I talked last blog post about something special that was coming! So here it is: the "birth" of my new
store at Cafe Press! You can get to it by clicking on the Visual Interludes logo on each page which was designed for me by my Linked-In friend Melissa.
  It is my future dream to have a large studio where my work can be seen. When I was in Tuscany
last summer, I saw a real estate ad showing a casa which was designed in its interior the way I envision
my studio. The walls would have large colored panels that would be in the colors of the Mediterranean
and Caribbean, a sample of turquoise blues and the Italian azzuro azzuro. The water is so blue that it is
said more than once! The panels would also be in the colors of the Italian countryside and the island houses
of the Caribbean. I would have large decorative armoires and museo plush seating throughout. My "children"
would feel at home in such a space and I would have plenty of room for paper files, canvas, paints, etc. I often
look around to see if I actually recognize it when I see it. If it is meant to happen, that day will come when I
will know that it is the space for which I have been searching. Meanwhile, thanks to the internet, my virtual
studio and store will have to suffice. I hope you can drop by and stay awhile but be sure to let me know you
were there. Leave a message for me under the Contact the Artist link on the Main page. I look forward to
talking to you.

  In a resort area like Va. Beach (pronounce it like the locals: VAH Beach , sort of like KAH-pree instead
 of kuh-pree for its counterpart in Italy), June is a month of openings and arrivals. The opening of summer
when the flood of tourons begins its massive descent upon the Boardwalk, the arrival of forest green trimmed
lawns and multicolored palettes of flora and fauna, sunbaked palms seeking escape from winter temps, and
beaches filled with a kaleidoscope of wavering umbrellas and sunworshippers.
   After a break from soaked booths in local juried art fests I decided to concentrate on a different kind of
stepping out of the comfort zone project such as a painted palapa tabletop for our summer-ready deck.
The acrylics and latex came out of long term storage and the DIY side of me appeared as well. As with most
home improvement projects I forgot how involved in time these projects can become. Nevertheless I continued
until it was finished and the final layers of polyurethane were carefully added to seal the patina. Fini! I forgot 
how much I enjoyed using a difference in media. I am also reminded how it is beneficial to me as an artist to 
attempt a style that is quite foreign in my quest for new avenues and my growth in my latest ventures.Not too
bad a beginning for the first day of a new week and unofficial summer day. Oh....stay tuned for the announcement part which will be coming soon in a near future post and pics of the project if I can only locate the camera....
   

  Does anyone else get anxiety ridden when packing? I am always forgetting something although I try
to be one of those people who carefully list at least on sticky notes what I am going to need for the
trip. Mind you, this trip is brief, and for another show weekend, this time in the Arts in the Park in
Richmond, Virginia, which is about two hours away. I will again experience the feelings associated
with being a newbie for this experience. I get enjoyment from packing for a European trip with all of
the anticipation of arrival, even nowadays with traveling not exactly high on my list of things I enjoy
doing while knowing that airports and airplanes are not quite the same as they once were prior to 9-11.
I even plan out my wardrobe with thumbnail sketches of paired separates for each day. Of course it
never quite works out the same as planned but I feel more confident that I have them for reference.
Planning for shows is also similar: scanning a typed out checklist for packing the car, remembering the
hardware, paintings, giclees, banners, tent, concrete buckets, bungee cords, directions map, tape, carts, chair,and
weather change apparel. The more I do it, it seems to become a bit less difficult. I have even sketched
out the planned set-up within my booth yet there always seems to be something that doesn't quite work
spacewise, and once again, it's different from the way it started out. Kind of like new works...they have
a way of changing as you get into creating them.
If anyone is near the Richmond area, I hope to see you. I'll be in my booth space somewhere within
Byrd Park from eleven to six p.m. on Saturday and eleven to five p.m. on Sunday. Come on by and
we'll chat about art and other stuff. Just don't mention packing.

 A few weeks ago in the midst of March Madness I had a pleasant stopover from the NCAA quarterfinals
weekend outside of Greensboro, North Carolina. The friends I was traveling with suggested going to a wine
tasting between games. We stumbled across a delightful wine tasting at Stonefield Cellars in Stokesdale.
Natalie and Robert, our hostess and host, respectively, introduced us to their small winery and the fruits of
their labor for the previous three years. There was a varied assortment of Pinot Gris, Cabernet Sauvignon,
Sangiovese, and specialty products such as Mountain Mama Madness and Dreaded Pirate Red. Some
of the selection would not be available until April and we regret we missed their debut. Needless to say, we
left happily with our selections and were glad that we had been introduced to the wines from a region of the
United States that isn't usually associated with wine production. North Carolina Napa...has a nice ring to it,
don't you think?
In the meantime, after our return, my first show of the year is still on exhibit at the Pavilion Center I building
here in Virginia Beach and I am busy preparing for the next one during the first weekend of May in Richmond,
which is about two hours from here. It will be the first time at the Arts in the Park show.This week I will
be going with an artist friend to a marketing workshop which is about the same distance and the rest of the
time I hope to spend painting in my studio while watching for the first signs of spring at the beach.

 Anyone who lives in Hampton Roads or Tidewater knows that the months of February and March can
be strange when it comes to weather, which becomes a media topic, especially if there is even a small
HINT of anything that might so much as resemble a droplet of sleet or a snowflake. Since the chance of
snow resulting from storms from the South or Northeast is slim to rare here due to our geographic proximity
and the blessings of the snow deities, a hype like you would not believe emanates from the local TV stations
and people stay glued to their forecasts almost as much as their Facebook and Twitter home pages.
I grew up in the section of North Carolina where we always got lots of snow; the same area which got the
snow again this year. Transplanted natives from the North merely shake their heads in amazement when a snow
day is scheduled when there isn't any and the rest of us look like scattered cockroaches on the black ice covered
arteries linking seven cities.
Two years ago snow did barely come when I had my opening reception at the Pavilion Center I building at the
oceanfront. This year it arrived as a dusting three days ahead and by the time of the reception, the weather was
a balmy fifty one degrees. If you are in the area, the show continues through April 24th. Be sure to go all the
way to the top (eighth) floor to see the art and it may be helpful if you pick up one of the "tour guides" in the
main lobby which will give you some additional background.
Today the weather is Heaven-sent: seventy something with the threat of distant clouds and blustery breezes
which are due to shift to colder air again tonight. But for now, a brief reminder of the annual mid-winter break
in Key West:  the journaling girls we met from Nashville and Louisville at Hog's Breath Saloon, the feeding
frenzy at Dante's with the fresh catch from the "Fishin' Four", the "treacherous" bike rides along Duval and
Roosevelt,  the picturesque girls' tour of local Conch houses, and guilt filled moments of indulgence in those
sticky rolls at Angelina's. Just something about vacation that makes it that much more difficult to concentrate
on the tasks at hand when you return. Thank goodness Daylight Savings Time has finally arrived and the
Virginia Beach days will be longer now to paint and forget about snow in our corner of paradise.

      As the Italians say, "Basta!" Enough, already! I am so tired of the doom and gloom of 2008 and
the talk surrounding it using the economy as the blanket excuse for everyone's woes. I refuse to look
at the glass as half empty this year and resolve to try some new things. With so much stuff demanding our
immediate attention, I vow to try to maintain confidence in my skills and to venture sometimes out of the
box in my own art work. I am also going to eliminate some of the things that haven't worked along with
unnecessary distractions.
       In my description in previous posts I had a sketch of the proposed painting I had intended to finish
after returning from Tuscany in mid-summer. The finished work which was completed according to plan
is shown here and I feel pleased that I was able to achieve some of my creative goals in 2008. Another
one is ready to begin this week on the easel with its initial sketch screaming, "Basta! Andiamo!" Let's
get going and enough of this stuff that I would rather not be doing!" Yet the other goals are written down
and continue to seek my immediate attention as well. Pesky little marketing details...too late to say "bah,
humbug"? No, think positive, remember? I look forward to returning to my passion.

   
       The one word we have all heard for many months leading up to the election is the word: change.
No, this is not a political post because I don't believe that this is the place to share that kind of banter.
This post is after all about the life of the watercolor artist so the change I am referring to are those
that happen inside on the walls.
I often hear the comment at shows,"I don't have any more room for another work of art," and my answer to that is what I also practice: "so that is the time to change it up," that is,
look around and think how long the same works have been there that have served their aesthetic purposes
and could be changed. That word again. I recently decided that rather than storing some of my works
in boxes that have yet to find their adoptive homes I would place them where they belonged: hanging on the walls! Why should they be hidden when it gives me such pleasure to be surrounded by them? At a time of depression in 2008 and talk about the economy and security, I believe all of us welcome a warm spot
and that is what a painting can provide: a reminder of the deepest parts of our touched hearts and souls
during a much colder than usual winter.

   In the midst of art fests and shows during the fall. I have never personally liked the fall season that
much. Before, when I was teaching, I would be plagued with laryngitis for at least a month, and then
the colder months of November and December would arrive and I would freeze for another three
at least. I am surprised that I arrived as a fall baby, although my "sign" description does seem to fit.
Recently I have been fascinated with my Wheaten terrier who has become a bit intrigued by light
and shadows, especially when they appear in the evening hours. He is my opposite; he loves the
crispness of the slightly chilled air and delights in sniffing it as the wind tickles his muzzle. I watch
him as he bounces kangaroo style over newly mown grass and as he sits and stares at the ducks
and turtles in the early morning. He looks puzzled as he watches a lengthened shadow beneath him,
and you can tell he cannot understand why when he paws at it, nothing is there. As for me, there
is nothing that comes close to the enveloping warmth of the midday summer sun and the sights and
sounds surrounding the sea. The people who came into my booth commented at my last show how
happy my paintings made them feel, and I smile when they make comments like that because I know
that just like my puppy and small children, I experience that same sense of awe when I am painting.
Topo also leaps as high as he can when chasing butterlies only to find out that he isn't fast enough to
catch them. Sometimes I can relate to the same feeling, especially during this time in the year.

One of my favorite mantras is a quote by Marie Dressler: "It is not how
old you are, but how you are old." Funny how in touch you get with your
mortality when hiccups happen. I was recently awaiting a delicious break-
fast at a local beach restaurant when I suddenly crumpled (gracefully I
was told later) to the ground with the glass I had held in hand now shattered
into multiple pieces. I was a bit out of it, not at all inebriated, and somewhat
incoherent. I missed my breakfast and because of such disorientation I was
taken to the ER where it was decided that I would be admitted as a patient
that evening. Countless tests were completed and I was released the following
night. Additional follow-up visits were recommended and my painting schedule
interrupted,  (thus the "hiccup") in my summer.
The reason I mention this is that about a week before I received an e-mail
describing the differences in heart attack symptoms between men and women.
I experienced some of what I thought sounded like those that had been mentioned: a constant pain similar to that of heartburn beneath the sternum,
a tingling in the jawline, and a slight to moderate headache. The only thing
that hinted at an origin of the problem was the wait time after my medication that I had taken on an empty stomach. It's still a mystery. Maybe what followed was a fast drop in blood pressure only and no actual attack and then again
maybe not. Either way it is frightening to experience the hiccup- a subtle
present reminder that life in the now is precious and you do not want to let
go just yet of those moments, however mundane they may seem. I realize
that with maturity comes appreciation and gratitude yet I don't believe any-
one welcomes the hiccups. The relief is still simple: a long held breath , a
slow exhale, then moving on after the hiccups have subsided.

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