November Begins in the 60's in Maine

I can't believe how beautiful it is today. Warm, sunny and bright and feels more like September than November. I had breakfast at my favorite place Betty's in Bath with friends this morning. Afterwards off to the Bath farmer's market to enjoy fresh produce and some fine guitar and violin music. I bought a nice bunch of assorted dried mushrooms that can be used for a long time in many types of dishes. Really enjoy those. I hear they are good for you too.

I spent a little time in my studio which is a peaceful happy place for me! I made a few beads and finished off a few bracelet ends. I'm happy to report that I did sell one of my paintings at the 10 x 10 show in Brunswick in September. That's a rewarding feeling, although I kind of miss that piece. Guess I'll have to do some more painting!

So today I am sitting, resting a bit from a busy week of teaching middle schoolers and hoping the spray foam insulation guys do the job right this time.  They are upstairs now and have been for several hours. It's a long story, but after our house fire they did a terrible job of insulation. It took us a year to figure out how shoddy a job it was and now after several inspections they admit it was bad and they are redoing it. We have a bunch of stuff that had to be moved from the upstairs to the downstairs and that's a big pain. We are living in chaos and mess (again). Very disconcerting. Upsetting that people you trust take advantage of you and don't do a job right but still charge you full price. And then you don't even know you are losing heat and paying for a problem. The original contractor should have been back to inspect but never did. Ready to write some letters of complaint, but that takes energy and time and sometimes I think there are better ways to spend my energy and time!

Anyway, the bright spot is that today is gorgeous, it's a restful Saturday, we are having dinner with friends tonight and God is in control.

Soon it will be time for me to put to paintings in mats, wrap them up carefully and cart them over to Brunswick for submission to the annual 10 x 10 show. I love  preparing work for this show every year almost as much as I love going and seeing all the amazing art work all in the 10 x 10 format.

This year I have switched from pastel to watercolor with a smidgeon of collage added in. Still pursuing the water theme which is a calming image for me. I created three new paintings and must choose 2 of the three. My husband and son like the "Five Trees" and the "Waves and Barnacles" best so it's likely I'll agree with them after cogitating on this for a bit.

It's hard for me to start painting. Often I'm unhappy with the beginnings and I can easily get discouraged and feel like not continuing. I make myself persevere and then end up liking my work.
This is the same message I pass on to my art students... "stick with it",  you may decide you like it.

So if all goes well, I'll sell at least one of my paintings at the 10 x 10 show where works are  all framed in standard black frames, and each work is priced at $200. if an artists sells a piece , half goes to the organization called Arts are Elementary and the other half goes to the artist.

It's a win /win. If your work does not sell, you can buy it back with frame for $20 for each work.

These are two paintings I completed last year. I have sold one and given the other as a gift. I keep going back to these because they pull me in and make me feel like I am by the sea. Feeling like it's time to explore this theme again. Hmmm, shall I get out the paints or the pastels?

They are both small. They fit in a 10" x 10" frame.  OK, time to make a mess!

Hopefully all of you are enjoying your summer (or winter if you live in New Zealand!). Maine is beautiful in summer. The weather is usually just right, and the many beautiful places to visit are not crowded and often free! We did have a bit of a hot and humid spell which was not fun. I had to break down and get an AC for my second floor art studio. Good move, because on the Friday Art walk I had many visitors (was it my art or the cool room they were most attracted to?)

So, have a nice tall glass of lemonade, enjoy your friends and family, take a break from the rat race and smile at summer. Before you know it it will fade away.

Places I love here in Maine: Pemaquid, eating breakfast or dinner at the Driftwood Inn on Bailey Island, Wolf Neck state park, Popham Beach, Hermit Island, Reid State Park, Five Islands and breakfast at Betty's in Bath

!

aaaaaaaaargh!    Blogs and technology. I just wrote a post that I thought was pretty sweet and somehow it's gone! So, I'll look for it and if I can't find it, I 'll start all over again. Boo hoo.

Fun With Artist Trading Cards

I love being an art teacher! At the end of the year we plan ATC parties where my students create little mini artworks (2 1/2" x 3 1/2"). We bring in lots of good food to share and then the trading begins! Some artists have been making and saving their cards for awhile, while others do it just a few days before the party. Each child makes an arrangement of their cards on a table area and we all walk around viewing the creations. Trading is done by permission, and many of us (including me) end up with nice collections which are put in plastic sheet protectors.

I now have 3 very full notebooks categorized alphabetically by subject that are fun for students and me to look through. Just about anything can become an artist trading card. In my notebooks you will find: alligators, collages, mice with cheese, dripping paint, scratch art, hearts, fairies, squid and octipi (what is the plural for octopus?), food, shoes, manikins, lobsters, nature, and more!

This is such an easy way to engage kids in art making. It's also fun for adults. There are many fun websites about this. Here are a few I look at for inspiration:
http://www.atcsforall.com/

We've had quite an adventure (happy and sad) with dogs recently. First we adopted a big dog named Gage who was a beautiful mix of German Shepherd and Great Dane. We really enjoyed him. Quite a peaceful and gentle big dog. But he had some surprises for us. He escaped from our grip on three different occasions, causing us to call the sheriff's department as well as the police. Each time we got him back he was just fine, as if he'd had some fun and was now ready to come back home and settle down! He also frightened us by almost biting a young boy who was visiting and who did not provoke any aggressive behavior. It was odd, because he was always very loving towards us. Perhaps he was trying to protect us, or perhaps this young boy reminded him of someone else who had been cruel to him.

We had to return him to the humane society shelter due to fears he might attack someone in our home. Very sad, but too much of a risk. The shelter does not give refunds, but they will make exchanges. So now we have Roxie who is half the size of Gage and much younger. Very sweet and cuddly, but has some problems with going to the bathroom on our rugs. We are trying to get a handle on this since we really love her and understand that rescue dogs can sometimes have such problems.

Roxie only eats wet food,  per vet and shelter's suggestions (she had pelvic surgery due to being hit by a car a year ago). We crate her and take her out as soon as she leaves the crate. We also take her out before and after her 2 meals a day. We give her a treat when she does go  to the bathroom outside, and we do not punish her if she does go on the carpet. Perhaps we just need to be patient and keep doing what we are doing.


If you have any suggestions on how to help Roxie learn to
poop and pee outside, please email me at moosewinks@gmail.com. And if you have the love and space for a big teddy bear of a dog, and no small children around... contact the Maine Coastal  Humane Society about Gage in Brunswick, Maine. http://www.coastalhumanesociety.org/adopt/dogs/