mediaPlayer.html?action=1&t=1&islist=false&id=130429818&m=130452366

I will always be a Beatles fan.  Always.  There wasn't anything more moving for me as a young girl growing up,  listening to their music.  And there hasn't really been any more musical artists that has so touched my heart as their music.  Except Jack Johnson.  He comes as close as James Taylor does since the Beatles.

 In 2007, I was picked to do an design for our local Strawberry Days.. and I ran with the idea of the Beatles

Strawberry Fields. So I did the poster design.. and what  blast I had doing it.  Our surrounding mountains became snow covered strawberries with kaleidoscope clouds.  here's my art on the poster....

I drove my Petula car, a painted art car, and when I was lined up ready to join in the parade, and all I could hear was Beatles music surrounding me, I have to say it was a moment of gratitude.  I had brought my love of the Beatles to our little mountain town, and we felt the groove as we sang Strawberry Fields Forever.

A proud moment for me.  Here's Petula.  She was Groovy.  I loved driving her..everyone always knew where I was doodling around in her.  I finally sold her.. she needed a lot of work and was getting old.

I had my fun and now it was time to move on.  Doing the art car was fun, but that's another story for another day.

  NOW.. all we need is LOVE.  and 10-10-10 today.  A good day.  Hold onto those positive thoughts.

Everything is working out for our highest good.

  I love this.

 

MORNING AHHHHH

I have always been an early morning person.  It's the calm time of the day. The ahh part of being alive for me.

Everyday brings new ideas, new hopes, new projects.  A fresh start of whatever you desire.  When I am drinking my morning coffee and look out the window to see this kind of sunrise, I feel a wash of gratitude and

humbleness.  That we are so fortunate to be witnessing this miracle. 

We have had a lovely fall.. September was nearly a continuation of summer.  October started out the same.

It's certain we will be thrown into winter..  I am already thinking about those new snow tires I need to buy.

And while I long to have summer last year round, I know winter is around the corner.  And winter

to me means more studio time.  More art.  And that's good.

NOW

I must tackle lots of orders.

But the art is waiting for me.. lots and lots of it.

yum.

JUNK STATION

This is a part's cleaner sink..  normally found in a garage.  My husband, the GREAT garage sale KING, found this for $5 recently.  I spotted it in his garage, and admired it and mentioned I would love one like it.  I have a continuous pile of metal finds, found items.. JUNK that I keep readily handy when I am creating.

I have more in storage, but like a stockpile close by for inspiration.  Close by has meant on the floor, in my way, in boxes.  But now my sweet husband gave me his.. and even mounted wheels on the legs so I can easily move it around.

It's faded to a delightful orange red.. obvious when you lift the lid.  I have flat boxes inside filled with finds.

And here's the station closed.  I can use the surface to work on!

And with the shelf underneath,, plus the added space to place plastic bins, I have lots of storage.

I LOVE LOVE LOVE my new work station..  NOW it's has been repurposed from a parts cleaner to a parts storage for metal objects.

It made my mornings SMILE!!!!!

Thanks Dan...

MORNING RAIN PROMISING FALL

A morning rain passed by.. thunder, wind and some rain.  But then it was gone and I stepped outside to breathe in the delightful air.  Fall is knocking at our door.  The colors of the oak brush are starting to turn on the hills here in town. 

If you look at the center of this hillside shot, you will see the pine trees that were burned a few years ago.  Nature is coming back and soon we will see green pine trees.  The remnants of the storm clouds are laying low and lazy over the mountain.  I would love to take a drive up into the mtns today to enjoy the changing

colors.

I came back into my studio .. it's pretty chaotic right now.  A sign that I have been really really busy.  It needs cleaning.  But not today.  Today I need to work. Orders to get out, catalogs to print, and new designs to work on.

Cleaning will have to wait.

NOW

I must work!!!!

MARLEY MORNING

NOW

AND THEN.

Well, the frog is a little worn out now, and Marley is certainly a LOT BIGGER.  We thought we were getting a medium size dog but we got a BIG DOG. And of course, now he is perfect the way he is -- just more of him to LOVE!  Marley has become the center of our lives.  We are always laughing and loving his silly fun ways.  He spends days here with me at the studio... napping and patiently waiting for a walk or ride.  He adores getting the mail with us.. he will even help bring in the groceries.  We take him with us nearly everywhere we go.. he especially loves the jeep rides.  He always greets us with a smile and lots of tail wagging and it is so special to be loved by Marley.

Here in the neighborhood, Marley's best friend is Oso.  They met at a local park and we hook up with Pablo his owner and Oso and Marley play and run and run.  It's so fun to watch them romp and wear themselves out.  I want to take a movie of those two. It's just so great for them to get together.

I cannot imagine my life with Marley.  The love of this sweet dog just makes every day a happy joyful day.

The sky is just bluer, the songs sweeter and you cannot help but feel blessed.

NOW
to work!

PROMISES OF PURPLE

This morning on my front patio, I was watering my flowers.  Beside the large pot of hibiscus, I have a small assemblage in a house shape with a bird nest inside.  And as if these two pansies decided this was the most perfect place to bloom and soak up the morning sun, here they were nearly inside the little house.  These are the little daily miracles that make my day bright and full of promise. 

 

In two planters, I have our lush purple petunias.  I always plant these because I adore their color of deep purple.  They look like velvet flowers and they smell of spicy and sweet.  I cannot pass them by without inhalling deep so they sit along our steps filling the air with their wonderful fragrance.  Petunias grow well here in Colorado.  At our elevation of over 5000 feet, the sun can be intense and these petunias love the hot sun as long as they get a good drink of water daily. 

This morning I am smiling because we had a wonderful opening last night at the Aspen Chapel Gallery.  A nice crowd showed up, some old friends and new friends.  I sold three pieces of art, and leads for selling two more.  I was really pleased with the entire show.  Openings are sometimes hard for me.  An artist loves to create, but standing in front of your work and talking about it, that sometimes is hard.  Little by little, I have learned to more comfortable in my art shoes and am actually starting to really enjoy openings. 

So today is going to be a smiling purple day for me.  And I hope for you too.

NOW for an artfull day!

FOCUSED

I love this piece.  This one will be hard to see sell.. and when I really, really love a piece, it will quite often be the first one to sell.  I titled this one "FOCUS" with those wonderful old welding glasses... the dark lenses there to protect you while you are working.  How important is this in life to keep your guard up.. to protect your intentions.   But also to stay focused.. keep on target.. mindful of the crucial need to keep a sense

of fun and whimsey.  So for me, this piece is about the balance of staying Focused.

His head is an old water canteen.. the kind the boy scouts used to carry.  The legs are copper that my husband made for me to use.  The feet and the knees are adorable.  Thank you Dan.  The bow tie,

an old sprinkler base and the hat is something I picked up at a thrift shop several years ago.  I then had no idea what I would use it for, but as these kind of things happen, it works perfectly for a hat for my little guy.

And, yes, I will say it again.  I adore this piece.

NOW

on to more creating.