I Miss Those Shrunken Heads

The title caught my eye,"Where Shrunken Heads Are a Big Attraction." Page D6 of the this morning's Wall Street Journal brought back memories of my childhood.

What kind of childhood did you have? Actually it was a great one, a sister who was a built-in playmate, two loving parents, a big brother, dogs, cats, horses, cows, and friends.

Several years ago I was commenting to my children that one of their toys, a squishy, disgusting heart/brain/liver like thing was beyond the pale as far as grossness went. They reminded me of my penchant for shrunken heads.

Said heads were black rubber with streaming nasty black hair all hanging from elastic cords so they could bounce and flail (like the real thing, right?). We were ecstatic when we played with them, putting them in each others faces, chasing each other with them, just plain being kids with them.

I suppose like many toys they were eventually put in a drawer or box and disposed of with the troll dolls and my sister's Little Kiddles.

And by the way if you want to see the real thing "head", haha, to the Pitt Rivers Museum at the University of Oxford.

Face Lift

Okay, if a title like that gets your attention there is too much guilty pleasure television in your life.

Today I did a face lift on the blog, a new banner, a new template from the good folks at blogspot and some new colors. A little lift for a distraction from summer.

If you are a regular reader you know my distaste for summer in Florida, it is here. Almost 100 degrees today. The vegetable garden has already met its demise, the weeds are proliferating and it is too hot to pull them out by their little feet.

I have posted two paintings which are works in progress. They have been looking at me for several weeks. The great inspiration of the moment passed so I have been dragging myself to them to put more paint on the canvas. A tribute to the arts. There is a lady violinist also, she will appear at a later time.

Some fun

Pictured here is a little something I made for a birthday gift. This bracelet is on an endless series of connected loops of silver. Anybody who makes jewelry will not be impressed. I imagine this has been around for a long time, but I was wowed by the perfect design of concentric connected circles. Each end I finished with small spirals made with pliers. This was fun. What a great concept...fun.

Back to etsy

I just decided to reopen my etsy shop.

Check it out for some beach ladies and gentlemen. All are matted and sealed for easy shipping which is free within the United States. I will be posting more each day so stay tuned. These are original paintings, not prints.

Click here
http://www.etsy.com/shop/niftyartgirl

Hannah Strikes a balance in Davis, CA

I recently met Hannah Klaus Hunter through Alyson Stanfield's Blast Off on-line class. Hannah is an art therapist who works with children and families at the University of California in Davis Children's Hospital.

Her stories are of bravery, heartache and incredible strength and character. Hannah has become my touchstone in this sea upon which I am sailing.

Balance, harmony, unity with variety are all principles of art Hannah expresses in her work. Looking at these pieces to the left your eye moves in a rhythm to see everything.

This doesn't happen by accident. It is a skill that artists develop. You should see it all and watch it unfold.

Richness of color is focused with the use of carefully chosen shapes and textures. Individually these elements are important, together they are powerful. Strong lines and forms hold it in place.

The heartfelt choices are reflections of Hannah's patients and their stories. The feelings unfold in the details. They are lovely and make you want to touch and hug them. How one is affected when they view these pieces says a lot about the balance Hannah offers her friends, family and patients.

To see more of her work visit the USE Credit Union in Davis, CA this Friday for her opening from 5:30-7:30. The show will be open from June 7 to June 19.

Hurricane Camille

An update on the hurricane series.

Here is a section of the painting, The Wind was Whistling Under the Door. It is in progress. Acrylic paint and collage, 28" x 22"

When Hurricane Camille was blowing through Mississippi, east of our home in New Orleans, I remember hearing the wind whistling through the weather strip under the front door.

It was August 19, 1969. The winds reached over 200 m.p.h. The fierceness of the storm was trying to reach from under that blue door. This house would later stand 5 feet under water after Katrina.

My friend Mary

A week ago my art group, The Lascaux Society, met. We had an assignment to do a portrait of a friend. There were no restrictions as far as size or medium. Agonizing over who to paint I turned to my friend, Mary who was in the same boat. We decided on each other. Some of you may understand how difficult it is to work when there are no deadlines and no restrictions. This assignment gave me a purpose and a focus. It was so much fun. Fun is not a big enough word to describe the portrait of me that Mary has begun. It is wonderful and colorful. Her use of materials is genius. I will photograph it when she has completed her mission.
I hope you enjoy this portrait of Mary, aka MK. I wanted to portray her cheerful disposition and her creativity. She has artistic expression in her dress, her writing, and her art. This is part of what makes her a renaissance woman in my eyes.